How to Write the Fated Mates Trope the Right Way
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One of the most interesting and debated tropes in romance has got to be the fated mates trope. It’s a controversial idea, since many writers fear that it might be a crutch to jump into an insta-love sort of romance. Others find that it’s not as enjoyable, but some do like it. The key is to write it well, just like with any other trope. Now, at the core of the fated mates trope is the idea that two characters are destined to be together by forces that are greater than themselves. However, within that lies the potential for conflict, longing, and romance. The concept of fated mates has been a big one throughout romance stories, and it’s especially picking up some steam with the big boom in the romantasy genre as of late. So, for this post, I’ll be talking about how you can write the fated mates trope and how you can make sure that you do it the right way.
Fated mates has often been given flack by readers for being basically a cheap way to jump into the romance of the story without providing for the characters any real buildup. While that may be the case sometimes, I think it ultimately depends on what sort of story you want to write and what sort of goal you have with the book.
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If you’re also interested in the ever-growing genre of romantasy, I recommend you check out The Ultimate Guide to Writing Romantasy. It’s a powerful workbook that includes over 160 pages to help you craft an entire romantasy book from start to finish with tons of tips, lessons, and insights from real stories!
How to Write Fated Mates
What is the Fated Mates Trope?
The fated mates trope centers around the idea that the two love interests are somehow bound together by fate, magic, or some other supernatural force. It’s often observed in paranormal romance, romantasy, and other stories that have an element of the unseen or speculative world.
The fated aspect sort of gives the relationship this sense that it’s inevitable. The idea of the two being “mates” intensifies the romance aspect a lot more. The concept of a mate makes the love more primal and instinctive, with more at stake for the love interests involved.
What makes this trope a big one in romance is the tension between the concepts of free will and destiny. The characters might embrace the bond immediately but they might easily also resist it. The concept of fate might feel like a gift but it also might feel like something tearing away the idea of choice.
The questions between freedom and fate are interesting and engaging for the readers. It creates clashes between the characters. Furthermore, it also adds layers to potential conflict that could sprout in the story.
Why Readers Love Fated Mates
Fated mates stories appeal to readers because they combine the thrill of romance with the mystery and intrigue of destiny. The bond between the two love interests feels both magical and unbreakable, which creates an emotional intensity other tropes can’t easily match. Readers are pretty drawn to the idea of the soulmate, which is sort of the main concept in the fated mates trope. A soulmate is basically a person that is “meant to be” no matter the circumstances.
This trope also provides a lot of room for heightening the stakes in the storytelling. The characters may fight against the destiny or try to break the bond for some time. However, they might find that time and time again, they are drawn to the bond and cannot be apart from each other. You could also introduce external conflicts. For instance, a villain character might try to manipulate the bond for their own uses. You might also find obstacles that can reinforce the bond’s strength and deepen the romance.
Fated mates as a trope also taps into this longing in romance of the desire to be special and irreplaceable to the other person. The romance story is not a random instance of love, but it’s meant to be, so the reader can sort of feel assured that the two will work it out in the end.
Balance is Key
While writing fated mates, the key is to strike a proper balance. The issue is leaning too far into a specific direction, which might make readers bored too fast or annoyed at how things are dragging out. While destiny does play a role, the romance still needs to feel earned. If the characters are simply swooning for each other without any resistance or room for growth, the story will feel unconvincing.
Fated mates should be used as a starting point for both conflict and character development. You want to show the push and pull. The two characters know that they are destined to be together, but they might resist this for a long time. Maybe an incident occurs that brings them together in the end because they feel that their connection just makes sense at some point. Or maybe they sort of hit it off, but they realize that they are very fundamentally different and this causes rifts and clashes.
Think of How the Bond Actually Works
One of the first things that you need to work on is figuring out how the bond will manifest in the world. You can simply have it be said, but it might be interesting to explore how or why the bond occurs/exists. Maybe there are physical signs like glowing tattoos or visions. Or maybe it’s rooted more in intuition and shared emotions.
Perhaps there is a prophecy that the children of these ancient kings must come together in order to protect the world from unleashing this dark force, which might be the villain. Maybe in another story, the main character is fated to be with the villain of the story in order to save the realm from something far more evil. You can play around a lot with the why and the how for the bond and make it actually interesting.
Lean Into Conflict
With the bond established between the fated mates, you want to think about the conflicts that will occur and shape the bond. Perhaps one character rejects the bond out of fear of losing their independence. Maybe another character is already in a committed relationship and then this bond tears them away from that relationship, making them resist the bond. Perhaps the bond itself comes with more physical consequences such as pain or insanity if they’re apart for too long.
