Gwen Hayes

This is a simple, quick read about the formula for romance novels and novellas. Yes, I said the dreaded "F" word. All genre novels are formulaic in their own way, and that's okay. In the words of Gwen Hayes, think of the "formula" as a set of reader expectations. When I read romance, I expect a couple to fall in love with mounting sexual tension and then live happily ever after by the end. If I read fantasy, I expect different things, and the same can be said of mystery novels. Formula in of itself isn't a bad thing. It's how you use it, and I think Hayes did a good job laying out what needs to be constant in romance novels and what can be changed/subverted.

The key takeaway from Hayes's book is the formula for romance novels is flexible, and the author still needs to employ creativity in order to create a compelling story. However, if aspiring writers (myself included) keep in mind the basic structure we see in many many many romance novels, we will succeed or at least have a ton of fun in the attempt. Highly recommend this book for anyone looking to write romance.… (more)

I bought this in October, and finally finished reading it. It's not long, there are good points, and it's even kinda fun, but I had trouble with her writing style. The structure of the information was more scattered than I expected, leaving me with the impression that it was written in a hurry.

What she offers is ideal, a pattern for a romance plot, what elements build interest and tension (between the characters and for the reader, and why the elements are in that order. But what the book contains is more jumbled in the middle than is helpful. It could have been laid out much more clearly.

Still, it did help me clarify where my novel needed more buildup and tension. Helpful, but in a way annoying enough that I give it average marks. IMHO, this needed a better editor.… (more)