Either way, what matters most is that readers care deeply about your characters, both individually and as a romantic pairing. In stories that have high-stake action and complex plots, this emotional connection is really key. If readers don't care about your characters and their relationships, then they're not going to be invested in their survival or happiness. Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast. My name is Savannah Gilbo and I'm here to help you write a story that works. I want to prove to you that writing a novel doesn't have to be overwhelming, so each week, I'll bring you a brand new episode with simple, actionable and step-by-step strategies that you can implement in your writing right away. So, whether you're brand new to writing or more of a seasoned author looking to improve your craft, this podcast is for you. So pick up a pen and let's get started.

In today's episode, we're going to take a deep dive into the romanticist genre and I'm going to talk through what it means to write a romanticist novel that works. I'm going to cover the key differences between romantic fantasy and fantasy romance, both of which exist on the romantic genre spectrum, and we're going to talk through some actionable strategies for world building, character development and plot construction that will help you craft a romantic story that readers can't put down. So whether you're hoping to write the next fourth wing or create more of an intimate fantasy romance like Radiance by Grace Draven, this episode will give you all the tools to navigate this complex but rewarding genre. So let's dive in, starting with a definition, shall we? What is romantasy? Romantasy is a term used to describe stories that combine romance and fantasy. They're stories that make use of magical elements, take place in imagined fantasy worlds, have various degrees of danger and life or death stakes and, most importantly, feature a prominent romantic relationship as readers. This definition makes sense, right, but many aspiring authors that I've met and talked to struggle to write romanticy well, and they often end up with either weak worldbuilding or underdeveloped relationships or plots that just don't work. And usually these writers come to me with questions like should the plot points in a romantasy focus more on the romance or fantasy elements? Or does a romantasy story need a happily ever after ending or not? And if the story starts to focus on the romantic relationship, then when does it stop being a subplot and become more of a core piece of the story? And we're going to talk through all of this today. But essentially, when writers ask me these questions, my answer is always it depends on what kind of romanticity you're writing. So let me explain what I mean by that.

You might have heard me talk about this in a previous episode, but essentially there are five different ways that we can talk about the genre of any given story. So, for example, about any book, we can ask is it literary, upmarket or commercial fiction? We can talk about when the story takes place, so is it historical or contemporary? We can talk about genre based on how old the target reader is, so is it middle grade, young adult, new adult or adult fiction? We can talk about it in terms of setting or the reality that the story takes place in, so is it set in a fantasy world, a sci-fi world, in our own modern day world, like? Where does it take place? And then, lastly, we can talk about genre in terms of the content, genre of the story, so is it an action story with life or death stakes, or a romance novel with a happily ever after ending, or a thriller where we're up against a ticking clock? You know things like that.

So, as an example to explain what I mean, I want you to consider Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yaros. Depending on where you look, you're going to see this book described as romanticy, epic fantasy, fantasy, romance or even just new, adult or adult fantasy. Each of those labels speaks to something different and they're all technically correct. As readers, we can get the gist of what this story is about, right, it's a book that will contain elements of fantasy and romance, and we know who it's for it's for new, adult or adult readers. But here's where things get really tricky. If we take another book like Radiance by Grace Draven, which is marketed using similar terms fantasy, romance, romanticy, adult fantasy, etc. But offers a slightly different reading experience from Fourth Wing, it starts to get a little confusing. The plot and stakes in Fourth Wing feel bigger and more dangerous, while Radiance feels more intimate and focused on the romantic relationship, yet both are described using the same terms. To make matters even more complicated, you could say the same thing about the Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, which includes many of these same elements but isn't marketed as romantic-y. So yes, there's a romantic relationship between Kvothe and Denna, but there's no happily ever after, or at least not yet, because the series isn't complete, and this is where a lot of the confusion comes from right.

All three books take place in an imaginary world, all three feature romantic relationships, all three see the protagonist in dangerous situations and all three deal with larger societal and or plot issues. So what gives what makes stories like Fourth Wing and Radiance romanticize, while books like the Name of the Wind are just fantasy with a romantic subplot? And why is the reading experience so similar yet different between books like these? Well, that is exactly what we're going to talk through in the rest of this episode, and the key thing it breaks down to is this Romanticy stories exist on a spectrum. On one end of the spectrum you have fantasy romance and on the other end of the spectrum you have romantic fantasy. So let's break down the differences between fantasy romance and romantic fantasy, and then we'll talk about how this all plays into the overarching genre of romanticy. We'll start with fantasy romance.