The thing that you need to ensure you’re doing is that you want things to not just come easily to the two characters. You need to actually build up the conflict in a way that has real stakes, otherwise the story will become boring. Things can’t just come and go without any consequences on the story and the characters. The struggle is what’s going to actually make the romantic payoff interesting to your readers.
If you’re unsure of what sort of concept you want to go with for the basis of your story, check out my 50 Romantasy Blueprints. It’s an advanced writing prompt pack with 50 whole story ideas built ready for you to just plug and play with. I’ve also got 50 Paranormal Romance blueprints if that’s more your style!
Build the World Properly
Since the fated mates trope typically exists in speculative fiction like paranormal romance or romantasy, this is something that you actually need to think about. Fantasy and speculative fiction genres require world building. Your story includes elements of the supernatural or fantastical, which means that it’s not like our current world. As a result of that, you need to think about the way your world functions and how the bond could possibly exist in a logical sense within this world.
World building is a very important concept to master as it will impact your fated mates a lot. Why are these particular characters fated? What makes the bond even happen in the first place? Could the bond be transferred or changed? What happens if one dies? Does society revere or fear these bonds? These questions, however, require something to stand on to be answered.
To build your next world, I recommend you check out The Ultimate Guide to World Building. It’s a 340+ page workbook that includes everything you need to know about building an entire world form start to finish. You’ll get tons of instructional sections, guided questions, and lots of opportunities to think about everything that matters for your next story. Grab a copy today → The Ultimate Guide to World Building.
Build Strong Characters
Another thing that’s really important to the fated mates trope is the idea of having strong characters at its core. The bond may bring characters together, but their personalities, backstories, and motivations should drive the romance forward. Your readers must believe that the connection between these two characters can grow beyond just the idea of fate.
Your characters need to clash, learn, and grow. You want to show vulnerabilities and weaknesses and insecurities. You need things to feel realistic. Imagine if a real person in our world went through this experience. Things would definitely not just be easy going unless that’s something normal in your world. So, building strong characters requires you to position them properly in the context of your world and story.
If you want to learn how to create really engaging characters, check out my Ultimate Character Creation Workbook and you can also grab a copy of my Character Profile Worksheet Canva Template if you want a quick character-building reference.
Think About Adding Fresh Twists
The fated mates trope has been done quite a lot in romance, so it’s really important for you to try and bring something unique to the story. You might want to explore what happens when one mate resists for most of the story. You might want to even throw in an enemies to lovers trope into your fated mates mix, since that would really up the stakes!
Variations in your story can add freshness while still keeping the emotional power of the trope intact. And don’t be afraid to subvert expectations. A lot of readers might love the trope and feel comfortable with it, but they also want to be surprised. Try to think about how you can change it to fit your world and story in a unique way.
My Ultimate Romantasy Workbook includes an entire section on tropes and how you can work with them and what I’ve learned from reading tons of romantasy books and stories!
Conclusion
The idea of the fated mates trope thrives on things like tension, inevitability, and passion. However, you need to weave destiny into a romance in a way that doesn’t just come easily. You want to challenge the romance, make the readers wonder how it will work, and resonate with your readers. The relationship needs to exist outside of purely the concept of fate. When written well, a fated mates romance can be very amazing and fun to read. You just need to think about the aspects and elements of your story and how you can tie them into your romance arc.
I mentioned quite a good number of tools and resources throughout this post and I’ve linked them all below for your convenience:
- Ultimate Guide to Writing Romantasy
- 50 Romantasy Blueprints: Advanced Writing Prompts Pack
- 50 Paranormal Romance Blueprints
- Character Profile Worksheet
- The Ultimate Guide to World Building
- The Ultimate Character Creation Guide
Be sure to also sign up for my newsletter. When you do, I’ll send over a free copy of my ultimate writer’s marketing checklist! You’ll also get access to exclusive discount codes, writing insights, world building tips, product launch updates, and so much more! Be sure to also check out my series, The Fallen Age Saga!
FAQs
The fated mates trope refers to two characters who are destined to be together, often through magical, supernatural, or divine forces.
Readers enjoy the intensity and inevitability of the bond. The idea of a soulmate who was “meant to be” adds emotional depth, while conflicts around destiny versus free will create tension that keeps readers hooked.
Not necessarily. The strongest fated mates romances show characters choosing each other even beyond the pull of fate.
Yes. Readers want to understand how destiny works in your world. Is it rare or universal? Can bonds be broken? How do cultures, families, or religions react to them? Rich world building makes the trope feel immersive and believable.
The Ultimate Guide to World Building is a great resource that was designed to help you out with world building. If you’re writing a romantasy book, The Ultimate Guide to Writing Romantasy includes a condensed section on world building as well.