diff --git a/src/inlines.c b/src/inlines.c
index db48258..817a9d3 100644
--- a/src/inlines.c
+++ b/src/inlines.c
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ static int writecodespan(char *data, int i, size_t len, FILE *out);
 static int writelink(char *data, int i, size_t len, FILE *out);
 static int writeimage(char *data, int i, size_t len, FILE *out);
 static int writeautolink(char *data, int i, size_t len, FILE *out);
+static int writehardbreak(char *data, int i, size_t len, FILE *out);
 static int getlinkinfo(char *data, int i, size_t len,
 		int *textstart, int *textend,
 		int *titlestart, int *titleend,
@@ -60,6 +61,8 @@ void writedata(char *data, size_t len, FILE *out) {
 			goto special;
 		if ((newi = writeautolink(data, i, len, out)) >= 0)
 			goto special;
+		if ((newi = writehardbreak(data, i, len, out)) >= 0)
+			goto special;
 		if (data[i] == '\\') {
 			if (strchr(punctuation, data[i + 1]) == NULL)
 				writechescape('\\', out);
@@ -180,6 +183,25 @@ static int writeautolink(char *data, int i, size_t len, FILE *out) {
 	return i;
 }
 
+static int writehardbreak(char *data, int i, size_t len, FILE *out) {
+	const char *endcode = "  \n";
+	const int codelen = strlen(endcode);
+	if (data[i] == '\\') {
+		if (++i >= len)
+			return -1;
+		if (data[i++] != '\n')
+			return -1;
+		fputs("<br />", out);
+		return i;
+	}
+	if (i + codelen >= len)
+		return -1;
+	if (memcmp(data + i, endcode, codelen) != 0)
+		return -1;
+	fputs("<br />", out);
+	return i + codelen;
+}
+
 static int getlinkinfo(char *data, int i, size_t len,
 		int *textstart, int *textend,
 		int *titlestart, int *titleend,
diff --git a/src/template.c b/src/template.c
index 39e9b94..efee686 100644
--- a/src/template.c
+++ b/src/template.c
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ static int parseline(char *line, struct parsestate *currstate, FILE *out) {
 			currstate->prev.type = PLAIN;
 		}
 		else
-			appendcharstring(currstate->para, ' ');
+			appendcharstring(currstate->para, '\n');
 		appendstrstring(currstate->para, realcontent(line, &type));
 		break;
 		/* According to the commonmark spec, this markdown: