How to Write Romantasy: Blending Fantasy and Romance into One Heart-Stopping Adventure

by Jenna Moreci Narrated by Jenna Moreci

Overview

Learn the craft of creating a page-turning romantasy novel in this easy-to-follow guide from writing expert and renowned author of The Savior's Series, Jenna Moreci.

In How to Write Romantasy, Moreci takes you from your first kernel of inspiration through the resolution of your novel, ensuring you hit all the key elements along the way. Chapters are organized around specific plot points, necessary skills, and common questions, covering topics such as building a fantasy framework, creating compelling characters, learning the art of the tease, and bringing home the happily ever after. Each chapter is followed by a summary that you can use for quick reference. You will learn:

¿ How to marry the fantasy plot with the romantic storyline
¿ How to write a marketable book that romantasy readers will love
¿ How to create a shippable pairing that makes fans swoon
¿ How to build romantic and physical chemistry
¿ How to pace the story if you're writing a series

Delivered with a hefty dose of humor, Moreci's clear and simple methods are accessible for writers of all experience levels. With How to Write Romantasy, you will walk away with a deeper understanding of the genre and plenty of inspiration to build your very own romantasy novel.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Practical, insightful, and packed with laugh-out-loud anecdotes only Jenna Moreci's brilliant mind could deliver, How to Write Romantasy is the essential guide for anyone looking to dive into the genre. Whether you're just starting to dip your toes into the romantasy space, have been crafting these tales for years, or are somewhere in between, there is something in this book for you. I already know it’s one I’ll return to again and again.”—Angela Montoya, author of Sinner’s Isle and A Cruel Thirst

“An absolute must-read for both newcomers to the genre and seasoned romantasy writers. Moreci brings a refreshing clarity to the writing process, breaking it down into engaging, manageable steps while inspiring fresh ideas along the way. The chapter summaries are especially useful for quick reference, making this a go-to guide for anyone serious about crafting compelling romantasy.”—Angela J. Ford, author of Music of the Night

“A must-have guide for romantasy writers. In How to Write a Romantasy, Jenna’s expertise shines through in her clear and witty advice, and the strategies she presents offer a strong framework for developing compelling stories that are sure to captivate audiences. Don’t write a romantasy without reading this book first!”—K. Stanley, bestselling author of the Write Novels that Sell series

Product Details

BN ID:	2940193290018
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	10/21/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1

Understanding the Genre

Romantasy as a genre isn’t as simple as a love story set in a medieval world or a human and an elf gazing longingly at each other. You can’t just write about two faeries knocking boots for one hundred thousand words and call it a novel. Well, you could, but I wouldn’t advise it. Imagine the chafing.

This concept is lost on a lot of newer authors. Romantasy is a thriving genre with ravenous readers, so many writers are diving into the category with little understanding of what it promises. Just write a couple of royals and make ’em kiss, right? If it were that simple, every romantasy author would be earning a killing right now. Sure, plenty are, but the standouts know something everyone else doesn’t. They know the key ingredients for setting their story apart from the crowd, and it starts with a firm grasp of the basics—like the genre itself.

Breaking Down the Romantasy Genre

To understand exactly what comprises the romantasy genre, we need to break it down into its individual parts. Romantasy is technically a subgenre of fantasy, but it really is a merging of two distinct genres—romance and fantasy—into one, and knowing how to navigate this merge goes a long way in crafting the perfect story.

Books in the romance genre follow two or more people falling in love. They’ll likely resist their urges at the onset, only to inevitably give in to their feelings for one another. However, something internal and/or external will then threaten to destroy their relationship, which will ultimately lead to them losing contact or parting ways at some point within the story. But by the end of the book, these lovebirds need to have their happily-ever-after (HEA), or at the very least be happy for now (HFN).

Yup, that’s a rule of the genre. There’s no negotiating this, unless you’re eager to be body-slammed by one-star reviews. You may be thinking of some examples that counter this point; the one most people grasp at is Romeo and Juliet. But this Shakespearean play is actually labeled a tragedy, not a romance. While plenty of stories with unhappy endings can read as romantic, that doesn’t necessarily make them romances, and this genre requires a happy and satisfying ending.

The fantasy genre confuses a lot of readers because it’s twofold. It covers stories that either take place in a fictional world or feature magic and/or magical creatures—or both.

This means your story can take place in a fantastical world without a hint of magic and it would still be considered fantasy. It could also take place in San Francisco, except the Bay Area is now filled with giants and wizards. And guess what? It’s still fantasy. Or you can smash the two concepts together—a fictional world filled with magic—and it’s most certainly fantasy.

Which brings us to the romantasy genre. A romantasy novel follows a romance between two or more people within a fantasy setting and plot. Something fantastical is threatening to destroy their love, but our horny hound dogs defy the odds, battle dangers, and wind up happily in each other’s arms once their story ends.

Romantasy novels are usually set in a fantasy world, and we’ll discuss the nature of the fantastical conflict separating our lovers in chapter 5.

