Time stops.

She tilts her chin as his calloused fingers slide down her spine and jasmine-scented breezes caress their bodies.  He starts to speak, shakes his head and lowers his lips as…

Then the dog snarls at the mail carrier, your husband grunts about the disappearing TV remote and the baby heaves yet another handful of mashed carrots at a sibling.

You turn off the lap top, sigh, quiet the dog, find the remote and wipe orange goop off a wailing toddler.

All thoughts of writing a romance fizzle.  Who has the time, energy or even ideas to write a novel?  Why torture yourself? Time to end this foolishness, right?

Wrong.  Here’s advice from experts in the romance writing and publishing field because you really can write that novel while juggling everything life tosses your way.

Open your eyes.  “There’s romance everywhere if we look.  Analyze how novels are constructed. Break them down scene by scene, chapter by chapter.  Join organizations such as Romance Writers of America,” explains longtime Costco member Debbie Macomber #1 NY Times best-selling author with over 150 million books in print.

Read what you want to write.  Paula Eykelhof, former executive editor, Harlequin Books, Canada, advises, “Read widely to learn what appeals to you and readers.”  Become BFFs with the characters. Might sound whacky, but writers often “talk” with their characters and they cut pictures from magazines to help visualize them.

Eykelhof continues, “Romance is a flexible genre.  It can incorporate other story types such as mystery, suspense, the western, paranormal and fantasy with the developing romantic relationship as the backbone.”

Practice the craft.  Remember when you learned to drive?  Writing is also a skill that takes time to learn.  The more you write, the better you’ll become. Negotiate time for yourself to read, write and think.  Those who wait for the perfect time to craft a romance are not writers. They’re waiters. Before submitting a manuscript, hone your storytelling craft and writing skills.

As an online writing professor and author of the faith-based Games of the Heart, which became #3 on Amazon’s best fiction list, I encourage writers to enjoy the process.  Be fearless about adding quirks or twists and don’t shy away from beloved plot devices like mistaken identity.   Being creative is fun and rewarding.

Submit a well-written, vibrant and error-free manuscript and it’ll be noticed.  Always include a true conflict between the leading characters. Books are rejected when the leading characters have a bit of self-doubt but no tension. Write a book that provides a satisfying emotional journey and know that most novels have three or four subplots, that are all reconciled by the last page.

Know the trends.   The 10 most popular romance scenarios are: friends who become lovers, soul mates, second chance at love, secret romance, first love, hero/heroine, reunited lovers, love triangle, sexy billionaire/millionaire and sassy heroine. These days there are exciting discussions about increased diversity.  Savvy emerging writers might want to include characters in their novels from the whole spectrum of ethnicities and orientations. 

Keep writing.  “Don’t give up,” encourages Macomber, who crafted five unsuccessful novels before she sold that first one.  “Don’t worry about finding an agent until you have a publisher interested in your work. The best way to get published is to read and to write. Write every single day.  Believe in yourself and the power of your dreams. You can do this, but you have to be persistent.”

When penning a romance is in your heart, you have just one choice: Write the book you have been dying to read.  Why not start today?