Your characters may be irresistably drawn to each other, but something must keep them apart. 

You can’t construct a Romance based on two people meeting, having a few happy times together – walks on the beach, going out with his friends (who all like her), meeting his mother (who approves) and finally tying the knot. What’s there to keep us reading?

The tension between the possibility of love and the threats to its success is what keeps us reading. Conflict doesn’t mean a few arguments and misunderstandings. If there’s a simple misunderstanding, your readers will wonder why the hell they don’t just speak to each other and clear it up.

And if they’re awful, cruel and far too arrogant with each other, we’ll hope they never do end up together.

The conflict must be considerable enough for us to fear they may never end up together. It could be that their emotional situations have set them at odds. Perhaps he finds it impossible to trust women or she has never been able to commit.

On the other hand, their goals and life plans may be in opposition and set them on a collision course.  She’s the property developer, while he’s the biologist set on saving the habitat of a rare and endangered salamander.

One of our major themes in our Guide to Writing Romance (LINK) is how to create exciting conflict. We can guide you through all the possibilities for creating enough tension to keep your reader glued to the page.