In a post on the SFWA blog, R. K. Thorne says that romance should be a part of your SF&F worldbuilding. “Part of worldbuilding should be envisioning the culture around romance in your world: how it works and how it influences the lives, families, and civilizations of your characters,” she writes. “It may even include the lack of romance and its implications.”
Thorne suggests you consider these elements:
- Attraction. “Real attraction is about what a character or a society values,” Thorne writes. “So what do beings in your fantasy or sci-fi civilizations find attractive? Why? What does that say about what is important to them?”
- Courtship. “Your characters entering into a relationship is a gold mine of ways to show off how your world works,” Thorne says. “Are there formal courtship ceremonies or informal agreements? Is it public, private, or maybe even secret? Short or long?”
- Commitment. Every civilization has its rites and rituals, including those for commitments. The kind of ritual, or lack of one, will say a lot about your world.
- Partnership. What does partnership look like? “Is a partnership built on romantic love common or rare?” Thorne asks. “Do partners live together? Share finances or household duties?”
- The Absence of Romance. “Even the absence of romance in a traditional sense shapes a world,” Thorne adds. “Some people aren’t interested in emotional or physical romantic relationships. What if this were the default in your world? Would it change the structure of families? Your economy?”