Sounds straightforward, right? Unfortunately, there’s more to it than this. Writers love to overcomplicate things; it’s how we’re able to concoct such elaborate plotlines, and it’s also why we’re so often debating one another on social media (or Reddit, if you wear a fedora). The romantasy community at large has broken down the genre into two subcategories: fantasy romance and romantic fantasy.

A fantasy romance novel puts a bit more focus on the romantic plot of the story. There’s a heavier emphasis on characterization, the couple may have more cuddly or steamy moments together, and the fantasy world serves to support the story rather than monopolize it. I like to say that fantasy romance novels are 40 percent fantasy and 60 percent romance. You might be able to tell a book is a fantasy romance because there will be a number of scenes focusing on physical and emotional intimacy between the leading couple.

A romantic fantasy novel is its inverse. The fantasy plot is going to get slightly more page time than the romance. The couple may get together later in the novel, closer to the climax. There may be a greater emphasis on world-building, cultures, and tradition. And while fantasy romance novels can be action-packed or slower paced, romantic fantasy is almost always of the high-stakes variety. In my opinion, romantic fantasy novels are 60 percent fantasy and 40 percent romance.

You might be able to tell a book is a romantic fantasy because the leading couple may not share much physical intimacy until later in the book, and it might happen all at once—for example, their first kiss might also be their first time doing the hibbity dibbity.

Does it sound like I’m splitting hairs here? That’s because I am. Fantasy romance and romantic fantasy are so incredibly similar, it feels almost silly to separate the two. Please note that all the advice in this book pertains to both subcategories, because they’re nearly the same type of story, and more importantly, they’re both romantasy. Neither option is superior to the other and there’s an audience for both.

Fantasy with a Romantic Subplot

But Jenna, isn’t romantasy just a fantasy novel with a romantic subplot?

Oof. That’s a mistake you definitely don’t want to make. If you were to release a fantasy novel with a romantic subplot and market it as romantasy, readers would turn feral, and not in a good way. Romantasy readers are here for all the kissing, swooning, and tension. You’re only going to get a fraction of that with a romantic subplot.

Unsure whether your romance qualifies as romantasy or a romantic subplot? That’s easy to sort out. In a romantasy novel, the romance is the central point of the plot. Whether or not these two or more characters get together (and stay together) is the crux of the story. Without it, the plot caves in on itself.

That isn’t the case with a romantic subplot. In this situation, you’re simply telling a story of magic and adventure, but along the way, two or more people happen to fall in love. Maybe they end up together. Maybe they don’t. Either way, the plot doesn’t hinge on their relationship. You could remove the romance entirely and, while the story may be less entertaining, it could still very much stand on its own.

Try to imagine your story’s concept, if you have one, without any romance. Can the plot still unfold to fruition? Sure, you may have to rewrite a scene or two, but ultimately the primary objective can still be achieved. If that’s the case, you’re writing a fantasy novel with a romantic subplot. Sorry, but this guide isn’t for you. However, if removing the romance destroys the integrity of your plot, congratulations: you’ve got a romantasy on your hands.

Want to see this in action?

Imagine a story about an exiled prince with a cruel father. He learns good ol’ dad is wielding dark magic in order to harness the gift of everlasting life, at the cost of enslaving his people. Our sweet prince can’t have that, can he? So, he pulls together resources and allies to stop his father once and for all. Along the way, he falls for one of the knights at his side, and together they’re able to defeat the evil king and save the realm.

This is a fun concept, but at the end of the day, our romance between the prince and the knight isn’t the point of the story. They don’t have to fall in love to defeat the king. They could be best friends, brothers, a mentor and mentee—hell, the knight could just be one of many background characters. Because of this, it’s clear we’re dealing with a fantasy adventure with a romantic subplot.

Let’s change the story up a bit. We still have a sweet prince with a cruel father, but say our leading man hasn’t been exiled. Instead, he’s been strong-armed into an arranged marriage with—wait for it—a valiant knight from a neighboring kingdom. Both gents are more than displeased to be forced into this union, and they’re barely able to tolerate each other at first. But then the prince learns that his evil father is using that handy-dandy dark magic to incite a war on the knight’s realm and enslave his people; this arranged marriage was nothing but a distraction. The gall! Now our prince and knight must band together to prevent this war from happening—and wouldn’t you know it, they fall in love in the process.

I’m sure you can see the difference between the first story and the second. In the second version, the romance is the glue that pulls the plot together. The story begins with a wedding. We’ve also got the perfect setup for enemies to become lovers, which we all know readers froth at the mouth for. If the prince and the knight were to remain platonic, the story wouldn’t make much sense, nor would it deliver on its implied promise. These two characters are married to each other, and readers are going to expect that plot point to provide some type of romantic payoff. Plus, the ensuing war between their kingdoms creates the perfect catalyst for strife in their relationship, which is pivotal to any romantasy story. Again, we’ll discuss this more in chapter 5.