Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels

While learning how to write Romance Fiction, I found this book, and it gave me the beats I needed to hit. Using Gwen’s Scrivener Template based on this book, I was able to write my first two 20K Romance novellas, with more to come for Short Release. Now I just need to figure out how to write full length Romance novels with Gwen’s beats. I’m proud to call myself a Beatnik.

Just like the headline says. I like how concise and easy to read this was. It's a breeze to read. No fluff. No BS. It tells you exactly what you need to know and doesn't over stay its welcome. Honestly wish more instructional books were like this.

I have read every plot and structure book out there and I can recite back every single step in my sleep. However, even though I've managed to nail all of the plot and structure elements, I still felt like there was something missing in my stories--the emotional beats that make the reader really fall in love with the characters. If this is your problem too, then BUY THIS BOOK. I can't believe it's taken me so long to find it. Absolutely recommend!!!!

The book was released for publication in 2016 and was apparently intended to be a series, because it is listed as book one. Her style is conversational and sort-of off the cuff, such as a conversation with a friend over lunch. She is a little off-beat which makes her book fun to read. At the time of this review, the book is listed at #8 in Writing Skill, #10 in Authorship.As someone who has read and owns about 70 writing how-to books, I found this book delightful. A refreshing change from the general millieu of writing books, most of which are not useful when writing romance fiction. After all, it isn’t really a hero’s quest and the adversarial forces are probably not villain It is fairly quick-paced so it’s important to focus on the ideas and content.The set up is simple. There is the introduction of each main character, their meet cute, and the reveling of why it can never be between them, although it absolutely must be. The set up makes up the first 25% of the story leading to the first plot point as in other novels. The story arc is a little bit more nuanced then other writings, since there might not be the same antagonist forces at work here. Still, there are many complications surrounding the relationships in the romance story.The relationship then begins and despite some complications, the characters arrive at the midpoint having formed some kind of bond, maybe having had the first date. In the third section, it all falls apart, and in the final quarter of the book, the couple fights to save the relationship.Ultimately there are seven key points in the romance story. The introduction of each main character is followed by the meet cute. After establishing that the couple belongs together, it is vital to reveal why it can never be, though, in fact, it also must be. As the plot points works to further the story and the budding relationship, there are pinch points at every turn that pull the couple apart over and again. The couple often has aspirations separate from the relationship and these will further work against the relationship as each seeks to achieve a goal that is sure to come between them. During the third act, when facing the darkest moment, the pair finally realizes that they can and must find a compromise that allows then to achieve most of their goals while protecting the thing they now realize they cannot be without- each other.

I am so glad I found this book! I had an idea for a romance novel in my head, but had a difficult time structuring it...especially that pesky, saggy, daunting middle part. I checked out some resources online for structuring a fiction novel (storygrid, story circle, save the cat, etc.) but nothing quite clicked for me.I stumbled on this book and bought it on a whim, and I am so glad I did! The book is a quick read; I read it twice in about an hour. As I was reading about each beat, I found myself easily mapping out my story in my head. It was like all the obstacles and roadblocks that kept me from creating my story just melted away. Once I had my high-level beats created for the story I had in mind, I got hit with inspiration for two more stories I can write in the future. They were both high-level plots I had kicking around in my head for awhile but had no idea how to move forward; after reading this book, I was able to fill in many the beats for each of those stories without even really trying.I will say that the author provides a free cheat sheet for this method that you can get in PDF form from the book's website. I went ahead and downloaded it to use as a guide but I am still glad I bought the book because each chapter expands on the brief notes in the free template. The book also contains a sample beat sheet at the end so you can see how the beats can be split up or merged and how a story flows through each of the beats.I also wanted to address some of the criticisms of the book that other reviews have brought up.First off, yes it's pricier than you'd expect for such a short book. However, keep in mind that this is a system that you can reuse over and over again if you plan on churning out multiple romance novels. As I mentioned above, this not only helped me map out one story but got me started on two others that I'd never been able to articulate in detail before. I enjoy writing and would like to write multiple romance novels, and I know this book (and the free cheat sheet) will be a resource I'll keep referencing many times as I write stories. When you look at it that way, I think it's a pretty good deal.I also believe that while it's a guidebook, it's not prescriptive. The author makes many suggestions throughout the book, but constantly reminds you that YOU are the writer and you can do whatever you want. In my opinion, the beats are narrow enough to help you keep the ups and downs of your story in mind, but broad enough that you can be creative and break the mold when you really want to. In other words...it's not a box into which you have to force your story to fit; rather, it's a framework on which you can build the story you want.

Fun, entertaining and helpful.

La guía de los "beats" para armar un arco de romance es la mejor compra para las escritoras, o escritores, que gusten del género romántico. Muy útil para quienes empiezan con sus fanfictions o historias originales.Tiene una prosa ligera, clara, y amena que te guiara en el proceso de hacer que tus personajes se enamoren en las págincas.

I read this in a couple of hours, it was funny and it was quick to read.Will this help me write a Romance Bestseller? I'm honestly not sure. I think you'd be better buying Save The Cat directly.

I found this book really useful as it explains the process of writing a romance story. It is clear and consise and gives lots of tips on how to appeal to readers.

I bought this book as a paperback for 9,95 €. And I expected to get a book. What I got instead was a 84 page booklet (and seriously, the format of the pages is so that the same information would have easily fitted on 50 or so regular sized paperback pages). It is so thin that there isn't even a title printed on the spine.The information itself is excellent. If you've ever read more than two or three romance novels in your life, you noticed that they are following a formula. And that's not bad. Actually, it is what makes them romance novels. It is what the reader expects. And this booklet teaches you the formula by breaking it down into "beats", certain points that a romance novel (or a romance arc in a novel of another genre) usually hits in a specific order. That is immensely useful when trying to write a romance novel. But the formula is not very complex and there isn't any additional information about the writing of romance novels added. If you google "Romancing the Beat", you will easily find blog articles that give you all the information from this "book".So this is indeed the first time ever that I am going to return a book that I have bought on Amazon. Not because I don't like it, as I said, the information in it is helpful, easy to understand and well presented, but simply because I find it absolutely does not warrant the price of almost 10 €.

Like most writers, I've read my fair share of books meant to help my writing, but nothing seemed to quite fit the story I wanted to tell. When I saw this recommended on tumblr, I bought it with the expectation that, hey, if it wasn't what I was looking for, I could always return it.I am keeping it forever. FOREVER. Because Gwen Hayes lays out what romance writers need to see in the simplest way possible. It's clear, well-written, humorous, doesn't get bogged down in how-to's while still informing you, and does its job beautifully. There's nothing about this book that I don't like. I will go back and reference it many times in the future.Thanks for writing this, Gwen!