Twilight VS How to Train Your Dragon: How to Write Romance in Fantasy

Enemies to lovers. Friends to lovers. Forced proximity. Forbidden love. Love Triangle. Second chance. Fake relationship. Opposites attract. These are a few of the numerous romance tropes. Now, you might be thinking, 'But wait, you're not a romance writer! You're a fantasy writer. Why are we talking about romance?' An excellent question, and that is a question I asked myself all but two seconds ago when I decided that this is what I want to talk about. Because here's the thing. Fantasy is a lovely genre where elements of action, thriller, horror, cozy, and, yes, even romance all end up in one big pot. Romance, while not the primary focus of Fantasy, is no less essential to get right. Of course, you can have a fantasy story with no romantic elements whatsoever, but if you are like me, and you do have romance in there, you need to know how to write it just as well as you write everything else in your story.

So, to help us with that, we are going to take a look at Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, which is famous for romance, and Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon...which is not known for romance in the slightest.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROMANCE

Now, you might be thinking that I am crazy for comparing the romance in Twilight to How to Train Your Dragon. And you might be right. There is nothing similar between the two. I thought I was crazy too...until I realized that is the point. Their goals for the romance are fundamentally different. Twilight is a romance series where the romantic relationships take center stage, and the fantasy elements, world-building, and everything else take a backseat. Romance is the whole point of the story.

In contrast, How to Train Your Dragon is a fantasy series where the overarching plot, fantasy elements, and world-building take center stage, and romance is relegated to the background, developing slowly throughout the twelve books. Romance is far from the focus.

The goal, then, when crafting your book, is to decide the following: Is this a romance, a fantasy where romance is the primary focus, or a fantasy where romance is not the focus but adds an extra dimension to the characters?

Once you've made that decision, you can decide on what sort of romance you want to include (if any). Tropes like Second Chance and Fake Relationship are well-suited for a romance-focused story. In contrast, other popular tropes, such as Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Forbidden Love, Love Triangle, and Opposites Attract, seamlessly integrate into the story's subplots, allowing for slow, back-burner simmering that doesn't intrude on the main plot, unless desired.

THOSE INVOLVED IN THE ROMANCE

Why are the characters involved in romance so important? Well, if you are going to involve them in a romance plot, they must possess a couple of extra 'somethings' than if they were just a typical character. This is where some of the differences between Twilight and How to Train Your Dragon show themselves. Let's look at our two leading ladies. We have Bella Swan and Camicazi (who Astrid from the movies is loosely based on). Let's take a look at each of their characters.

Bella Swan from Twilight: Bella is a quiet, introspective, and somewhat clumsy teenager, often described as a bit of a "freak" by her classmates. Deeply caring and compassionate, valuing the happiness of those around her, even if it means making sacrifices for them. While she can be self-deprecating and insecure, she also possesses a strong sense of independence and a quiet strength. Bella's relatability to many readers stems from her portrayal as an average, somewhat awkward teenage girl who finds herself in extraordinary circumstances. 

Camicazi from How to Train Your Dragon: Camicazi is the energetic heir of the Bog-Burglar Tribe, known for her adventurous spirit, swordsmanship, and tendency to leap before looking. Camicazi is also known for her knack for trouble, taunting her enemies during fights (she admits to having a lack of morals when it comes to sword fighting). She seeks excitement and enjoys danger, displaying bravery that exceeds what is expected of Vikings. She will fiercely defend her friends, even when they are ostracized. Camicazi has a playful and mischievous side, and enjoys getting into trouble. While generally friendly, she is wary of those she doesn't know well.

Notice the difference between the two of them? And I'm not talking about one being a sword-wielding maniac and the other possessing a quiet strength. No, I'm talking about how Bella is tailor-made to be a self-insert character for teen girls. Not just a relatable character, a self-insert.

What's the difference? Well, take Camicazi for example. She possesses many unique characteristics that are shaped by her world and magnified by her environment, making her larger than life. You want to be like her, but you can't directly put yourself in her exact shoes. Yet...she's still relatable to anyone who: leaps into something before thinking, uses everything to their advantage, is rambunctious and adventurious, is feircley protective of those they care about, is mischevious, suspicious of strangers, an adreniline junky, etc.

Bella, while relatable to many girls due to her personality and actions, is, in and of herself, not a particularly well-defined character. This is intentional for her. It allows readers to project themselves onto her, letting them become the protagonist. Perfect for a romance where you want readers to become the main character in the story.

However, in a fantasy story, this is not the goal. While still relatable, your characters need to be just that. Characters. Not only does this allow them to stand on their own outside the romance, but it also adds depth to the romance itself by having well-defined chemistry between two characters, rather than one character and a self-insert or just a simple 'love interest'.

WEAVING INTO A WIDER STORY

When a story is a romance, that is the whole point of the plot: the characters end up together, and the journey they take to get there is the story readers follow. RomanceFantasytasy, however, is usually a side plot. It typically develops alongside character relationships in general, progressing in tandem with the main story, either more prominently or more subtly, leading to fan speculation and later confirmation.

How to Train Your Dragon (the book series) is the perfect example of this. We meet Camicazi in the third book. Yes, that's right—the third book. And, as the characters are in their tweens, dealing with life-and-death situations, and as they aren't even friends to begin with, the first book most certainly does not introduce romance. It builds the foundation of romance: friendship.

Hiccup must earn Camicazi's trust so they can escape, and in doing so, a friendship blooms. And that friendship only continues to grow throughout the series. It takes them from reluctant partners, to friends, to very close friends, to friends who are together through thick and thin, to...well, by the end of the series, when they are sixteen years old, after they've been through war and destruction and terror, after their friendship has been refined in the fire...very subtly the shift that has been happening throughout the story finally, fully comes to light:

A little Crowd of girls came up to the Stone—Camicazi’s old team of Bog Burglar escape artists, Sporta Typhoon, Harrietahorse, and Beef Burger—all giggling and blushing and punching each other. 

“We were just wondering if the king wanted to dance with us?” asked Harrietahorse, giggling in what Camicazi felt was a very irritating fashion. 

“The king is BUSY,” said Camicazi firmly, drawing her sword for emphasis. “He's doing important royal business. With ME. Go on there, SHOO!” 

And the girl scrambled away, for no one wanted to get on the wrong end of Camicazi’s sword. 

Camicazi nodded her head darkly. “It's bad business. This love business— a bad, bad business…”

Cressida Cowell - How to Train Your Dragon, How to Fight a Dragon's Fury

CONCLUSION 

Not every tale is the same. What sort of romance do you decide to include, and just how much of it relies solely on your goals for the story? Is this a coming-of-age story where young love is part of the plot? Or is this a fantasy adventure tale with a group dynamic in which two of the group happen to have that sort of chemistry in the background? Is this the kind of story where the romance directly impacts character arcs, or a tale where the relationship is never confirmed but left for readers to form their fan theories and pairings?

Whatever the case, ensure that it fits into the story you are telling. Romance is a dimension to add, not just something to throw in willy nilly. So, if you are like me and a fantasy author wanting to include romance in your story, ensure that you are not simply including a love interest for the sake of having one or a romance plot just because you think you need it. Let the characters be characters, not just there to fill a certain role. Let the romance add something to the story, not just unnecessary drama or fluff.

And most importantly....

Have fun!