I’m excited to be here. I’m writing YA fantasy which of course has a twist of romance.
Valia
3 years ago
Hi! When planning your story, what do you start with, the fantasy aspects or the romance?
Valia
3 years ago
Also, what is a good way to find balance between the two? Is there such a thing as too much romance in fantasy?
Thank you<3
Evie
3 years ago
In what ways is the industry pushing the envelop for getting stories without the most commonly known/overused tropes and/or stereotypes for romances and female main characters specifically in YA/NA? I constantly see the same tropes published when the book world can mostly agree that some of them are what makes books unbelievable or unlikely to enjoy.
Gwendolyn
3 years ago
Hi! This is such a fun topic; thanks for sharing with us.
How much would you say the setting of the story affects the relationships? Why is a ‘fantasy romance’ different than regular ‘romance’? Is it just characters (like instead of two humans, a human and an elf), or is there something more?
I want to write more romance into my current YA WIP, but I want to keep it “clean” (more TV-14 vs TV-MA). Can using innuendos and subtle references help with that?
Em
3 years ago
Do you have any tips on how to write the really romantic bits, besides the wonderful suggestion to avoid clichés?
Hi Charlie! Thanks for doing this. My question is, in a series (like a trilogy), do you feel the romance needs to be present in the first book? Or do you think it’s okay to build their friendship first and morph it into a relationship later?
R. Lille
3 years ago
Recommendations for building romantic tension in fantasy?
Jason
3 years ago
First off, I read a sample of Paper Magicians on iBooks, loved it, then bought a hard copy.
How do you feel about never leaving the flirting, courting stage and getting to the final relationship?
Love the Paper Magician series! What are some cliches in the fantasy/romance crossover, and what are some ways you can make your particular story unique?
how long do you think is “wise” to delay a couple coming together? The way I’m outlined currently, my characters have to fight their romance until the near end.
Thank you so much for doing this! Great name! (My 1-year-old is a Charlie!) Do you have any advice about world building for middle grade/YA audiences?
Thank you for your time!
Gwendolyn
3 years ago
If a world doesn’t necessarily have magic but is in a fictional world and has a minimal inclusion of magical animals (like dragons), is it still considered fantasy?
Patchi
3 years ago
Is there a market for short stories with Fantasy and Romance? Any magazines that specialize in this particular gender blending?
Hannah
3 years ago
How should you handle developing romance between two secondary characters?
Michelle
3 years ago
How do you deal with editorial comments about emotions and romantic elements when they’re so personal to each individual reader? Have you ever disagreed with an agent/editor on your main character emotions and/or feelings?
Benjamin Riseman
3 years ago
You’re very funny – by far the most entertaining live session yet!
Another One! What is a good approach to writing fantasy villains? How should a fantasy author handle “evil”? Is it a gray area of does the general good vs evil still work?
Debra
3 years ago
Is romance a must in a middle grade novel? Are readers expecting to have you introduce it?
Patchi
3 years ago
In Romance series, often the couples change from book to book. Does this work in Fantasy?
Hello, me again.
Gotta say I love your tastes – Brandon Sanderson and the Emotional Thesaurus are two things I love.
What are your thoughts on villains having relationships?
Hannah
3 years ago
You covered my earlier question perfectly! Thanks!
How do you suggest revealing villain motivation through the eyes of your protagonist without having a monologue?
Jason
3 years ago
Do you track your plot lines with the color-coded post-its? How do you make sure the romance is building at a good pace?
I love the one in Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. Also Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt. ALSO, I’m pretty much obsessed with Miraculous Ladybug because the romance is done so brilliantly.
I’m excited to be here. I’m writing YA fantasy which of course has a twist of romance.
Hi! When planning your story, what do you start with, the fantasy aspects or the romance?
Also, what is a good way to find balance between the two? Is there such a thing as too much romance in fantasy?
Thank you<3
In what ways is the industry pushing the envelop for getting stories without the most commonly known/overused tropes and/or stereotypes for romances and female main characters specifically in YA/NA? I constantly see the same tropes published when the book world can mostly agree that some of them are what makes books unbelievable or unlikely to enjoy.
