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A review by kjharrowick
Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels (How to Write Kissing Books Book 1) by Gwen Hayes
5.0
Why I picked up this book:
I've seen this book around for awhile, but because I don't write strictly romance, I've sort of kept it on the backburner. As I've been drafting my next fantasy story, I realized the romance in this particular tale was going to slide a little more center stage, and that none of my usual beat sheets were clicking with the rhythm of the story. So I picked up Gwen's book to see if I could fill in a few holes (giggity) and whoa...!
Where has this book been all my life?
This review may contain spoilers.
What I loved:
I loved absolutely everything about this book. From Gwen's voicey conversational tone to her deep insight into the moments that build up an organic romance between lovers, this is a book every writer should have on their shelf.
I mean every writer.
Not all writers write romance, but every story has a relationship. Gwen's book helps break down our understanding of character by shining a light in the dark in the one place they all keep hidden—that hole in their hearts. Once you really dig in, it's amazing to see how the one missing piece of every character can drive strong adventures and emotional turmoil.
Can my story have more than one plot structure?
Yes, absolutely.
I'm a huge fan of the 4-Act structure while the rest of the world seems to love 3-Acts. But Gwen's breakdown to 4 solid phases to build a relationship made a ton of sense, and it's a easy guide to pull into a worksheet to help write out those beats, no matter if your characters are friends, enemies or strangers from page one of the story.
Overall:
I'd recommend this book for every writer whose character is going to build a strong relationship. While the focus of this craft book is on lovers, the steps are easy to modify and help strengthen sibling relationships, build friendships, or even plot it backwards and watch your characters tear their relationships apart.
I've seen this book around for awhile, but because I don't write strictly romance, I've sort of kept it on the backburner. As I've been drafting my next fantasy story, I realized the romance in this particular tale was going to slide a little more center stage, and that none of my usual beat sheets were clicking with the rhythm of the story. So I picked up Gwen's book to see if I could fill in a few holes (giggity) and whoa...!
Where has this book been all my life?
This review may contain spoilers.
What I loved:
I loved absolutely everything about this book. From Gwen's voicey conversational tone to her deep insight into the moments that build up an organic romance between lovers, this is a book every writer should have on their shelf.
I mean every writer.
Not all writers write romance, but every story has a relationship. Gwen's book helps break down our understanding of character by shining a light in the dark in the one place they all keep hidden—that hole in their hearts. Once you really dig in, it's amazing to see how the one missing piece of every character can drive strong adventures and emotional turmoil.
Can my story have more than one plot structure?
Yes, absolutely.
I'm a huge fan of the 4-Act structure while the rest of the world seems to love 3-Acts. But Gwen's breakdown to 4 solid phases to build a relationship made a ton of sense, and it's a easy guide to pull into a worksheet to help write out those beats, no matter if your characters are friends, enemies or strangers from page one of the story.
Overall:
I'd recommend this book for every writer whose character is going to build a strong relationship. While the focus of this craft book is on lovers, the steps are easy to modify and help strengthen sibling relationships, build friendships, or even plot it backwards and watch your characters tear their relationships apart.