The Anatomy of the Slow Burn

Hello hello hello! Today I want to do a deep dive into a topic that I’ve had some interesting discussions about as of late – the SLOW BURN.

Now if you don’t know, a slow burn is a common romance trope in which two characters don’t immediately connect romantically, but you know they will at some point. In fact, the time you’ll have to wait for them to get together can seem endless.

I go back and forth on my opinion about slow burns and whether or not they’re satisfying, and what I will say is that it’s not a “one size fits all” situation. There are some romance tropes that I absolutely cannot stand no matter what (friends to lovers, I’m looking at you), but slow burns CAN be satisfying – it just depends on how it’s being executed.

For me, the best slow burns need a few things to be worth it. The first requirement is what I like to call a trail of crumbs. A trail of crumbs is when an author drops intentional moments where you can tell the characters like each other, or are starting to. The pining can be sweet sometimes, and it’s necessary for a slow burn. An author needs to create tension like this, especially when tension isn’t coming from any other source. This can also satiate the reader a bit, because if you’re like me, the frustration of the couple you’re rooting for seemingly never sealing the deal can be physically painful.

The second thing slow burns need is a reason to exist. I can’t stress this enough, because I’ve read a book or two where the slow burn appeared to just be happening because the author really wanted it to, and not because it made sense for the characters. I could make an entirely different post about the topic of characterization, and I may do that one day, because it’s so important for any thought-provoking story, not just a slow burn romance.

You have to know your characters, and you have to know your story. The slow burn needs a reason to be burning slowly. Forbidden love? One of the characters is in another relationship? Are they just socially awkward? Whatever it may be, give me something, and make it make sense for the characters you’ve crafted.

The final thing I think a slow burn demands is the perfect payoff. A good plotline involves both stakes and a payoff, and if you’ve created your stakes, we need the payoff to create a cathartic reading experience. When is the moment that your characters finally confess their feelings, or finally kiss? Once again, make sure it makes sense for your characters, and makes sense in the context of the narrative you’ve created.

I think where most slow burns fail is that they are missing at least one of the above 3 story beats. While this may be a popular trope, it’s a tricky one to navigate.

So, how do I REALLY feel about slow burns? Well…if they’re done right, I’m a huge fan. I think us book lovers can appreciate a good romance storyline when it makes us wistful. We all long for a romance straight out of a book, and slow burns can be extremely sweet and fun to read.

I’m not sure how common successful slow burns are in real life, but isn’t that the point of books? Maybe that’s why they’re so popular – because they’re rare.

Reader, I’m so curious to know your thoughts on the slow burn trope. Do you think it’s a good trope? What do you think is necessary to make a slow burn good? How common do you think slow burns are in real life? Let me hear you!