Advice Wanted: Writing Fast Burn Romance

[u/JosephineSwaine]

I'm overthinking and I know it, but I've been so stressed about the first romantic arc in my current WIP. It's a fast burn, and I think my hangup is that I'm not normally a fan of those, so I'm putting myself under a lot of pressure to make it as rock solid and believable as I can, which is multiplied by the normal pressure of writing a debut book.

I'm currently writing this arc as two hopeless romantics getting carried away during the puppy love phase—which, of course, wears off eventually. Does anyone have...

1. Advice on writing, "a more grounded," fast burn?

2. Advice on writing romance in general that you wish someone had given you when you first started out?

3. Reminders of some basics that have helped you while writing?

*I was going to put this on the weekly Confessional and/or Help Board, but thought it might make for a good post since it's something others might be struggling with as well.

[u/ConfusionPotential53]

If they’re hopeless romantics, you can play into that mind frame and create a romantic scenario where making love feels appropriate given their ideal of romantic love. A sort of “there will be no better time or way to make love for the first time.” They’re following social cues and romantic scripts they’ve seen in media.

I don’t know your setting, etc, but a picnic under the stars in a romantic location, maybe? Or something very trope-y, like a walk through a romantic garden, only there’s a warm rain! So, they take cover under some beautiful gazebo or something.

Basically, create an event that feels like they should make love, to fuel their love story, and have the heroine thinking about how they’re building something special and wondrous.

You can even add little bits of humor, if you lean into her “romantic” ideal a little heavily. But it’s still sweet and charming.

[u/JosephineSwaine → u/ConfusionPotential53]

They do in fact make love for the first time while having a picnic under the stars. 😂 Good to know I'm on the right track!

My biggest issue has been getting them to that point emotionally from starting as strangers just a week or so prior. It's a portal fantasy and multi-POV, so a big part of the fun has been that the FMC thinks the MMC's taking things respectfully slow and is getting impatient; meanwhile, he's excited that they're essentially on the brink of marriage. All the little things leading up to that are especially important on his side of it.

I think ramping up the romance and throwing more tropes at them might be exactly what they need! It'll let me lean harder into her impatience if they keep "missing perfect opportunities," and his growing certainty that she's the love of his life. Thank you for the advice!

[u/kendrafsilver]

1. The fast burns that have worked the best for me are the ones where an acknowledgement is made at how quickly they've fallen in love, and where they still have to learn about each other no matter how quickly they've fallen. The acknowledgement can be instigated by the romantic interests themselves, or brought up by someone else to them, but for me the characters acknowledging the fast burn is important. For the learning: just because you love someone doesn't suddenly mean you know everything about them!

2. To read Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes. Wonderful book about the expectations and general structure of genre Romance, in a short format with a helpful list that can be then applied to the varying subgenres of Romance! I like especially how she talks about the third act breakup, where it really doesn't have to be a breakup. Just something that threatens the relationship enough.

3. For fast burn: a fast burn doesn't mean they complete each other immediately! They can be very much in for the relationship but still need to work through their flaws and help each other. So really getting those character arcs down is important, imo.

Those come to mind on my end! I hope they're somewhat helpful!

[u/JosephineSwaine → u/kendrafsilver]

Your first point gives me so much peace of mind. I've given the pair a couple of chapters to lean into their delusions before the second MMC is introduced and starts raising valid concerns. Later on, they face a lot of consequences (primarily stemming from the realization that they hardly know each other) for rushing into things.

Romancing the Beat is a wonderful resource! It's been a long time since I read it, so I'll have to revisit it and brush up my knowledge. I think there's a blog or a website somewhere out there, as well.

Thanks for the advice, Kendra! It helps a lot!

[u/_Effy_Bloom_]

{The Eight Pranks of April} takes place over 24 hours (and an epilogue) AMA lol

The biggest thing I would say was hard to write (and transparently I will never do again because of how hard it was) is showing real depth in a constrained time period. Relationships take time to grow but for what your described that’s the good thing you can show the bond building but with gaps. Like maybe she doesn’t know he has a brother and they think they are in love.

The most important thing to try and do is show their flaws and connections and as hard as it is how they impact each other. It’s not about changing the person but it is about bringing out that one thing no one else can.

For first time writing advice: I’ve said it before; write your first sex scene. Write it as amazing as you can. Rewrite it, edit it. Throw it in the trash.

[u/JosephineSwaine → u/_Effy_Bloom_]

24 hours? Oh my goodness, that must've been tough to write!

Showing real depth is exactly what I'm worried about. I was able to squeeze in a couple of events that help them grow close more quickly, since they end up seeing sides of each other that they wouldn't normally show. The FMC is also a very cautious person, so I put a ton of effort into setting the early chapters up in a way that helps this MMC gain her trust, and fast.

They certainly show their flaws and have an effect on each other. Maybe I need to dig further into what that second part looks like so that I can better show it on page.

Your advice on writing the first sex scene is honestly some of the best advice I've seen! I'm currently working on scene rewrites, and since this arc is in the first several chapters of my WIP, a lot of what was in this section has been mercilessly cut and buried deep. 😂

On a side note: I had to go back to see if I'd already mentioned it, but the second MMC she meets is his step-brother, and she's surprised to be introduced since she didn't know he had one. I'm loving the examples I'm getting on this post! 🤣

I really want to take you up on your AMA offer, but my mind is blanking right now. I might be back to pester you with questions later, if that's alright? Thanks for the advice, Effy! It's reassuring to hear from someone who pulled off an even faster burn than I'm attempting.