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Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels (How to Write...

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Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels (How to Write Kissing Books)

byGwen Hayes

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Top positive review

Positive reviews›

Chris Jay Becker

This is the Romance Roadmap

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2023

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.

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

DO BETTER. Not Worth $10.99

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2023

I hate writing negative reviews for books, but with all due respect, Hayes should rewrite this thing and put in some effort next time. In my opinion, there’s nothing inherently “bad” about the book: the ideas and concepts are fine on the surface (there’s only surface), and you can skip the humor if it’s not your taste. However, the book is incredibly low effort. The font is huge, the page count is tiny, the graphics and jokes are doing 30% of the work to fill the white space. I read it in half an hour. Hayes claims to read kissing books, professionally edit kissing books, and write kissing books, but you’d never know because she shares almost no examples of the beats from novels, movies, TV series, or even her imagination. It’s lazy and it’s a huge disservice to the reader based on the price she’s charging. Hayes should publish a second edition and DO. BETTER.

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From the United States

Chris Jay Becker

This is the Romance Roadmap

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2023

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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.

Miguel The Drawtist

Really helpful, gets straight to the point

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2023

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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.

ABSOLUTE NECESSITY FOR ALL WRITERS (NOT JUST ROMANCE)

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2023

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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!!!!

One person found this helpful

My new Go-To for Romance Writing

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2022

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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.

16 people found this helpful

Helped me get my stories "unstuck"

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2021

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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.

4 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2023

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Fun, entertaining and helpful.

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exactly what I needed

Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2022

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When I decided to try my hand at paranormal romance, I knew I’d have to learn everything I could about the structure of a romance arc in order to tell a successful story. In every place I asked for recommendations on romance craft books, the top answer was always Romancing the Beat. It’s a slim volume but wasn’t terribly expensive in paperback, so I bowed to the collective expertise and bought a copy.

This book is short because it is packed with all of the necessary information for crafting how to force two (or more) people to fall in love with each other in a way specifically targeted to keep readers invested. It was hard to resist the urge to highlight pretty much every sentence—this book doesn’t waste time with filler. Hayes breaks down an interesting formula that leaves plenty of room for creativity while also explaining why each of the steps is integral. She offers suggestions of how to employ them that can be tailored to any external plot/subgenre while also reaffirming the differences between writing a compelling romance and writing a compelling story that happens to include a romance facet.

As someone who is tackling a specifically queer romance project, I truly appreciated that Hayes breaks the formula down by “H1” and “H2” and specifically states that these terms designate gender-neutral protagonists.

You can officially add my name to the list of those who will immediately recommend this craft book to anyone interested in developing romantic storylines.

2 people found this helpful

How to Write Kissing Books

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2023

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My favorite books are mysteries, puzzle/problem solving books, or "if this goes on" books. I don't object to romance. Sweet tenderness frequently makes characters likeable and approachable to the average reader. But...I made a discovery as I travel the road toward publishing my own books as an author. So here's the scoop: romance sells. That's not quite the same thing as "sex sells", although the two could be related. Romancing the Beat lays out how, when, and why your protagonists should get into kissing, or perhaps even more. And how to take those hot, steamy scenes into a real where they are something more than a titillating anatomy lesson. Indeed, how to set up the story so that it gives the reader a compelling reason to pick up the book -- whether they focus on the steamy scenes or they choose to skip them.

3 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2023

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Though this is a fast read and thin book, it is filled with valuable information. I found the light conversational tone of the authors writing to be engaging and think this is a book anyone interested in writing romance should check out.

Years of experience condensed!

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2023

Verified Purchase

Gets to the point without adding a bunch of fluff to inflate page count.
Especially handy if you outline, but would also make a good guide for pantsers.

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