The Ultimate Guide to Writing SLOW-BURN Romance 😍

Are you struggling to write a slow-burn romance that will make your readers fall in love and hold their interest until the very end? If so, today’s podcast is for you. We’re talking all about how to write BETTER SLOW-BURN ROMANCE. In this episode, Abbie and I are case-studying some of our favorite romances and share our best tips for creating tension, developing chemistry, and crafting addictive plotlines that will keep readers invested until the final scene. Whether you're a seasoned romance writer or just starting out, this episode will take your slow-burn story to the next level and make your readers swoon. Grab a notebook and let’s start crafting the perfect slow-burn romance.

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[KAEmmons]

FAVORITE SLOW BURN OF ALL TIME... GO! 💗

[Amy_Mi]

_TLDR post:_ Another tip I learned from Abbie a few years ago... for those of us who can’t wait to get to the end/the "happily-ever-after"... is to go ahead and give yourself the latitude to write that part _when_ you feel the urge to. There's no rule that says you can't write in a non-linear fashion. Write the juicy bit and then go back and fill in all of the emotional progressive moments after the fact. If you force yourself to wait until the end to write the end, you risk doing a disservice to your middle and unjustly rush through all your other (equally important) plot points. And, honestly, having the ending mapped out before you write the lead up, might even give you a better idea on how to capitalize on the lead up in ways that make the ending that much sweeter.

[kit]

0:35 Why we love slow burn

03:00 Prompts before writing the story
- What is the internal conflict both my characters are personally struggling with?
- What kind of relationship do they have with each other at the start of the story, and why?
- How long have they known each other?
- How did they meet?
- How much does Character A know of Character B’s internal conflict?
- How much does Character B know of Character A’s internal conflict?
- Are they keeping any secrets from each other? If yes, why?

04:20 It's about them as individuals

06:30 Pacing
- Progression, going forward and backward,
- Conflict in their individual lives and in their relationship

09:15 Example: Miss Scarlet and the Duke
- Having their own internal conflict
- Slowly revealing their backstory
- Competing against each other
- Secrets
- Emotional roller coaster plot points
- Having their own goals and plans
- Progression, how their attitude to each other changes
- Struggling together brings them closer or further apart
- Each episode ends with some progression in their relationship
- Can be two steps forward, three steps back
- Slow burn is not dragging things out, it is building layers of anticipation
- Give the audience a little but not too much, space out a cookie trail
- Keep the romance thread active

20:05 Example: All Creatures Great and Small
- Well paced - not too fast, not too slow
- There's always something changing
- The main plot creates conflict within the relationship, the relationship is integrated with the main plot instead of being a side plot
- They have their own separate lives and journeys, making you wonder what a life together would look like
- Simple, everyday conflicts, doesn't have to be dramatic
- Watching them navigate the conflicts makes us empathize with them

27:40 Recap
- Pacing is the most important
- Give us small rewards along the way - progression, momentum
- Develop the characters as individuals, don't overwhelm the story with the romance

29:05 Prompts after writing the story
- How have both my characters changed and evolved as a result of their journey/relationship with each other?
- How much has Character A affected Character B’s internal conflict?
- How much has Character B affected Character A’s internal conflict?
- Are they still keeping any secrets from each other? Why or why not?
- What does the future look like for these two characters?

[AngelhousePhotograph]

I think the Bid Bid Burn pattern works well to keep from frustrating readers. That means for every two failed attempts by a character to move forward, there is one bit of progress. That doesn’t mean they can’t backslide in the next “bid”, but there is general foreward progress. It might be minuscule, but something has to move the needle. It rewards the reader with enough satisfaction to prevent reader frustration.

[mageprometheus]

Thank you. I wouldn't write a romance but this was great for adding a romantic side plot into other genres. Love and light. 💜

[giggle_snort]

This is so wonderful. I love a good slow burn. Also, I LOVE that you brought up Miss Scarlet and the Duke! I am slightly obsessed with that show, I binged all three seasons within a week, and seriously CANNOT WAIT for season 4!

