10 Romance Tropes Plot Template
About the Template
Romance tropes sell books. This collection includes chapter by chapter breakdowns of ten of the most popular romance tropes. Take your books to the next level and make it so that your readers have no choice but to one-click your books.
Projected Word Count: 50,000 – 75,000
(It can easily be expanded to a higher word count by expanding example chapters into multiple scenes.)
Number of Tropes Covered: 10
Chapters per Trope: 20
Template Length: 12,500 words
Tropes Included
Enemies to Lovers
Friends to Lovers
Secret Baby
Fake Relationship (Fiance/Marriage)
Brother's Best Friend
Woman in Jeopardy
Amnesia
Forbidden Love
Reunion Romance
Forced Proximity
Sample
Trope: Enemies to Lovers
Description: Two or more characters are in conflict with each other. It could be a long-standing rivalry, or they just met, and they immediately can’t stand the other person.
The Reader’s Primary Question: Can the characters get past their mutual dislike of one another long enough to fall in love?
Plot Outline
Chapter 1: They Meet
In this chapter, you will set up the hook for the story. You’ll introduce the main characters and instantly see that they are like oil and water. They literally can’t stand each other. The claws are out from the moment they meet.
Chapter 2: The Inciting Incident
They are forced to be together for a reason that they can not easily get out of. (E.g. They are both competing in the same barbecue competition. E.g. They are both fighting to win the same promotion at work.)
Chapter 3: Refusing the Call
One or more characters, ideally all of them, refuse to get involved in the situation. (E.g. The FMC decides to drop out of the barbecue competition because she would rather face the possibility that she will lose her house than have to deal with the MMC.) She hates him so much that his mere presence is enough to set her off. The MMC may or may not find this amusing, humiliating, enraging, etc. He has a strong counter reaction to her refusal to participate in the situation.
Chapter 4: Turning Point 1
Something happens so that the character can’t refuse the call to action. (E.g. FMC goes home and finds an eviction notice on her door. If she doesn’t win the barbecue competition, she will lose her house.) This incident is enough to make her decide to participate in the situation. The world as she knows it is falling apart and the only way to salvage is it to interact with the MMC.
Chapter 5: Reaction to Turning Point 1
The characters react to the realization made in Turning Point 1. (E.g. The FMC goes storming back to the barbecue competition the next day and demands to be added to the list of competitors.) The MMC finds out about her sudden change of plans and he reacts to it. (E.g. He might be glad she’s back because even though she’s a total bitch to him, she’s hot and he wouldn’t mind looking at her ass for the next few days.)
Chapter 6-7: Pinch Point 1
The characters can’t avoid each other anymore. In fact, they’re forced to work together. (E.g. They are paired up in the barbecue competition.) There is no way to escape each other, so the tension between them increases.
Chapter 8: Realization
The characters realize that they are going to have to interact and they grudgingly accept it. They might come up with a truce, or they might decide to temporarily let down their guard when they’re together. (E.g. Now that they are paired up in the barbecue competition, they realize that they have to work together if they have any shot at winning.)
Chapter 9-10: Working Together
The characters work together and start to see the other person’s good qualities. They begin to look past their initial assumption about the other character. They realize that the other person isn’t as bad as they thought they were.
Chapters 11-20 are the exact same format as the first 10 chapters. You will receive all 20 chapters in the template.
END OF THE SAMPLE
The template will include a chapter by chapter breakdown for each trope.