Interviewed by Christine Palka, Creative Writing
With Valentine’s Day approaching, romance is in the air—and on the page.
Zac Hug is a screenwriter who has built a career crafting romantic comedies that bring comfort, humour and heart to audiences. He is an adjunct professor in the School of Creative Writing and the creator of Story Hug.
We spoke with Hug about his work with Hallmark, and how he is helping aspiring writers shape their own love stories for the screen with a new, non-credit online course.
How did you get started writing rom-coms?
When I worked on Shadowhunters, I met a writer named Hollie Overton who introduced me to her sister Heather, who worked for Hallmark. I said I had an idea for a Christmas movie and from there, she helped me mould it into a Hallmark Christmas movie. I wasn’t ever necessarily passionate about rom-coms, it just turned out I was really good at getting them done quickly. I keep writing them because whenever someone finds out this is what I do, they tell me about someone who watched them during recovery from surgery, or during bouts of anxiety or even a relative who watched them as they were passing away. Once I learned that these are huge events in say, nursing homes and care centres, I was sort of hooked. What could be a more important use of my time and skill?
What makes rom-coms unique compared to other scripts that you write?
I think the world is looking to be entertained. Rom-coms are great when you want to sit down and watch something that isn’t going to challenge you too deeply. It helps the brain rest. And I mean, look around, the world’s a mess. You’re allowed to take breaks, y’know?
Have you noticed any shifts in rom-coms over the years to show diversity in people and experiences?
I heard a Hallmark executive say recently, “if you’re writing a movie that looks like one of those memes about Hallmark movies, you’re way off.” A lot of people think of Hallmark movies as the version of them that existed in about 2017: simple stories about a (mostly white) woman who goes home for Christmas and gives up her city life. And sometimes, that still happens. But I’d encourage people to actually look at what’s happening in the TV Christmas rom-com space. Tamar Laddy wrote this incredible Hanukah time-loop movie called Round and Round, which is so wild and great. Erin Rodman’s Christmas House series has two brothers (one straight/one queer) as the central characters – each still has a romance, but those movies are more Christmas buddy comedies. Netflix is doing things like Hot Frosty or a Christmas movie that takes place in the world of male strippers. These movies really are for everyone, and while audiences definitely want to be comfortable and find these movies familiar – they really do want something that’s going to be outside the box.
How do you try to represent love and life more broadly in your scripts?
Whatever else Christmas movies are, they’re about a time of year that people accept to be made for joy and charity and community and the best of humanity. Those things belong to everyone. I loved Christmas at the Golden Dragon because so many people really do go to Chinese restaurants on Christmas. I keep as a place of pride that I had one of Hallmark’s first gay couples who are not just implied in Road to Christmas. I was raised by a disabled parent; and Hallmark is 100% on board when I write characters who use wheelchairs but don’t explain why. They strive to work with disabled actors. I’ve been lucky to be paired with and co-write scripts with writers from underrepresented groups (also, blessedly, my big sister, Claire Boyles, a gifted novelist who also writes for Hallmark). Basically, I try to write about what Christmas looks like in my family. My parent’s house on Christmas morning is packed with a collection of family members who are Tlingit, disabled, trans, Korean-American, non-binary, and a scattering of straight white people. A lot of families look like this. I try to write towards them.
What makes your new course useful for learners who want to break into rom-coms?
We designed it so someone could take it and finish with a draft of something they’re really proud of. A writing sample really is the major step in breaking in. Showing not just that you can finish something, but that you have this unique voice and you know how to land a joke, write romance on the screen, or tell a reader what to imagine—that’s so important. The course is designed for students to write a few drafts. They can go back and watch the lectures again. My hope is that people will introduce themselves to each other in the comments sections and find writers’ groups to keep writing with. I am always surprised how many people just need to have something explained, and suddenly they’re off to the races to write something amazing.
Do you have any advice for people who want to write rom-coms?
If you like a movie, find the script online and read it. You will be shocked by how much you learn. Mainly, though, my advice will always be: “get to the end.” I genuinely believe writers do themselves a disservice by trying to get something right before they get it finished. Learning to finish work is entirely what launched me into the world professionally. It’s a small shift in thinking that yields the biggest results. Get to the end of as many drafts as you can, as many times as you can. If you don’t, you end up with a beginning that’s overwritten and an ending that’s only half-thought-out. Get to the end!
What are some rom-coms we should all watch immediately?
My favourites are the ones that break the mould but still adhere to the form. Harold and Maude is so good at this. He’s in his early 20s, she’s turning 80, and they fall in love. It’s such a weird musing on life and death—it’s beautiful. I will always love Crazy Rich Asians because it is so big and colourful and brash and moves so quickly. The course has a whole lecture on its structure because the script is crafted so beautifully. I also really liked Palm Springs with Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. It’s such a clever take on a time loop and pays off in how funny it is over and over.
