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As a kid, I grew up watching Disney’s Gargoyles and also remember watching Beauty and the Beast and being by Beast’s transformation at the end of the movie. However, I found out, much to my delight, that I wasn’t the only kid who was disappointed by that or was shipping Elisa/Goliath like crazy. Then I found that there was a phrase for that type of story: monster romance.
Over the last five years, monster romance went from being a fringe book niche to one of the most popular booktok and bookstagram sub-genres. I started writing it when I wrote my very first erotic romance, ‘The Devil’s Bargain,’ which I am currently in the process of rewriting as a Black m/m monster romance ‘A Damning Desire’, but I have seen some of my favorite authors start dropping monster romances as well, and I am absolutely here for it. From Delaney Rain’s The Demon’s Mate, Harley LaRoux’s Her Soul to Take, to Jessica Cage’s Accident Happens series, my favorite monster romance of all time is by Aveda Vice’s Fear and Other Love Languages.
Monster romance is here to stay! But what if you want to start writing your own monster romance? Where do you start? Well, I’m here to help! Here are my tips on how to write a monster romance. Let’s begin!
What is Monster Romance?
Before we get to the nitty-gritty, let’s talk about what monster romance is so you can have a clear overview at the genre conventions and reader expectations. Monster romance is about a romantic story that ends in a happily ever after that involves someone who is not human or not completely human. A monster romance can be between a werewolf and a human, an alien species and a human, or a gargoyle and a human.
Most monster romances have love interests that are humanoid in shape, but I have seen monster romances between octopus-type creatures, lovecraftian type of monsters. Monster romance can be a paranormal romance or a sci-fi romance. This type of niche straddles different types of genres.
Sometimes a monster romance can be a horror romance, much like Harley LaRoux’s series. This is actually one of my favorite all-time types of monster romances. This is because I have developed a deep love of gothic horror, psychological horror, and monster romance. And when a monster romance is written effectively it can easily dip its toes into that types of content.
How to Pick Your Monster
You are going to have to dust off your library card because this is going to take research. The biggest mistake any science-fiction and fantasy writer can make is to think that you don’t have to do any research at all. Even if you are writing something smutty, you still have to do your research about the mythology and the folklore that the creature or monster came from.
You have to remember that you are taking a piece of folklore or mythology from someone else’s culture. You should always strive to treat that culture with respect. And if members from that culture tell you that they don’t want you writing or romanticizing a creature? Then leave it alone and pick another monster. The biggest example of this is Skinwalkers, which were popular in the 2010s, with the TV show Supernatural using that as one of their villains for an episode
This is another reason why doing your due diligence and researching the creature you want to use is so important. I would even go a step further and pay for a sensitivity reader for your book so you can make sure you are not harming anyone from the culture that you took your monster from.
With that being said, the best way to pick your monster is to start going through Wikipedia and monster encyclopedias and start there. But that should not be your only research for that creature. Go down the list and see what monster vibes with what you are trying to write, and then start your independent research by reading books, primary, and secondary articles.
Make Your Own Monster
If heavy research is not your thing, then you can make your own monster. This is always fun because you get to really use your creativity to make something entirely new. You can use other monsters from different cultures as inspiration, but in the end you will make something entirely your own, and that is super fun, especially if you enjoy world-building.
And there is no limit on what type of monster you can make. They can be humanoid, they can be a blob, they can have tentacles, they can have wings. You can really test how far your creativity goes with this method.
Textures, Shapes, Tentacles, and More!
Now you have chosen what monster you are going to write about, or you have already come up with your monster. You need to think about what your monster looks like and how its reproductive system works. This is another piece of world-building you are going to work on if you want to keep your reader’s suspension of disbelief.
You have to know what their skin feels like, what their bodies are shaped like (if they have bodies at all), and if they have tentacles or arms. You should write this all down in your notes so you can be consistent because your readers will absolutely pick up on that. Continuity is the name of the game here.
The limbs problem
The biggest problem any smut writer or spicy book author has is the limbs. Where are the limbs in this sex scene? Where are their legs and hands? Do they have too many limbs? I honestly always have sex position books open when I am writing sex scenes because I need a visual of the limbs as I write those spicy scenes. And if you write someone with more than two hands and two legs? Then that can make your writing even more complicated.
This is why you need to know what your character looks like, what they feel like, and most importantly, DO THEY HAVE LIMBS, AND IF THEY DO, WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW MANY???!!
Monsters are People Too!
Another big mistake I see a lot of monster romance authors make is that they only see the Monster as a fetish or a sexual object, and that could work if you are writing Monster erotica. But if you are writing monster romance? A big part of writing any romance is creating characters that your readers will love and who you want them to root for a HEA. And for that you got to make them three-dimensional characters because monsters are simply people who are not people-shaped.
Don’t skimp on the character building or the character arc. Because your romance can be scorching hot and still fall flat if the characters are not someone the readers can care about.
The Sky is The Limit
The only rule for a romance novel is that it needs to have a happily ever after. That’s it! So don’t be afraid to push the envelope or to try something new. I think that romance authors get stuck in their own ways sometimes and are afraid to jump on a new out-of-the-box idea. But if you are not under contract, or you are an indie or a hybrid author? Why not go for it?
Yes, writing a good monster romance is work because writing a satisfying romance takes a lot of work, but if you want to dip your toe in this space, then it’s a damn good time to do so. Don’t let your hang-ups get in the way and have fun!
And that is all I have for this post! Do you have any suggestions about how to write a monster romance? Do you have any tips and tricks that have helped you? What is your favorite monster romance? Tell me down in the comments.
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