Fantasy romance is a sub-genre of romance, so these are stories that are essentially romance novels set in fantasy worlds that follow the standard romance beats and have happily ever after or at least happily for now endings like contemporary romance novels do. This means the romantic relationship is the focus of the plot and if you take that romance away, the story doesn't work. Thematically, books in the fantasy romance subgenre demonstrate the power of love or what it means to find and accept love, because that's what these stories are about. So books like Radiance by Grace Draven and the Winter King by CL Wilson would sit in this subcategory. Now, romantic fantasy, on the other hand, is a subgenre of fantasy, so these are stories that include a bigger external conflict, usually with life or death stakes, and feature prominent romantic subplots. So, in other words, although the romantic relationship is important, it's not the core of the story. If you took out the romance, the overarching plot would still make sense to readers and the story would still work. It might not be as entertaining, but it would still work if you took that romance out.

Typically, stories in the romantic fantasy subgenre follow the key scenes and conventions of the action genre and they do not require the main couple to have a happily ever after ending. Thematically, books in the romantic fantasy subgenre demonstrate what it takes to survive and thrive, and they spotlight how the romantic relationship factors into the protagonist's ability to survive and thrive. Books like Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yaros and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Mass would sit in this subcategory. Now, this doesn't mean that any fantasy novel with a romantic subplot is considered romantic fantasy. Publishers do distinguish romantasy as something different than a fantasy novel with a romantic subplot, and this means you must do the same. So, for example, in the Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, the love story between Kvothe and Denna serves to enhance and or complicate the overall plot. Their romance is woven into the plot without making romance the ultimate goal of the story.

Now, as you can imagine, if you're writing romanticism, it's important to know where your book sits on this romanticist genre spectrum in order to write a story that works and satisfies readers. But sometimes that's easier said than done, because fantasy, romance and romantic fantasy seem to be separated by a pretty thin line. So I want to walk you through five steps to take if you know you want to write a romanticist novel and you're still kind of trying to determine where your story fits on that spectrum. So let's dig into step one. If you're writing romantasy, the first thing you'll need to do is determine your story's content genre.

The biggest difference between fantasy, romance and romantic fantasy lies in how authors mix and prioritize their content genres. If you've never heard this term content genre before, I will link to an episode where I talk about this in a lot more detail. But essentially, content genres tell us writers, what kind of content we need to include in order to deliver on readers' expectations. So things like what kind of plot events need to happen, what kind of character roles need to be filled, what kind of conflict the characters will face, what's at stake or what the characters stand to lose or gain, and so much more. So if you're writing fantasy romance, your primary content genre will be romance. This means that the romance genre elements need to take precedence over any action genre or fantasy elements you choose to include, because the romantic relationship is the most important part of the story. On the other hand, if you're writing romantic fantasy, you'll need to choose a content genre other than romance to represent your external plot. In most cases, the primary content genre of romantic fantasy stories is action, which means the action genre elements would take precedence over any romance elements you choose to include, even if only incrementally.

The key thing to remember in romantic fantasy stories is that there needs to be something bigger at stake. So an external plot that puts a character in dangerous life or death situations and tests their ability to survive, the romantic relationship then serves to support or cause conflict to that main storyline Again, even if it feels like the romance is an equal part of the story from the reader's perspective. Now, if you're still not sure where your story fits, consider which two to three books your story would sit next to on a shelf. If your answer is something like Radiance by Grace Draven or the Winter King by CL Wilson, then you're probably writing fantasy romance. If your answer is something like Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yaros or A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas, then you're probably writing romantic fantasy. This first step is really key because the boundary between fantasy romance and romantic fantasy does tend to blur, but readers will sometimes want one kind of reading experience over the other. So your decision in this first step will help you set the reader's expectations and then deliver a story that meets and hopefully exceeds those expectations. Okay, so that's step one. You'll want to determine your primary content genre.

Step number two is to uncover and get clear on your story's theme. Most romanticist stories speak to themes of love, friendship, belonging and survival, but depending on your subgenre, you'll want to speak to these themes in slightly different ways. If you're writing fantasy romance, your story needs to speak to the power of love. The central question of these stories is something like will these two characters get together or stay together despite everything standing in their way? In other words, how strong is their love? Can their love conquer all? Will their love or their romantic relationship survive, whatever else the plot throws at them?

