---
product_id: 31381708
title: "Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels"
price: "€ 20.81"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/31381708-romancing-the-beat-story-structure-for-romance-novels
store_origin: PT
region: Portugal
---

# Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels

**Price:** € 20.81
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels
- **How much does it cost?** € 20.81 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/31381708-romancing-the-beat-story-structure-for-romance-novels)

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## Description

What makes a romance novel a romance? How do you write a kissing book? Writing a well-structured romance isn't the same as writing any other genre—something the popular novel and screenwriting guides don't address. The romance arc is made up of its own story beats, and the external plot and theme need to be braided to the romance arc—not the other way around. Told in conversational (and often irreverent) prose, Romancing the Beat can be read like you are sitting down to coffee with romance editor and author Gwen Hayes while she explains story structure. The way she does with her clients. Some of whom are regular inhabitants of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. Romancing the Beat is a recipe, not a rigid system. The beats don't care if you plot or outline before you write, or if you pants your way through the drafts and do a "beat check" when you're revising. Pantsers and plotters are both welcome. So sit down, grab a cuppa, and let's talk about kissing books.

Review: A to-the-point guide on writing romance novels - This guide is kinda short, but it does what it says on the tin and describes the structure of a romance novel. Note there is only one structure, not more than one, and she doesn't go into what would happen if you deviate from the specified structure. Still, it's a great guide. Hayes writes in a very personable way, full of pop culture references and humor. It may be a hit or miss in that regard. I personally wasn't a big fan of her style, but the information provided was still a gold mine. I'm used to reading writing guides that explain the structure of novels in general. But romance novels are slightly different from that mold and having her point out those differences was really helpful to me. Overall, I reccomend this book for people who want a concise guide to writing romance novels. I don't recommend it for veterans of the genre because it would pretty much explain the basics without going into much detail.
Review: Helped me get my stories "unstuck" - 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.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #21,784 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2 in Romance Fiction Writing Reference #7 in Authorship Reference #15 in Writing Skill Reference (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,663 Reviews |

## Images

![Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71Pggb0JZlL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A to-the-point guide on writing romance novels
*by G***E on January 7, 2024*

This guide is kinda short, but it does what it says on the tin and describes the structure of a romance novel. Note there is only one structure, not more than one, and she doesn't go into what would happen if you deviate from the specified structure. Still, it's a great guide. Hayes writes in a very personable way, full of pop culture references and humor. It may be a hit or miss in that regard. I personally wasn't a big fan of her style, but the information provided was still a gold mine. I'm used to reading writing guides that explain the structure of novels in general. But romance novels are slightly different from that mold and having her point out those differences was really helpful to me. Overall, I reccomend this book for people who want a concise guide to writing romance novels. I don't recommend it for veterans of the genre because it would pretty much explain the basics without going into much detail.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Helped me get my stories "unstuck"
*by A***. on April 23, 2021*

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.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A solid resource that you’ll find yourself referring to over and over.
*by T***. on November 11, 2020*

One of the panels I virtually attended at RWA this year recommended ROMANCING THE BEAT. I’m a devoted plotter, so I wanted to see how best to weave the romance beats into the greater story beats. Hayes’s book is short and sweet. She lays out the beats, where they fall in the three-act structure, and gives a brief description of what each one needs to accomplish. Because it’s so short, you can read it easily in one sitting and be ready to plot or revise your next romance novel. However, because it’s such a quick read, it’s short on details that would have been nice. Whether you’re new to writing romance or have been at it for awhile, there are some great tidbits in here for every romance writer. Bottom Line A solid resource that you’ll find yourself referring to over and over.

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*Product available on Desertcart Portugal*
*Store origin: PT*
*Last updated: 2026-06-13*