5 Tips for Adding a Little Magic to Your Rom-Com
I’ve been writing for almost 10 years now, and so far, I’ve found it impossible not to include at least a dash (or let’s be real, a bushel) of magic in every book. Stories that weave in magic seem especially deep and satisfying to me, maybe because they reflect all the mysteries and unknowns of our own world; all that glimmers enticingly just out of reach.
But how to effectively integrate magic without losing sight of your characters and story? Here are some tips for making your magical rom-com feel both fully realized and completely enchanting.
1. Brainstorm ahead of time… on paper!
I’m not a die-hard plotter, but I’ve learned that full-on pantsing isn’t it for me, either. I suspect that this is the case for most writers once they have a book or two under their belts. Sit with your project for a moment before you dive in; marinate in the story, and why you want to tell it in this particular setting and with these specific characters.
I personally like to use a Google doc repository that includes a loose plot-beat outline, short character sheets for each major character, a list of the overarching themes I’m exploring, research links, and even a running list of words and sentences that pop up as I’m daydreaming about the project. I find it especially helpful to get a jump on understanding my characters before I start writing them—so I don’t lose sight of the fact that the story is primarily about them, not the magic or the setting.
Other writers prefer using notebooks for this phase, as a more concrete resource, a way to make this future-book feel real ahead of time. Whatever works for you and boosts your confidence is great, as long as you give yourself a framework to return to when you need a touchstone.
At the same time, don’t feel like your outline limits you. Most of my plots diverge from what I originally envisioned, and I like it that way! Eight books in, my characters still surprise me in the most wonderful and unexpected ways. I often discover that I’m about to write an unforeseen scene that I only now realize is necessary, or that I’ve forgotten to include a foundational scene that I have to go back and layer in.
As much as structure is crucial, I feel strongly that writing is still discovery, lucid dreaming on the page. Your outline should feel like a helpful tool that frees you of blank-page dread, because you always have the reassurance of knowing (even if only vaguely) what comes next. But it should never feel like strictures or restraint.
2. Build your magic system elaborately… even if you won’t use it very much.
Even if you’re not planning on going heavy with magic in the story proper, you need to understand for yourself exactly what your magical system entails. What are its rules? Where does it come from? Is it of our world, or from another? How is it accessed, inherited, or learned? Can anyone wield it, or just a certain number of special people?
You don’t have to include everything you know about how magic works in this version of our world—and if you’re writing a rom-com, you probably won’t and shouldn’t be including full-blown magic system TED talks—but readers will sense that you fully understand its inner workings and trust you to whisk them away on a whirlwind ride.
3. Build your world boldly.
Magic doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and neither does your rom-com. No matter what your setting might be—a charming small town, a bustling urban environment with a surprisingly magical underbelly, a fully fleshed-out second world—you need to treat the world itself as an integral character. Readers read with all senses engaged, so consider not only what your magic-touched world looks like, but how it might smell and feel and sound to a visitor.
Remember, you’re both local and tour-guide here; the more immersed you are in your world, the more easily you’ll be able to convey its peculiar quirks and contours to the reader.
4. Consider the purpose of your magic.
Magic is useful for so many things (which is probably why I tend to lean so hard on it in all my stories). It can be a plot device, a metaphor, an obstacle, a goal, a conflict, an inspiration, a way to spice up a steamy scene, a therapeutic aid… It’s totally up to you!
But what magic shouldn’t be is a hand-wavy dash of sparkle that does no work whatsoever, or worse, detracts annoyingly from the relationships and emotional arcs of the story. Every component of a story must have purpose—and yes, if the magic exists primarily to delight the reader, that’s completely valid! As long as you understand what magic means as it relates to your characters and narrative, you’ll pull it off with charm and intrigue.
5. Have fun with it!
Writing with magic is so much fun. It is, obviously, my forever favorite. In a magical rom-com, you’re the wild dreamer, the fantasy architect, the ultimate boss. You can quite literally do anything you want (as long as you’ve thought it through at least a little!). Sprinkling in magic liberates you from so many of the constraints of writing in the mundane world, so lean into that joy and creativity as much as you can.
It’s easy to internalize the critique that “magic is for kids” or that magical stories for adults aren’t “real literature,” as silly as that is. Anyone who wants to cut you down for writing with full and brilliant imagination can go sit in a really boring well.
When you’re not holding back, your passion will register on the page, and the reader will have as much fun as you’re having inventing spells and grimoires and magical creatures and familiars. Who can resist a world that’s ours-adjacent, but sparklier and better, full of wonder? Certainly not me!