For example, in Radiance by Grace Draven, you could say the theme is something like Real love can exist between two very different people when each person sets aside their prejudice and keeps an open mind about what's possible. The focus of the story is on the power of love, despite everything else that's included. If you're writing romantic fantasy, your story will need to speak primarily to what it takes to survive. The central question of these stories is something like will the protagonist survive this dangerous situation and, if so, how? In other words, what does it take to survive and how does the romantic relationship factor into the protagonist's ability to survive, whether positively or negatively? Take Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yaros as an example. You could say the theme of that book is something like surviving and thriving is possible when you embrace your strengths, even if they aren't physical, and work with others, despite your differences, for the greater good. The focus of this book is on Violet's survival and how her relationship with Zayden and others help or harm her ability to survive. This is a really important distinction, because theme is going to influence everything in your story, from the way your characters grow and change or fail to grow and change, to how you shape your plot and how you flesh out your story world. If you're not clear on which universal theme your story speaks to primarily whether that's love or survival it can be difficult to prioritize what happens when, what stays in your story versus what gets edited out and things like that. So just something to keep in mind, and that is step two you'll want to uncover and get clear on your story's theme.

Step number three is to brainstorm and create a plot with appropriate stakes. Now, although fantasy, romance and romantic fantasy include many of the same elements, they are fundamentally different. The plot's going to be different and what's at stake is going to be different, even though both types of stories include similar elements. If you're writing fantasy romance, the romantic relationship is going to take center stage. This means the key plot points in your story need to revolve around the romantic relationship, bringing your characters together as soonve around the romantic relationship, bringing your characters together as soon as possible in Act 1, and giving them their happily ever after, or, at the very least, a happy-for-now ending. For this reason, many fantasy romance stories are built using the romance genre framework, including the key scenes and conventions of the romance genre. I will link to those in the show notes as well for easy access. Now, if you're going to include any action genre elements or any fantasy elements in your story, like escalating danger and or life and death scenarios, magic, whatever it is just remember that these elements need to serve as a subplot or more of a backdrop to the central romantic storyline. The goal is to use these subplots or these fantasy action genre elements to complicate the couple's ability to be together for one reason or another.

So, as an example, if you think about Radiance by Grace Draven, the story starts with the two main characters, ildiko and Breshen, meeting right before their wedding. Both characters are quote-unquote spare children, meaning they will not inherit the throne, and they've been betrothed to each other as part of a trade between their kingdoms. The story is about their relationship and whether it will work out if they'll truly ever fall in love. You know things like that the external conflict in the story exists to complicate that relationship. So there's prejudice, there's misunderstanding between their two people, there are attacks that happen on the road and in court, and even their physical differences when it comes to being intimate provide conflict to their relationship. And all of these action, genre elements or fantasy elements, they echo the type of conflict that's already existing within that relationship and this is what helps the story feel cohesive and whole. So, as an example, the prejudice and misunderstanding that exists between their two people, that also exists in the beginning of their relationship, the physical differences that exist between the humans and the Kai also exist between Ildiko and Bershen, because Ildiko is human and Bershen is Kai. So, again, these action or fantasy elements and the world building, they help echo the type of conflict that exists within the relationship. Then, by the end of the story, we are of course turning page after page to find out whether or not Ildiko and Bershen get their happily ever after or not. So we are rooting for that relationship throughout the entire book.

Now, if you're writing romantic fantasy, like I said earlier, there needs to be more at stake than just the relationship. This means that, although the romantic relationship is going to play a very significant role in the story. The plot needs to include, and be centered around, a bigger external conflict, usually one with life or death stakes. It's for this reason that many romantic fantasy stories are built using the action genre framework that culminates with a dangerous life or death confrontation with the antagonist and includes very specific key scenes and conventions. Again, I will link to some articles that cover those key scenes and conventions of the action genre in the show notes. Now, in this scenario, the romantic relationship is going to be the subplot, even if it feels like it carries equal weight in the story. This means your key plot points need to be built around that bigger external conflict and they may or may not feature significant romantic developments, depending on the story you're telling and whether the romance develops over one book or multiple books. Either way, the goal is to use the romantic relationship as a way to complicate or support the central conflict, not the other way around.

