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Romantic suspense beat sheet template

Romantic suspense runs two arcs at once: a relationship and a danger. The danger is why the couple meets and why they must stay close, the evidence is what breaks their trust, and the climax resolves the threat and the romance in the same scene.

An investigator and a fire marshal study clues together in a burned warehouse.

When to use it

  • Your couple meets because of a crime, a stalker, or a case.
  • Your romance and your mystery feel like two books. This ties their beats together.
  • You want the breakup to come from the plot, not from a misunderstanding.

The 4 acts

  • Act One: Danger and a Stranger. A danger already moving, and the stranger it throws them together with.
  • Act Two: Forced Trust. Trusting each other because they have to, and then because they want to.
  • Act Three: The Betrayal. The evidence turns one of them into a suspect, and the trust breaks.
  • Act Four: Love Under Fire. The threat and the relationship settled in the same scene.

The 12 beats at 85,000 words

The marks assume 85,000 words, because romantic suspense usually runs 80,000 to 100,000 words. Each beat keeps its percentage at any length, so scale the marks to your own. The story structure calculator works them out for any length.

  1. The Threat Begins 2% · word 1,500 Something dangerous starts in one of their lives before they meet.
  2. They Meet in It 8% · word 7,000 They meet because of the danger, and each suspects the other a little.
  3. A Reason to Stay 15% · word 13,000 Protection, a shared investigation, or a secret keeps them close.
  4. Attraction Under Pressure 22% · word 18,500 Wanting each other at the worst possible time, and knowing it.
  5. Working Together 30% · word 25,500 They start to trust each other’s judgment, and the case begins to move.
  6. A Close Call 40% · word 34,000 The danger nearly takes one of them. The fear afterward says what they feel.
  7. Giving In 50% · word 42,500 They act on it. The emotional high point, with the threat still unsolved.
  8. The Evidence Turns 58% · word 49,500 Something makes one of them look guilty, or at least untrustworthy.
  9. Trust Breaks 68% · word 58,000 Trust fails at the moment the threat gets closest.
  10. Taken 80% · word 68,000 The villain moves: one of them is taken, trapped, or alone with the danger.
  11. The Rescue 90% · word 76,500 Each saves the other in some way. The romance and the plot resolve together.
  12. Safe Together 98% · word 83,500 The danger over, and the relationship chosen in daylight.

A worked example

Dana investigates warehouse fires for an insurer; Luis is the fire marshal who thinks she is covering for a client.

  1. The Threat Begins. A third warehouse burns, and this time a night guard dies.
  2. They Meet in It. Dana and Luis arrive at the ashes from opposite sides of the claim.
  3. A Reason to Stay. Her insurer and his office order a joint investigation.
  4. Attraction Under Pressure. They argue for an hour over a burn pattern and neither wants to leave.
  5. Working Together. She finds the accelerant he missed; he finds the payment she missed.
  6. A Close Call. A stairwell collapses under Dana, and Luis pulls her out.
  7. Giving In. That night neither of them talks about fire.
  8. The Evidence Turns. The payment leads to an account in Dana's late husband's name.
  9. Trust Breaks. Luis reports it before he asks her about it.
  10. Taken. The arsonist locks Dana in the next warehouse and lights it.
  11. The Rescue. Luis reads her notes, finds the address, and she has already cut the lock.
  12. Safe Together. The arsonist in custody, and a quiet breakfast with no files on the table.

Open this template in Tabularia

Tabularia opens a new Book on the Romantic Suspense shape: its acts and a chapter for each beat, named for it, with each note pinned beside the chapter it belongs to. The book's word goal is set to 85,000 words. You name the Book before anything is created.

Open in Tabularia

Or take it away

The Word file has every beat with its note and mark, a line under each for your own plan, and the example above. It opens in Word, Google Docs, Pages, and LibreOffice.

Download for Word