Today is Valentine’s Day. That being the case, I feel as if I ought to be praising romance novels. The Notebook. Gone with the Wind. Pride and Prejudice. Jane Eyre. But the truth is, although I liked Twilight and theBridgerton books, and I recently watched a romantic film on Netflix called People We Meet on Vacation and enjoyed it, as a general rule, books that focus solely on romance are not my thing. Not only do I steer clear of them when reading, I also avoid incorporating and writing romance in my novels. Only when my story cries out for a romantic subplot do I put pen to paper and write one.

So, what do you do if you’re like me and writing romance doesn’t come naturally? If you cringe at the idea of writing a love scene? If the thought of dreaming up meet-cutes has you rolling your eyes.

Me, I look for inspiration. I listen to love songs and try to recall what it felt like when love seemed to be the only thing that mattered. I have to travel way back… to high school and college. Sometimes I watch TV shows about young adults searching for fulfillment, like Girls, or I read YA novels like John Green’s Looking for Alaska… shows that depict that desperation and intensity of unrequited love. And if I’m feeling especially dark and tragic, I read The Great Gatsby and think about Jay and Daisy. But mostly, I try to get into the headspace of my protagonist and just write. I try to imagine what my characters would want most. What they would desire and crave. What would make them cry, or their knees buckle. What would give them their greatest joy. And of course, because I’m not a romance writer, I panic…. until I remember that love is different for everyone, and those differences are what make romance novels so powerfully addictive and relatable.

What is your favorite romance novel? Do you have any tips for writing love scenes?

I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to leave a comment!