As well as being a reader, I also try to write. To help with that (and not at all as a way of putting off the, you know, actual writing) I have been collecting a lot of books about writing. I have read a few of them, but not recently, so I decided it was time to delve into the archive and pluck one or two out to see if they helped. In the case of this one the answer is: Absolutely!
This is quite a short book at a little over 10,000 words, and told in a casual, joking style, but don’t let that fool you. Hayes has obviously studied a lot of romance stories and boiled them down to the essence of everything which must be included to make a satisfying story which has “the feels”.
Most writers will at least have heard of “The Hero’s Journey”, often positioned as the archetypal story structure which underlies thousands of years of tales. This is all good, and for many stories the hero’s journey is an invaluable aid, but for romance stories it’s not such a good fit. The hero’s journey works best when there is a single protagonist, with some form of identifiable antagonist to struggle against. An enjoyable romance story, on the other hand, usually has two protagonists, each of whom has their own journey and their own obstacles to overcome. The familiar structure of a romance story has evolved over many years to be a different kind of tale. Hayes has picked this archetypal romance story apart and laid out the constituent blocks ready for us to put them back together again with our characters, settings, challenges and, ultimately, our own kind of “happy ever after.”
Some people object to these kinds of structural books, pointing out that they can be limiting, and exclude multiple types of story which don’t fit neatly into the plan. While that is true, it’s not really applicable in this case. As Hayes points out, you are free to tell any story you like, in any way you like, but if you wish to position your story as a romance, then readers will have a certain set of expectations. As much as anything, it is these expectations that Hayes lays bare for us here, so that we can make sure that the story we tell gives readers what they want, and lives up to the promise of the cover.
I found this book to be hugely practical, and all the way through I was mentally applying the approach that Hayes describes both to the romance stories I have read and enjoyed (and the ones I didn’t enjoy so much), and to my own stories. I have tried a few times to write romance, either as a standalone story or as part of something else, such as a detective story, and never been fully happy with the results. Reading this book was like chatting to a skilled mechanic about problems with my car.
I am determined to revisit some of my unsatisfactory stories, armed with the checklist from this book, and get them running as smoothly as I know they should. I will also be recommending this book to other would-be romance writers.
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![[Gwen Hayes]のRomancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels (How to Write Kissing Books Book 1) (English Edition)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51zHD6P5-hL._SY346_.jpg)
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Frank Carver
Straight to the point. An essential guide for romance writers.
2021年8月3日に英国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Rebecca
Not for me
2021年8月7日に英国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Lyndsey
Simple & effective
2020年1月23日に英国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Cat
A nice short guide
2020年12月28日に英国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
rach_b52
Just buy it! You won't regret it! :-)
2016年9月10日に英国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
