On Cozy Fantasy
What a peculiar subgenre.
Coziness, in my view, can be found in almost any story. Even in grimdark fantasy novels, full of violence, there are slivers of quiet, fireside moments — bonding, storytelling, shared jokes.
To me, coziness is simply a facet of life itself.
We’d all prefer our lives to be endlessly joyful, filled with our heart’s innermost desires, but that utopia is out of reach. Struggle, internal or external, always makes itself known. So we cannot live in a permanent state of coziness. Unfortunately.
At the same time, nothing stays trapped in misery forever.
The best stories mirror the real human experience. Hence, a moment of kindness between a medic and a wounded soldier on the battlefield, or a sudden earthquake that tears through a bakery in an otherwise tranquil seaside town.
To me, cozy fantasy inverts grimdark. Most of its moments are calm and easygoing, but a glimmer of conflict is always present, otherwise the story risks turning saccharine.
What Defines the Cozy Genre?
This isn’t an easy question to answer. Romance follows a fairly standard format, exploring love’s power to overcome societal and personal obstacles. Epic fantasy lives and breathes through far-reaching consequences: wars, political intrigue, blood feuds, multi-generational wounds that draw out the best (and worst) in people.
Cozy fantasy, to me, should explore one or more aspects of life through an optimistic lens. That optimism must be tested within the story, but the protagonist should ultimately triumph through nobility, grace, and a commitment to communal well-being.
YET.
Star Trek fits that definition. Is it cozy? Some would say yes, others no. In the end, the boundaries of coziness come down to the individual reader, much like comedy. Which is why so many authors and readers shrug and say it all comes down to “vibes.” I agree with them. I just wanted to help point the vibes in a direction.
Some tropes that show up often:
- Found family / community-building
- Slow burn romance without intense drama
- Mythical creatures / adorable pets
- A transition to a slower pace of life
- Delicious food and beverages galore
- Shops, taverns, libraries, and other interior settings
Why did I choose to write cozy fantasy?
Because I’m more interested in character growth than epic plots.
Growing up, I watched sitcoms built around real-life problems and small conflicts between beloved characters. I think we risk losing that sense of relatability as stories keep raising the stakes higher and higher. I’m drawn to this genre because I see an imbalance, and because I see that the possibilities feel nearly endless.
So little has been done within cozy fantasy as a subgenre. It is new and evolving. There is so much space for new ideas that I wish I was a more productive writer.
And readers are hungry for these stories. They want something uplifting, and I hope to deliver that, alongside a few thought-provoking themes along the way. Because cozy fantasy relaxes the urgency of plot, it makes room for richer world-building, theme, and character. Again, I sense there’s a lot of ground here still unclaimed.
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