If you are coming up with a concept for a romantasy novel read this:
A couple months back, I was scrolling through my instagram feed when I came across a post from a former high school peer. She was promoting a book she wrote: a teen romance set in a steamy summer getaway.
Fast-forward to the other day, my mother revealed she was drafting her first book, and asked if I could read the first chapter.
I have distanced myself from a novel for a couple years, discouraged by my struggle with descriptive writing. Yet, seeing others tackle the craft without being equipped with years of writing nudged me forward.
Ever since, the barrier i’ve placed between me and writing a fantasy novel has been thinning, which has me toying with a potential plot concept:
The main character–a teenage girl–is faced with a force of evil, and miraculously handed leverage in the fate of her world. However, there is a dilemma: introduce love interest(s), whose undying love permeates the over-arching theme of doom.
oh wait!
This is Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins…
Batter it with mystical creatures and ancient fae and then its fairy smut. I am realizing that the dystopian-society romance is wearing down its originality.
Book series’ such as, Hunger Games, Divergent, Fourth wing, A Court of Thorn and Roses, Shatter Me, Powerless, etc have struck an evergreen concept,
That can no longer be preformed as a main idea…However the readers are still clawing at it!
If you–writer, have love for these series, believe me when I say there is still room for you to branch off their premise. In fact, I believe you should reheat Katniss Everdeen’s nachos.
This trope–throughout decades–has ensnared the mainstream; converting non-readers into obsessive book buyers.
Which is why writers should never allow it to die. Only you mustn’t focus your plot entirely on this premise, layer it under a dominating theme, or introduce it after the plot unfolds.
When its rolled out as the face of your novel, it’ll struck reader fatigue.
My final message for you:
The released of Onyx Storm caused queues to line up outside of Barns N’ Noble. Which will one day be the effect of your release, because you’ve selected the most immersive fictional genre.
One day you will have a beloved fanbase pining after your every written word.