[alartlart]

This was so useful! I am a huge fan of slowburn romance. Granted the slowburn I love the most is so painfully slow and frustratingly denied... The X-Files had me by the throat for Mulder and Scully!!!! 😅

[anastazjamalczyk]

I can't wait to dive in! I love slow-burn and I am about to start my second one ever story with this type of romance so this is indeed well-timed :)

[ByJasmineDayton]

I have a slow burn romance in a trilogy that have written but since got sidetracked on some other projects and this session has inspired me to look over it again 🥰

[worthfightingfor]

Okay. You've convinced me. I'm going to watch All Creatures Great and Small. 😍

Thank you SO MUCH for this marvelous episode! I've been waiting for you to do one on this topic, and it did not disappoint!

[erinhastings]

Love this video and this episode. Also, I would like to see more videos and episodes on any type of romance. Not just because I usually don't write romance. But also because in my current writing project there will be a cliffhanger at the end of the story that may introduce romance for my MC.

[samgnzn]

The only problem i have with slow burn romances most of the time are when the plot somehow uses "right person wrong time to date / right time to date, wrong person" to involve interlopers or 3rd party romantic interests that are there for morally grey area conflictive feelings struggles it ruins my love of alot of stories that have slow burn the second they pull in another person into their emotion drama.

Because alot of books or shows have a very hard times making it not seem like these supposedly "good/decent" characters aren't just plain cheating when one of the pairing is having emotional infidelity to the partner they are in a relationship in verses whom the slow burn is actually with or when a character goes through the possessive jealously phase over when someone they aren't dating or expressed their wish to date finds a romance interest with a person besides them in a "the one that got away" dilemma regretting scenario.

Cause i'm sorry cheating is a hardline for me and slow burn romance can be good without involving cheatings innuendoes or euphemisms and it sucks that alot of media use the drama tag of their shows or books to basically condone morally questionable cheating casting aside other human beings with emotions and value too even if they're portrayed to be unlikable as long as its cause the people of the slow burn are the "better fit" as its really causing a unhealthy/toxic standard to the slow burn genre as a whole.

[melaniecain]

Hi Kate and Abbie! Loved this episode, the list of questions at 4:01 are super helpful!
Could you make a future video on how to write young/innocent romance without it becoming cheesy? I find it difficult to balance the character’s pure hearted naïveté with revelation of their true love for each other, and I really don’t want my storyline to come off as babyish. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks so much!

[trptace]

You guys are great! Although personally I would be interested in a second video or series on this topic that goes deeper into examples from not just television, but books included! I would have liked some more examples of a failing slow burn, as that would be really helpful to delve into. More than just “they got together too soon” type. Plus side by side comparisons. I love this topic personally and it’s sooo hard to execute well!

Much love ❤️!! I’m definitely watching more videos!

[Chrissi_Interlude]

I’m new to the channel and I really like your advice! I’ve been writing for years but find that there’s always room for improvement, especially for this genre. I’ve written long-form romances many times but always had regrets by the end. I’ve asked some of these questions in my outline and did my best to answer them throughout the plot, but I really like how they directly address character relationships with respect to the plot. More than struggling to balance character chemistry and plot development like I’ve made a habit of doing. I’m gonna give them a shot with my current story and see how it goes!

[allycat]

I love the will they won't they anticipation. That's why back in the day I was a huge Ross and Rachel fan from Friends the TV show.

[sherrycraig]

31:07 I think slow burn works great with contemporary Christian romance. I would love to hear your thoughts about how to give this genre plenty of good conflicts using faith in a realistic way.

[robinporter]

My story has a slow burn, and as I wrote it, I got more ideas, so the story is now 4 planned stories. Each adds more while dealing with what happened in the last.

[lunarshadow]

So a simple way of describing a Slow Burn Romance is that there are 2+ character arcs intersecting into a sparking romance.

[eriqeashwaq]

Thank you so much for this video, but I have a request can you make a video about slow-burn break up or ?😅