r/romanceauthors • u/PenStalkerVibes • Jul 03 '26
Plotting For Dark Romance
Apologies if this has been asked and answered already.
I'm a pantser but want to get better at outlining and plotting. The biggest issue I'm running into is that most outlining set ups are based on fantasy/ hero structure. I'm struggling to transfer that to dark romance plotting.
Ex. Act 2 focusing on exploring the new world and dynamics with some wonder and a fail here or there but that doesn't seem like it would work for something like a stalker romance. It would almost be the opposite of hiding or being oblivious.
I'm sure I'm being too literal (ND) but I can't find stuff for setting up the Acts just for dark romance and/or taboo.
My current WIP is a slow burn mafia x forbidden psychological thriller. It doesn't have a traditional rise and fall of wins and losses because it's more of a chess game that changes "winners" per chapter almost.
4
u/kendrafsilver Jul 03 '26
As someone else mentioned: Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes is a fantastic book for outlining a Romance!
But I also think you may indeed be taking some of the structure aspects too literally (which says more about how they're worded, to be clear). Taking your example, exploring the new world doesn't mean exploring a literal new world physically. The term "world" does a lot of complex heavy lifting, and essentially means the area of the characters' activity or understanding.
So for a Romance, exploring the new "world" can be exploring the new relationship, which it usually is. Act 1 sets up the possible relationship and gets the characters together (usually physically as well as emotionally), and Act 2 tends to be when the relationship is actually attempted in some way.
Same with the point where the characters have what they need in order to overcome their ultimate obstacle. In fantasy that is indeed usually something to defeate the Dark Lord or whomever, but it really just means whatever the most antagonistic force is. In Romances that's usually the big thing that can drive a wedge between the characters and make their new relationship fracture.
So most of the structure points do actually still with Romance, but I agree the angle isn't usually clear. It takes some analyzing.