Learn how to craft cinematic, high-stakes romantasy that blends dangerous fantasy worlds with intense emotional stakes, irresistible chemistry, and commercially powerful storytelling for page and screen.
Date: Friday, April 10th
Time: 10:10 to 11:00
Room: Herringham Hall
Filmed: YES
From The Gorge to Fourth Wing
Romantasy isn’t just “fantasy with kissing.” And it’s not just “romance in armour,” either. When it works – like The Gorge on Apple TV or the upcoming Fourth Wing adaptation on Amazon Prime – it delivers visceral stakes, dangerous worlds and an emotional core so intense it hurts.
In this LondonSWF session, script editor and author Lucy V Hay breaks down how to craft romantasy that feels cinematic, commercial and completely addictive.
You’ll discover:
- Why romantasy is dominating both publishing and streaming – and what that means for writers
- How to build a high-concept fantasy world that enhances (not overwhelms) the love story
- Writing enemies-to-lovers, forbidden attraction and morally grey heroes without clichés
- Balancing external stakes (war, monsters, political intrigue) with internal stakes (trust, trauma, desire)
- Creating chemistry on the page that translates powerfully to screen
- The difference between book romantasy and screen romantasy – and how to write with adaptation in mind
- Why agency is everything – especially for your female protagonist
Using case studies from current hits, Lucy will show you how successful romantasy stories fuse spectacle with vulnerability, action with longing, and danger with intimacy.
Whether you’re writing novels, scripts, or hoping to cross between the two, this session will help you sharpen your concept, deepen your character dynamics, and make readers (and viewers) absolutely feral for your story.
Bring your dark princes. Bring your dragon riders. Bring your morally compromised love interests.
Let’s make it hurt – in all the right ways.
Speakers In This Session
Lucy V Hay // Script Editor and Author
Lucy V. Hay, script editor, author, and Bang2write blogger, helps writers craft sellable stories for film, TV, and digital media.
