How to write a romance novel using the three-act structure

You wish to write a romance story. You have some ideas in your mind but you are not sure where each scene goes. In this blog article, you will learn how to structure your romance story based on the Save the Cat Writes a  Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody and Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes with the addition of my suggestions and examples.

​Save the Cat Writes a Young Adult Novel is a popular story-structure guide for fiction authors that analyses the 15 beats that make a successful story. It is originally intended for stories with young adult main characters but the same story structure can be used for romance stories. Romancing the Beat is a popular story-structure guide specifically for romance authors. 
​This blog article includes:
What is story structure?
A note about the main character
The beat sheet
Act 1
Act 2A
Act 2B
Act 3
FAQ
Conclusion

What is story structure?
Most storytelling structure is done in 3 acts that comprise the beginning, middle and end of the story. Act 1 is about 20% of the book. Act 2 is about 60% and Act 3 is about the remaining 20% of the book. Some authors prefer to divide Act 2 into two parts so that the whole story comprises four manageable chunks: 

• Act I (20%)
• Act 2 (A) (30%) 
• Act 2 (B) (30%) 
• Act 3 (20%)

A note about the main character
The main character of your story needs to have a goal, a flaw, and an internal transformation. The main characters in romance stories are the characters that the development of the romantic relationship is focused on.

Romance stories are told from the point of view of the main characters. For each pov character, you will need to create a separate beat sheet with the 15 beats. All pov characters need to have a goal, flaw, internal transformation and (usually) equal page time. For the purposes of this blog article, the main character will be referred to as MC.

If you want to learn more information about how to write your story’s genre, main characters and theme, read the article here. 

The beat sheet
Here is the storytelling structure of your romance book:
Act I

1) Opening Image (1%): This is the first scene or chapter of the story and shows a “before” picture of your MC and their world.

2) Theme Stated (5%): The theme is the lesson that your MC needs to learn by the end of the story. Around 5% of the story, a character states the theme of the story (the lesson that the MC needs to learn) and what is keeping your MC back from falling in love again (flaw).

3) Setup (1-10%): The first 10% of your story shows the status quo of your MC in all aspects of their life: home, work/school, and friends. Introduce your MC in a way that makes them interesting to the reader. Introduce your MC’s goal and flaw and their resistance to change (resistance to learn the theme of the story). Make sure that some kind of trouble is brewing or the MC is in the middle of something unexpected. Introduce other important supporting characters such as family, friends or coworkers.

4) Catalyst (10%): The inciting incident of the story happens to the MC and takes them into a “new world” or “new way of thinking”. The inciting incident should prevent the MC from returning to their status quo life. This is the first time that the MC meets their love interest on page (although some authors have the main characters meet earlier). This could be the first time they meet or they might already know each other e.g they could be classmates, coworkers, neighbors etc. The MC should describe the sparks and physical attractiveness between them,

5) Debate (10-20%): The MC thinks about what to do next in relation to the inciting incident. They might voice their concerns to a relative or a friend or internally think why they cannot fall in love, especially with the specific character. Provide the reason (the MC’s flaw) and add backstory to justify their beliefs. The MC should be “forced” to spend some time together with the love interest e.g they could be classmates forced to collaborate in a school project,  coworkers working on the same team/project, or best friend’s older brother.

Act 2A
In Act 2A, the MC is still unwilling to change but you start raising doubts about their flaw. The reader should be able to see that the main characters are made for each other, even if they can’t see it yet. Each scene should deepen the sexual tension between them and the MC should realize that they are a better person with their love interest. Think of scenes where you will bring the two of them together emotionally and physically. Throughout Act 2A, the MC should take two steps forward and one step back.

6) Break Into 2 (20%): The beginning of Act 2. The MC decides to leave the status quo and dive into a new world.

7) B story* (22%): Introduce new characters that will help the MC learn the theme of the story (e.g a friend, a coworker, a relative) at the beginning of Act 2 (20-25%). If you have already introduced them in Act 1, there is no point in introducing a new character just for the sake of religiously following the story structure.
*(The A story is an external plot and the B story is about the internal transformation of the MC).

