Romantasy, one of the top-selling book genres in the world, mixes romance and fantasy in equal measure. It’s my personal favorite (along with paranormal romance, its sister genre), sparked by a lifelong love affair that began with fairy tales and headcanons about romances I wish existed or had been featured more heavily in my favorite fantasy fiction.
Last weekend, I brushed up on my romantasy education with Reedsy Learning’s online writing conference, How to Write Irresistible Romantasy, because I’m working on a few romantasy/paranormal romance projects. I love taking classes, reading books, and listening to podcasts on writing because they keep my creative gears greased. They always spark challenging questions and lead to fresh ideas.
This conference featured four separate workshops with authors, editors, and agents, including a panel with four bestselling romantasy authors. While it was geared toward beginners (the content is particularly helpful as an entry point to the genre), I still found it valuable, even with years of experience studying the craft. There are a few resources in particular I’ll refer back to as I’m writing.
Below are my four favorite takeaways from the conference I think every romantasy writer should hear.
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During the Author Panel: Breaking Into the Romantasy Market, the four authors were unanimous about one thing: don’t try to write like someone else.
Authors whose books shape the market — that inspire reader trends — are the ones not chasing what’s popular. They’re writing what lights them up. And their books are unique simply because they are the ones writing them.
“What you’re going to write is not wholly original. You’re not going to reinvent the wheel,” said Jennifer L. Armentrout, author of From Blood and Ash. “What happens is, we often try to write something that’s never been done before, and I hate to break it to you — the moment you have thought it, someone has hit publish on it. And if you speak it, you can damn guarantee that is Murphy’s law. But it’s how you tell the story. It’s your version. It’s your story. A lot of stories have been told. It’s your job to tell it differently and to put your own spin on it.”
Alyssa Day, author of the Warriors of Poseidon series, added, “I see so many aspiring authors who do this, and they’re like, ‘well, I’m going to be the next Sarah J. Maas, I’m going to be the next Jennifer Armentrout.’ Stop doing that. Just be yourself. Be the first of yourself. If you have five different people writing the same idea, they’re going to come up with five different books. So, just write your story.”
My favorite workshop at the conference was Crafting Your Hero and Heroine with Sara Oestreich, a developmental editor. Her formulas for character development, relationship dynamics, and the balance between romance and fantasy are both excellent foundations for beginners and valuable reminders for advanced authors.
I especially loved the emphasis she placed on how misbeliefs shape a character’s inner world and actions. How did traumatic events in their childhood inform how they see the world — how they feel about themselves, relationships, power? And how do those misbeliefs clash with their love interest’s?
The exercises she included are the kind I’ll refer back to frequently when I’m getting stuck and need a spark to get the wheels turning again. They’re already helping with one of my current projects.
We all want our world-building to feel immersive and real. In her workshop, Worldbuilding Without Info Dumping, V. Ruiz, a literary agent and editor, mapped out the details that are easily overlooked but create rich, dynamic fantasy worlds.
She focused on five topics that provide a solid foundation for world-building, then broke each one down into details that inform them so they seamlessly integrate with your characters and story. While some details won’t be shown or written on the page, their influence will still be felt.
For example, what rituals mark the passage of time? Do gender roles play into family dynamics? How is community formed?
“This may seem obvious, but every level of the world will have an influence on your characters and their personalities,” said V. Ruiz. “So, as you discover your world, be flexible with how it shifts any already established elements.”
I saved her resource PDF to my writing toolbox because I’ll definitely be referring to it in the future.
Love scenes — of any spice level — are some of the hardest to get right. They can way too easily veer into cringe territory. Editor and author Molli Jackson Ehlert broke down the key elements of a good love scene in Writing Space: A Recipe for Success, from closed door to erotica.
The key takeaway: the magic isn’t in what they’re doing, it’s in how and why they’re doing it. What is the emotional payoff? How does it progress the story? How does it affect each character’s arc?
Molli also talked about how to make sure the scenes not only fit your style and comfort levels but also your characters and their specific voice. Some of the best character and relationship building can (and should) happen in these scenes, so they should be approached with the same care as the others.
⚔️✨ You can access unlimited replays of the entire conference any time you want with the Reedsy Learning membership, along with hundreds of other courses and events with advice for your entire writing and publishing journey.
They also have Reedsy Studio, their free platform for planning, drafting, editing, and formatting your book as an alternative to apps like Scrivener, Google Docs, and Notion. I’m excited to try this out because it has so many cool features (including tools for character planning, editing, and beta reading) all in one spot. Have you tried it? Let me know your thoughts if you have!
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xx L.E.
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