As an example of a story like this, I'd like you to consider Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yaros and how, in the beginning of the story, violet's on her way to join the writer's quadrant and we don't know whether or not she'll survive Not just survive crossing parapet, but also once she gets into the writer's quadrant, and we don't know whether or not she'll survive not just survive crossing parapet, but also once she gets into the writer's quadrant, if she makes it in. We're initially led to believe that zayden wants to kill violet, but as the story progresses they grow closer, develop feelings and fall in love, and violet's relationship with zayden both puts her in danger by making her a target of people like General Melgrin, who accuses her of siding with the rebels and things like that, and it also helps her survive by teaching her key skills, zayden, believing in her despite her physical ability and her family name, by sharing knowledge and things like that. By the end of the book we are definitely rooting for Zayden and Violet to get their happily ever after ending, but we're also concerned with Violet's survival, especially in the story's climax. So if Violet doesn't survive the story's climax, then we know there's no shot at getting that happily ever after, right. So again, similar elements, but different reading experiences. Hopefully these examples are helpful, and that is step number three. You'll want to brainstorm and create a plot with appropriate stakes.

Now step number four is to develop the relationship between the characters and, whether you're writing fantasy, romance or romantic fantasy, the romantic relationship between your characters is critical to your story's success. You'll want to start by fully developing each character individually before bringing them together. So for each character, you can ask yourself things like how does this character feel about love and relationships? Do they want love or a relationship? And if so, why Do they avoid or fear love and relationships? If so, why Do they feel they're deserving or undeserving of love or an intimate relationship and if so, why? And then how do these beliefs change by the end of the story? If you haven't done the work to develop your character's backstory already, then I will link to a blog post and podcast episode in the show notes that will help you uncover where each character's beliefs and inner obstacles around love and relationships came from. So that'll be linked in the show notes if you need help doing this Now.

If you're writing fantasy romance, your story will show how characters grow and change in their beliefs about love. Since these are romance stories, first, the romantic relationship needs to be the primary catalyst for that internal conflict and growth. The action and fantasy elements can definitely contribute to the character development, but that romantic relationship needs to be the primary catalyst for that change. If you're writing romantic fantasy, on the other hand, your story will demonstrate how love helps change your protagonist and how that change either helps or harms their survival. And what this means is that both the external conflict and the romantic relationship should drive your character's growth and change. And it's this dual catalyst for growth and change that distinguishes romanticy, particularly romantic fantasy, from a standard fantasy novel with a romantic subplot. Okay, I'm going to say that one more time because it's really important. It's this dual catalyst for growth that distinguishes romanticy, that distinguishes romanticist novels, particularly romantic fantasy novels, from standard fantasy books with romantic subplots. So in a regular fantasy story like the Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, kvothe's relationship with Denna isn't the primary driver of his growth. His education, his experiences and his confrontations with the external conflicts and sources of antagonism play a much larger role, challenging him and encouraging him to grow and change. Okay, so that's an example of a regular fantasy novel that includes a romantic subplot. But in true romantic novels, whether that's fantasy, romance or romantic fantasy, the love interest or that romantic subplot must significantly contribute to or cause the protagonist transformation.

Now back to romantic fantasy. When it comes to the relationship in your romantic fantasy novel. Remember that readers aren't necessarily expecting or guaranteed a happily ever after ending, especially in a book series. Your story might feature more of a slow burn romance that develops gradually over books, or it might even feature a protagonist who has multiple romantic partners across a book series. So think of someone like Aelin in Throne of Glass or Tori in Zodiac Academy. Right, both characters have multiple romantic partners across a series and they eventually get their happily ever after. Either way, what matters most is that readers care deeply about your characters, both individually and as a romantic pairing.

In stories that have high stake action and complex plots, this emotional connection is really key. If readers don't care about your characters and their relationships, then they're not going to be invested in their survival or happiness. So this step is really important. You'll need to develop the relationship between your characters, of course, starting with their individual development and then their relationships development once you bring them together. All right, moving on to step five. Step five is to build a story world that supports your story's plot and character growth. Depending on where your story fits on the romanticist genre spectrum, readers will have slightly different expectations for your world building. Obviously, you will need to do some world building either way, because we are talking about romanticist after all. Right, but how much world building you do is up to you and up to what you think readers might expect from your subgenre. So here are some things to keep in mind.

