How To Write Great Romance

  I'm just going to make something clear... This isn't kissing scenes, this isn't how to write sappy conversations, this is about romance in general, and this is going to be CLEAN. This about making the love seem realistic, making the readers fall for the love interest, creating a love story that readers will laugh and cry and root for. Not individual scenes, not what kissing feels like, none of that.
  Now, you're still here? Want to know how to do this? Great, keep reading...

1. TIME

  I cannot stress this enough... All good things take time, correct? Yes? Then why on earth are insta-romances a thing? I recently read a book, it almost made me cry it was so terrible, that if you ever need an example of a bad romance (or a host of other things) you should read. Romeo and Juliet and Vampires. Lemme see... Romeo goes to place looking for one girl he has a crush on, sees Juliet, falls in love, proposes to her later that evening, and somehow she has the exact same unrealistic phenomenon... So lesson 1: Do not make them fall in love immediately. It's a process, and it takes time. As much as we love the happy moments in love, they're just cheezy and laughable if they happen too soon. Nobody likes them, make people wait and the moment will be so much better. 

2. These People... 

If you wouldn't date the person, they aren't a good love interest. Face it, half the people these characters fall in love with are self-absorbed, possibly abusive, and their only allure is how they look and the fact they're picky about who they date. Come on, that's the kind of guy I would punch in the face and never in my life date, why would I want to read about some girl who puts her whole social and academic life at stake for that jerk? Or the guy who starts dating the popular girl even though she's a brat who gossips too much and doesn't appreciate him? Find a better way to create some emotion or whatever, just stop using these brats as "ideals". 

3. Someone Else Should Make Them Suffer

  Someone outside the relationship should be creating the problems. Not problems originating inside the relationship, because in reality, that's what causes divorces and break-ups. Forbidden romances, someone one or both characters care about in trouble, imminent death, something besides miscommunications and conflicting personalities. 

  An outside problem is much better, especially if the romance is the main plot, because it helps the characters grow stronger and closer. That's much sweeter than these two people in love who can't just tell each other how they feel and end up fighting until the end of the book when they have one conversation that could've been done in the beginning and somehow everything's good and okay now. Those people in real life would have constant communication problems and a lot of fighting forever. Not good romance. 

4. Make 'em Wait

  Even once they finally fall in love, make them wait for the first kiss. First conversation together of just them. First "I love you." All those things readers wait for. Keep interrupting kiss attempts, have some friends tailing them, wars going on that demand a lot of attention, but make the readers wait for those moments. Once the moments do happen, they'll be much more satisfying and beautiful. 

  This is also not to mention that relationships based on physical touch and kissing are kind of not as believable. There have been studies showing that those relationships usually don't last and aren't as happy. They seem superficial, not to mention something I wouldn't want to read. So don't do them... Unless you're trying to write a superficial romance that won't last. 

5. The Fight to Love Thing

  You know the story when the characters meet and absolutely hate each other, have to work together for some reason, and end up falling in love. This, when done right, can be a great story! But you have to be careful with these, because if the characters hate each other because they're polar opposites with different views on life and opinions with only whatever stuck them together in common, then they're going to drive each other crazy. It just doesn't work that way. 

  They have to have something to bond over, some similarities, and they can't be zealously protective of their views to the point of being unable to accept someone who doesn't agree with them. Get the idea? 

6. Are They A Little Cliche? 

  When reading a story, do you ever feel as if you've read it before? They have the same basic plot and character type? Yeah, don't do that... 

  A little cliche is good, it means people already like the kind of story you write. But put something new in there! Mash two totally different kinds of cliche together, add a completely unheard-of problem, add in a parrot who happens to mimic the absolute worst possible phrases for your characters, whatever comes to mind. But make the story new. (See again: Romeo and Juliet and Vampires. Originality problems as well.)