Breaking down the romance novel
A few weeks ago, I revealed that my favorite genres to edit include romance storylines, and I mentioned something called romance beats. A story beat is a sequence of events or actions that propel the story forward. One of my go-to resources for developmental editing is a little book called “Romancing the Beat” by Gwen Hayes. I LOVE this book! It has humor, as evidenced in the subtitle “How to Write Kissing Books,” examples, a beat sheet, helpful tips on when to make sure these beats happen—anything a romance writer could want when writing!
Here’s a quick overview of the four phases:
- Set Up
- Falling in Love
- Retreating from Love
- Fighting for Love
- HEA (okay, I had to add this last one because all romances need a happily ever after, so five phases)
These phases need to happen in the three acts (beginning, middle, end). And those phases can then be broken down into a few more beats you need to hit, like Meet Cute, Deepening Desire, Retreat, Dark night of the soul, and Grand gesture.
Now, if you’re new to writing romance, these probably go right over your head, and that’s ok! It’s all a learning process. Hopefully the phases make sense, even if the smaller beats don’t.
So what can you, dear author, do during self-editing to make sure your romance is following these phases?
- Make sure your characters’ actions fall within these five phases. What is driving their action with their romantic partner?
- Give your characters a struggle or problem that they have to overcome either together or individually in order for them to have their happily ever after.
- If you need to plot their relationship out, go for it (maybe give it a try if you aren’t a “plotter”)
Feel free to check out the book! I’m happy to help answer any questions, and as a developmental editor in romance, I can help develop your story so you hit these important beats. I’ve got the perfect tool to do that called a book map. More on that soon!
How can help you on your writing journey?