8) Fun and Games (20-50%): The MC lives into the new world. The MC is after something they think they want and not what they need and they are trying to fix their life the wrong way.  Think about your MC and their Act 2 life. How is their life in Act 2? Is it better or worse? Do they love this new world do they hate it?

• During this beat, make sure your MC is still positive about not wanting to fall in love and the reason (related to their flaw) behind it. Show more backstory to justify your MC’s reason for not wanting to fall in love. The MC is stuck with the love interest because of the situation created in Act 1 and they want to avoid temptation, so tempt them. Put them in situations where they need to come closer to each other, physically and emotionally.
•  Escalate the attacks on your MC’s flaw to continue creating holes in their guarded hearts and include more moments where the MC and their love interest come closer emotionally and physically to each other.  
• Their desire for each other is deepening and they cannot longer deny each other. Add lingering gazes, sweet moments and almost kisses scenes. The main characters are not just physically attracted to each other, they are falling in love and they are showing their true selves to each other.
• Nearing the50% of your story, you may decide that the MC will act on their desire. Depending on the kind of your book, you will decide how far your characters will go, how much physical intimacy you will write and how to describe it. Show your MC give in to their desire and begin to wonder what it would look like if they let go of their flaw that is holding them back. The MC needs to be more emotionally vulnerable by the end of this beat.

9) Midpoint (50%): This is the middle of your story. This is the beat where your MC has opened their hearts in a way that they didn’t previously. They might tell their friends about the night they spend with the love interest or they might have some internal thoughts about how right it feels. This beat is a false victory. The Midpoint could also be the place where the MC and the love interest have their first kiss or declare their love to each other. The Midpoint should make your MC get further out of their comfort zone and put more pressure on them to internally change. The Midpoint could serve as a ticking clock where an upcoming test, performance or event will determine the MC’s future, it could be a celebration, a competition,  or a major plot twist. The Midpoint shifts the focus of the story and makes the MC rethink everything about their life and their goals. 

Act 2B
Act 2A finishes on a false victory. The MC is starting to admit their feelings and they realize that they can fall in love but they haven’t overcome the flaw that is holding them back yet. In Act 2B, you have to push your MC and begin targeting their flaw. For example, if your MC doesn’t want to fall in love again because they believe that all men or women cheat, then you are going to hit them with that. You can include scenes where the MC misunderstands and believes that their love interest has cheated on them. 

10) Bad guys Close In (50-75%): This is the part of the story where things are getting worse and worse for your MC both externally and internally. Externally, the MC needs to fight the bad guys of the story e.g parents, teachers, coworkers, witches, or vampires. Internally, the MC needs to fight with their own internal beliefs and flaws. Your Midpoint was a false victory, so this beat should have a downward path. 

• Things are going pretty well for your MC right now with their relationship arc since Act 2A ended in a false victory and they start to believe that they can fall in love with someone else. Now, it’s the time to start getting hard on them and start raising their doubts based on their flaw.
• The (physical) intimacy between them is continuing but the doubt you raised catches on and the MC feels that something is wrong and they need to guard their hearts again.
• The doubts are getting worse and worse. If your MC believes that all men or women cheat, then show them that they are watching signs of them cheating. Maybe the MC sees them with another person and they misunderstand. Or maybe the MC has a secret that keeps them apart. The MC sees signs that are not there and they build walls to protect their heart and prepare themselves for the eventual breakup. They don’t understand that their actions pull the other person away. The MC internally thinks or shares their thoughts with a friend and they are prepared to emotionally protect themselves.

11) All is Lost (75%): In this beat, a major event happens to your MC that brings them to their lowest point of the story e.g a breakup. The breakup scene needs to be tied with the flaw of the MC who chooses fear instead of love. The MC loses someone or something that is usually related to their flaw. 