If you're writing fantasy romance, consider how the story world impacts the central romantic relationship. Think about things like any societal rules that relate to marriage or courtship that could either get your couple stuck together or create obstacles for them being together. You could also think about things like the physical needs or powers of one character that could pose a threat to the other if they're not controlled and they're in a romantic relationship. You know things like that. If you think about Radiance by Grace Draven as an example, brishen and Ildiko are betrothed as a way to bring their two kingdoms peace. So they are forced together through this marriage and Ildiko must travel to Brishen's kingdom where she's going to be one of only a handful of humans to live out the rest of her life. Once she gets there, the setting or the world building both harms and helps the romantic relationship develop. So, for example, because Ildiko is one of only a few humans in the Kai kingdom, bershen becomes a familiar and safe presence to her, which helps the relationship blossom, but on the other hand, because he's Kai, he's physically stronger and more powerful than her. So once they are together and they are intimate with each other, that poses a problem as well. So think about creative ways you can use your setting or your worldbuilding to both help and harm the relationship.

Now, if you're writing romantic fantasy, readers will expect more of an emphasis on worldbuilding and fantastic elements than they might from a fantasy romance book, romance book and where I suggest you focus is creating a story world that's ripe for life or death conflicts and that puts your protagonist in dangerous situations, while also developing a place where the romantic relationship can thrive and or be challenged. So, as an example of this, think about Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yaros. The characters are literally at a war college preparing to go to war. When they reach a certain point in their training, they learn how to wield dangerous signets, fight each other in physical combat and ride on the back of powerful dragons that could kill you without blinking. The world is ripe for dangerous situations and life-or-death conflicts, and this is just a part of what helps bring Zayden and Violet together, as well as what initially keeps them apart. All right. So that is step number five. You'll want to build a story world that helps you develop your plot and your characters.

Now, like I mentioned earlier, whether you're writing fantasy, romance, where love conquers all, or romantic fantasy, where survival is the primary goal, understanding where your story sits on the romanticist spectrum is crucial for crafting a satisfying reader experience. So, on that note, let me recap what we went over today. I'm going to share five key points and then I'll wrap up the episode. Key point number one is that Romantasy exists on a spectrum, with fantasy romance on one side and romantic fantasy on the other, each offering distinct reading experiences despite containing similar ingredients. Remember that fantasy romance centers on the romantic relationships, with fantasy elements to support and enhance that journey, and romantic fantasy focuses on the external conflict and survival, with romance adding depth to the character's growth. Key point number two is that the most important decision for Romantic writers is determining their primary content genre either romance for fantasy romance or action for romantic fantasy and whatever you choose is going to help you shape your plot structure, character development and readers' expectations.

Key point number three is that fantasy and romance explore themes centered on the power of love and relationships that fantasy and romance explore themes centered on the power of love and relationships, but romantic fantasy primarily examines themes of survival and how romantic relationships help or hinder that survival. So really important difference there. Key point number four is that the plots in fantasy romance books revolve around the central relationship, with external conflicts serving as complications. On the other hand, romantic fantasy requires higher external stakes, usually life or death, with romance serving as a subplot that impacts the protagonist's journey. And finally, key point number five is that both subgenres require worldbuilding, but fantasy romance focuses on how the world impacts the relationships. So remember thinking things like social rules, arranged marriages, things like that, while romantic fantasy demands more comprehensive world building that creates dangerous situations and life or death conflicts. And as a bonus takeaway, I'll just reiterate that being clear on your subgenre is going to help you deliver that emotional experience that your readers are looking for.

Remember that fantasy romance readers are primarily seeking that emotional journey and that guaranteed happily ever after, while romantic fantasy readers want high-stakes adventure with romantic elements that enhance the story. The line that divides these subgenres might be thin and you might find your series shifting along this spectrum as it develops. That is perfectly fine, as long as that shift is natural and makes sense within your world and for your characters. What matters most is creating an authentic world where both the fantasy and romance elements feel necessary and meaningful to your story. So it is my hope that by embracing these distinctions and by applying the principles we've discussed in this episode, you're going to craft a romantic novel that finds its perfect readers and keeps them coming back for more, and everything we went over in today's episode will hopefully help you do that.

So that's it for today's episode. As always, thank you so much for tuning in and for showing your support. Thank you so much for tuning in and for showing your support. If you want to check out any of the links I mentioned in this episode, you can find them in the show notes listed in the description of each episode inside your podcast player or at savannahgilbocom forward slash podcast. If you're an Apple user, I'd really appreciate it if you took a few seconds to leave a rating and a review. Your ratings and reviews tell Apple that this is a podcast that's worth listening to and, in turn, your reviews will help this podcast get in front of more fiction writers just like you. And while you're there, go ahead and hit that follow button because there's going to be another brand new episode next week, full of actionable tips, tools and strategies to help you become a better writer. So I'll see you next week and until then, happy writing.