Six Mistakes to Avoid when Writing a Fantasy Romance – A Brief Guide

Six Mistakes to Avoid when Writing a Fantasy Romance – A Brief Guide

What kind of books do you love? If you love reading romance, there is a great chance that you might want to write romance as well. We already know that aspiring writers are good readers and really fond of books. 

There are countless tips on how you should write a romance novel. Now, while you might have gone through many of those tips – let us check out some of the worst tips that you can encounter when you are working on your romance novel. 

Read on to learn more. 

Adding Faeries

The first mistake you should avoid is adding fairies or fairy love scenes, even if you are writing a fantasy romance. Some people believe that their romance novel will be incomplete without a mythical predator. A while ago, romance readers were obsessed with vampires. There was also the trend of dystopian romance. 

Now, we have apparently moved to fairy romance, particularly faerie men. Seemingly, there is nothing more masculine than a man who has fairy dust at his feet. The worst tip that you can get when writing a fantasy romance is that you cannot write a romance without faeries – else – you might get cursed and your hands might turn into claws.

Dysfunctional Love

If you have read somewhere that your romance novel cannot be romantic unless it is dysfunctional – then you read it wrong. This would be similar to some romance novelists claiming that a good romance is an unhealthy romance.

Come on now! Who would fall for something like this? Romance readers read the book to swoon and feel delighted and not to feel damaged and violated. They want to see a couple that saves one another from darkness and defeat instead of being in a dysfunctional and toxic relationship where they abuse each other to the fullest. 

Avoid portraying dysfunctional love in your romance book – cheating and an abusive relationship won’t make your romance book an exciting delight. Avoid adding gaslighting and trauma to your novel. Otherwise, we are sure that one of the best romance book editors that you will hire will point out this massive mistake to you. 

The thing about romance novels is that people read romance to feel happy and swoon in delight instead of completing a book in trauma. 

Intimacy After Tragedies 

When someone’s best friend dies, or their entire planet gets destroyed, some writers believe that this is the best time to add an intimate scene for the character who is struck with grief. You might have noticed how the main character gets intimate with literally anyone right after they have experienced something horrific. 

Even you – while reading such scenes – might not understand why this is happening. Think about it with logic – when something tragic has occurred – shouldn’t the characters be paralyzed in shock or at least mourning their loss?

Now, they might need a distraction from all the grief – but – avoid such scenes in your romantic book where characters are getting intimate right after something tragic has happened. 

Kidnapping A Character

We all know about Stockholm Syndrome – but – don’t fall for the trap as it isn’t cute at all. If you believe that the most respected and viral romances begin with capture, you have all the wrong information. If you read the tip somewhere that states that kidnapping can make your readers more interested in the plot of your fantasy novel, then you have it all wrong.

Usually, a man kidnaps a woman for reasons that are completely unknown to the readers. Now, if you are thinking whether it matters or not about capturing a character – you should know that it does matter. If you are making a character capture another character, make sure there is a motif behind it.

Also, don’t fall for the cliché that through intimidation and abuse, the male character will be able to force the female character to fall in love with him. It might work in some television shows – but – for your romance fantasy novel – it won’t work like this. 

Everyone wants to feel real love instead of being humiliated and degraded. 

Adding a Baby

Sometimes, when aspiring writers feel that their love story is going stale – they casually add a baby to the plot – believing that this will spice up things, and readers will feel more interested in reading the novel now as there are diaper duties added to the plot. 

If you believe that throwing in a baby will add tension and romantic appeal to the plot, then you have I wrongly figured out. Don’t make the mistake of believing that babies are perfect for the novel because they give your characters a chance to connect with each other. 

Your readers aren’t reading romance for the sake of welcoming a child into a family that is already falling apart. So, adding a baby to the plot only because you feel your story is going stale is a big no. 

Portraying Intimidating Males

Another mistake to avoid is portraying male leads that are intimidating as they have to frighten their love interest – or – it won’t count as a romance or a loving relationship. Avoid making the mistake of believing that intimidation is necessary because how else will their partner be intimate with them? 

You cannot let go of the two aspects of personal choice and consent when writing a fantasy romance. Don’t paint the male lead as a dude who is at least three times bigger than his partner and also taller – otherwise – how else would he intimidate her?

Let go of the belief that the male lead has to overwhelm their partner not only in body mass but also through the force of his unrelenting will. It would be a big flop to portray him as a man who takes what he wants – as someone like this is nothing but a predator. 

The Takeaway

There are countless tips on how to write a fantasy romance, which is why we have added a list that portrays what to avoid when writing a romance. Make sure that your romance is more than a story of a love interest. Your characters should have dreams, strengths, and weaknesses so that they are relatable.