• Whatever the MC believes in the Bad Guys Close In, they think it becomes true. If they believe that they were cheated on, then the MC has “proven” that their love interest has cheated on them and they break up. The MC doesn’t believe in love again because they have let their guard down and they were emotionally hurt by the love interest’s (supposed) cheating.

12) Dark Night of the Soul (75-80%): The MC reacts to the events of the All is Lost beat. Show the MC’s emotions. The MC should feel worse and any progress they made towards overcoming their flaw feels lost. The MC tries to return to their old, familiar world of Act 1, but they are not the same person they were in Act 1 since the events of the story have already internally changed them. The MC realizes that the breakup is their fault. 

Act 3
In Act 3, the MC learns the theme of the story (overcomes their flaw) and fixes things the right way. The MC could have realized that they should continue pursuing the same goal they had since the beginning of the story or they might have a new goal for Act 3. The goal should be related to the story’s theme. 

13) Break Into 3 (80%): The aha moment. The scene where the MC figures out what they need to do to fix things the right way and decides to take the first step on that action. The MC realizes that the breakup was their fault. They have had some advice from friends or family in the previous scene and they realize that they have to let go of their flaw and choose love this time. The MC realizes that they have the power to be happy and they decide to try to win back the love interest they have lost even if they believe it might be too late.

14) Finale (80-95%): The MC executes the plan about the decision they made on Break Into 3 and they prove that they have learned the theme of the story and that they have been internally transformed. The MC has an epiphany and is ready to be courageous to win their love back. In order to do that, they need to perform a grand gesture, an action that shows how serious and how much in love they are. The grand gesture can be related to overcoming a specific fear: e.g the MC is afraid of airplanes but they get into a plane to confess their love. Other common grand gestures can include a public confession of love with the risk of being rejected and humiliated or sacrificing their goal to see the other character’s dream come true. 

15) Final Image (99-100%): This is the final scene of your story and it shows an “after”  picture of your MC’s life and how much they have changed.
Show their whole-hearted selves. The Final Image can be a mirror image of their first encounter, their first date, their first kiss or any other important moment for them. You might choose to write an epilogue so that might be the final scene of your novel. An epilogue can show a glimpse of the future with a wedding or babies. The Final Image doesn't need to be “perfect.” You just have to show the MC living a happy life together with their lover.

FAQ
Where do I start outlining my story?
Start outlining your story using the five Foundation Beats. The Foundation beats are single-scene beats and the most important beats of your story structure. 
The five foundation beats are:

• Catalyst (10%)
• Break Into 2 (20%)
• Midpoint (50%)
• All is Lost (75%)
• Break Into 3 (80%)

The five foundation beats will help you create an outline for your story either before or while writing your story.If you are a plotter, you can start creating the outline of your story by filling first the five foundation beats and then writing as much information as you can in the other beats.If you are a pantser, you can write 1-2 sentences for each foundation beat and then complete your beat sheet as you write the story.

If you are a new author and you haven’t established a writing routine yet, I would recommend writing 2-3 sentences in each foundation beat to have a general sense of your story and then start writing your story. As you write, observe with how much preparation you feel comfortable as an author. Some authors want to have complete character profiles and detailed story-structure outlines before they start writing their story. Others prefer to have a general idea of how their story starts and they immediately start writing with little or no notes at all. Start by taking a few notes and experiment until you find  what is comfortable for you.

Conclusion
This blog article explains the story structure for romance stories. The beat sheet and the 15 beat points analyzed in this article are only meant to guide you in creating successful romance stories. Don’t think of them as obligatory plot points but rather as suggestions that can inspire you and show a way to create a successful plot structure for your story. If you want to learn more about plot and story structure, I highly recommend reading the Save the Cat Writes a  Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody and Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes. 
Happy writing!

Further reading
How to brainstorm your novel’s genre and main characters
How character profiles can help you write consistent and compelling characters
How to create a consistent writing routine

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About the author

​​Maria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. 
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