Writer Cliff Notes: Romancing the Beat

Learn all about the romance beats devised by Gwen Hayes

Mar 06, 2025

A few weeks ago I did a post on Save the Cat and talked through the Save the Cat beats. But, did you know that there is a specific beats framework out there for romance writers?

Romance gets a bad rep, but I personally think that it is one of the hardest things to write well. And as a lover of romance it would be very remiss of me to not mention Gwen Hayes Romancing The Beats book.

Writing a romance involves more than just swooning moments and happily-ever-afters. It's a journey of transformation for your characters, moving from heartache to love. Whether you’re writing a full romance or have it as a strong subplot, it’s essential to understand the structural beats that get that emotional investment from your and keeps them hooked.

Let’s break down the core beats of romance using the Romancing the Beat principles.

But first, let’s touch on…

Theme ➡️ the core theme in a romance is often: love conquers all. But, as every romantic story shows, it’s not that easy. The plot revolves around the characters' personal wounds, their fears, misconceptions, and emotional barriers that stop them from embracing love. Your story is a journey of them confronting their past and accepting love.
External Plot ➡️ the external plot mirrors the character’s internal journey. The protagonist’s external goal may involve something seemingly unrelated to love (a quest, a job, family tension) but these external struggles need to be braided into the romance arc, not the other way around.

The Romancing the Beat Structure

The four act structure that Romancing the Beat teaches is all about the internal plot, the inner journey of the protagonist and their transformation from rejecting love to surrendering to it.

The romance structure can be broken into four phases:

Act 1: Setup (The Meet Cute and the No Way 1)
Act 2: Falling in Love (Deepening Desire and Maybe This Could Work)
Act 3: Retreating from Love (Shields Up and the Break-Up)
Act 4: Fighting for Love (Wake Up, Grand Gesture, What Whole-Hearted Looks Like)

Phase 1: Set Up (0-25%)

Introduce the Characters: Begin with introducing your protagonists, known from here on in as Hero/Heroine 1 (H1) and Hero/Heroine 2 (H2). At this point they don’t need to be likable, but they should evoke some empathy or interest. Make sure their personal wounds are hinted at immediately.
The Meet Cute: This is the moment when H1 and H2 first meet. It’s the beginning of the emotional tug-of-war. Make it memorable. The chemistry between them should be palpable, whether through humor, sexual tension, or animosity.
No Way 1: This is where one or both characters vocalize why they won’t fall in love. It could be because they don’t believe in love, they’re incapable of love, or they fear it. This beat sets the stage for the entire romance arc and begins to challenge the belief system the characters hold about themselves.
Adhesion: This is the plot point that ensures the characters can’t walk away from each other. A situation arises where they’re forced to stay together, whether it’s a marriage of convenience, a shared quest, or forced proximity.

Phase 2: Falling in Love (25-50%)

No Way 2: The characters restate their objections to love, solidifying their fears. But, as a writer, you need to start poking holes in their arguments.
Inkling of Desire: Begin showing that the characters are starting to question their reasons for not falling in love. You need to inject moments of tenderness, kindness, or attraction that make them pause and think, maybe love isn’t so bad after all.
Deepening Desire: At this point, the characters begin to admit to themselves that they’re falling for each other. The chemistry should be undeniable by now, and they should begin to show each other their true selves.
Maybe This Could Work: Both characters start imagining what their relationship could look like if they let their guards down. This is where their vulnerability shows and perhaps even a near kiss or a moment of intimacy.
Midpoint of Love: The characters are falling in love, but they still have issues to overcome. There’s a false sense of security here, everything seems perfect, but they haven’t fully confronted their inner fears yet.

Phase 3: Retreating from Love (50-75%)

Inkling of Doubt: This is where the characters start second-guessing their feelings for each other. The issues from their No Way Beats are reignited; perhaps they’re doubting the other's love, or they feel too vulnerable to continue?
Deepening Doubt: They begin to pull away. The walls they originally let down are starting to go back up. This is a step backward emotionally, and it should feel like a dramatic shift for the reader.
Retreat Beat: The characters actively push each other away. They express their fears and concerns openly, confirming their emotional retreat. This could involve miscommunication, misunderstandings, or someone fearing rejection.
Shields Up: One or both characters decide to retreat fully, hiding behind their emotional walls again. Their worst fears have come true, and they think they were right to protect their hearts all along.
Break-Up: This is the “black moment” where they choose fear over love. One or both characters walk away because they’re too scared to commit to the love they’ve found.
- Note from me: I will say that not every reader enjoys the third act breakup and often it can feel very predictable. In recent years writers have been mixing it up with something external forcing the H1 and H2 apart or having some other rising tension at this point that the H1 and H2 must overcome together.

Phase 4: Fighting for Love (75-100%)

Dark Night: The characters realize they made a mistake. This is the moment when they wallow in regret. They reflect on their emotional journey, realising that their own fears have kept them apart.
Wake Up: The moment they realise, “I choose love over fear.” This is the emotional turning point where they realise that in order to be truly happy, they need to fight for the love they deserve.
Grand Gesture: The character makes a grand, life-changing gesture to prove their love. Whether it’s a dramatic public declaration, risking their life, or sacrificing something dear, this moment shows how far they’re willing to go to be with the other person.
- Note from me: I think the ‘grand gesture’ can also be something externally small, but it is grand in the sense that it has an impact on the hero/heroine. A letter for example (think Persuasion by Jane Austen) or a simple declaration of love that the hero/heroine has been longing for.
What Whole-Hearted Looks Like: The characters are now whole-hearted. The love they’ve fought for is not just physical attraction, it’s a partnership, built on trust, respect, and mutual understanding. Show the reader the payoff: this is where the characters end up after everything.
Epilogue: A final look at the characters in their new life, happily together, maybe with a hint of the future, but definitely grounded in love.

Over to You

Now it’s your turn. Try mapping out your own romance arc using the beats above. Take note of how each phase of your story reinforces the emotional wounds of your characters, and ensure that the beats feel like natural extensions of those flaws.

Some questions to ask yourself before you start:

What is your character’s main fear or wound regarding love?
How does the romance arc evolve around this fear?
Which of the beats do you feel most confident writing, and which might need further exploration?

I love these beats as they provide a really clear framework to navigate the push and pull of a romance plot, which let’s face it, is HARD to do well. So if you are writing romance OR have a strong romance sub plot, why not use these steps to ensure that the emotional stakes rise with each beat. By the end, your readers will be invested in your characters’ journey to love and they’ll cheer when your characters finally choose love over fear.

Do you write romance? What do you think of these beats? Let’s chat in the comments ⤵️