Hi! This is such a fun topic; thanks for sharing with us.
How much would you say the setting of the story affects the relationships? Why is a ‘fantasy romance’ different than regular ‘romance’? Is it just characters (like instead of two humans, a human and an elf), or is there something more?
What are your favorite tropes for fantasy and romance?
Hi! I LOVED your Paper Magician Series. It is the only trilogy I’ve cried reading (3 times!!)
My question: is the romance still the core plot in a fantasy romance? What is the core plot in a fantasy romance?
Do you use plot structures for both your fantasy arc and your romance arc? What do you consider the “main” plot vs. the sub-plots?
I want to write more romance into my current YA WIP, but I want to keep it “clean” (more TV-14 vs TV-MA). Can using innuendos and subtle references help with that?
Do you have any tips on how to write the really romantic bits, besides the wonderful suggestion to avoid clichés?
Do you have any favourite/least favourite tropes for fantasy and romance?
What are some of the more trope-ish fantasy romances and how can we avoid them?
HA! we did basically the same question.
Hi Charlie! Thanks for doing this. My question is, in a series (like a trilogy), do you feel the romance needs to be present in the first book? Or do you think it’s okay to build their friendship first and morph it into a relationship later?
Recommendations for building romantic tension in fantasy?
First off, I read a sample of Paper Magicians on iBooks, loved it, then bought a hard copy.
How do you feel about never leaving the flirting, courting stage and getting to the final relationship?
Love the Paper Magician series! What are some cliches in the fantasy/romance crossover, and what are some ways you can make your particular story unique?
Any tips on building a magic system?
how long do you think is “wise” to delay a couple coming together? The way I’m outlined currently, my characters have to fight their romance until the near end.
What are some tropes that you think are losing popularity in the industry?
Thank you so much for doing this! Great name! (My 1-year-old is a Charlie!) Do you have any advice about world building for middle grade/YA audiences?
Thank you for your time!
If a world doesn’t necessarily have magic but is in a fictional world and has a minimal inclusion of magical animals (like dragons), is it still considered fantasy?
Is there a market for short stories with Fantasy and Romance? Any magazines that specialize in this particular gender blending?
How should you handle developing romance between two secondary characters?
How do you deal with editorial comments about emotions and romantic elements when they’re so personal to each individual reader? Have you ever disagreed with an agent/editor on your main character emotions and/or feelings?
You’re very funny – by far the most entertaining live session yet!
Another One! What is a good approach to writing fantasy villains? How should a fantasy author handle “evil”? Is it a gray area of does the general good vs evil still work?
Is romance a must in a middle grade novel? Are readers expecting to have you introduce it?
In Romance series, often the couples change from book to book. Does this work in Fantasy?
How do you feel about YA tipping over into the New Adult feeling scenes? For example, Sarah J Maas does this wonderfully in the ACOTAR series.
Hahaha. I just meant, always having the tension without the release. I’m not trying to write that amazing romance about the Side-hug.
You answered the question when you responded to someone else. Thank you!!
do you think it’s best to start off with high magic or build it in gradually? I don’t want to confuse or overwhelm readers
How do you feel about redemption arcs?
Hello, me again.
Gotta say I love your tastes – Brandon Sanderson and the Emotional Thesaurus are two things I love.
What are your thoughts on villains having relationships?
You covered my earlier question perfectly! Thanks!
How do you suggest revealing villain motivation through the eyes of your protagonist without having a monologue?
Do you track your plot lines with the color-coded post-its? How do you make sure the romance is building at a good pace?
Yes, I’m the same Jason.
Hi! Thanks for answering these questions. What are your personal favourite romantic relationships from any YA or MG novel? (or… even anime!!)
I love the one in Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. Also Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt. ALSO, I’m pretty much obsessed with Miraculous Ladybug because the romance is done so brilliantly.
Ooh they all sound amazing (especially Miraculous Ladybug- what the what?? I have to check this out!). Thank so much for a great Q&A session!
Dibbs on the Farting Volcano series! (JK) Thank you such for such a fantastic and informative panel!
Thanks so much for all your advice, Charlie. I learned so much from your Q&A. You did so great!
That was a great session! Thanks for the ideas and tips.