Within any romance, you will find four major beats—the meet-cute, falling in love, fleeing from love, and fighting for love—that take the protagonists from hole-hearted to whole-hearted.
Most often, each romance novel will hit all four, but sometimes an author will choose to do a slow-burn romance over a series of novels, where each of the beats are dragged out and the protagonist doesn’t experience their happily ever after (commonly referred to in the genre as an HEA) until the final novel. Either way, the romance will undoubtedly move through all four beats by the time it concludes.
Beat 1: The Meet-Cute
Objective: Introduce the protagonists, the setting, and the romance arc.
This is the thing that pushes the two main characters together. Think an awkward and often comical first meeting, such as when two characters reach for the same item at the store (Serendipity), their dogs’ leashes become tangled (101 Dalmatians), or one spills their drink on the other (Notting Hill).
But it could also be something more dramatic—a meet-ugly, if you will—like one character stealing from the other (Ever After), an unlikely match (Out of Sight), or meeting under false pretenses (Maid in Manhattan).
Whatever the case, this is the step that sets up the main plot for the entire romance and should happen within the first few pages or at least within the first two chapters.
Beat 2: Falling in Love
Objective: Encourage your readers to fall in love with the protagonists while they fall in love with each other.
This beat involves the journey that builds the relationship between the protagonists. These are the little moments where hints of love and attraction come through. Perhaps the characters date during this time or maybe it’s one loving the other from afar, but we see all signs pointing to eventual true love.
Beat 3: Fleeing from Love
Objective: Demonstrate how stubborn human nature is to change by exploiting your protagonists’ arguments against love.
Along the way, something causes one or both of the protagonists to spook and pull away. Maybe they love each other but their families don’t get along, or they have a misunderstanding that causes a massive argument, or the work project they were partnered on ends and they believe the other one doesn’t feel the same way they do. Whatever the details, this is the moment before the moment where the characters awaken to the truth of their love.
Beat 4: Fighting for Love
Objective: Demonstrate your protagonists’ enlightenment that their beliefs about love were wrong.
In the climactic finale, one or both of the protagonists decide their love is worth fighting for and determine to do anything to make it work. Maybe they discover they have more in common than they first thought, there is a belated romantic epiphany between friends, or one decides to throw caution to the wind in a final Hail Mary. A grand gesture takes place and one is swept up into the other’s arms with an unspoken promise of forever (or maybe there’s a full-blown proposal!). This is the happily ever after that leaves the reader feeling warm and fuzzy inside (or at least a happy for now).
Additional Resources
- Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes
- More Tips for Writers articles in my Writing Romance series
- Download my Romance Beat Sheet, which includes notes where the beats are most commonly blended with the Save-the-Cat Beat Sheet!
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