I’m not sure why, but the genre of Romance tends to be an easy target for people who want to shoot down a particular genre. I’ve heard so much abuse of the genre for being cliché, escapist, unrealistic, and second-rate. Of course, the thing that makes me shake my head at the folks who throw that mud is that, as a genre, it’s supposed to be escapist, idealistic, and hopeful. That’s why Romance is routinely one of the highest-selling genres. So let’s embrace Romance as a genre. What do you need to know to join the ranks of those of us who can’t seem to write without writing a love story? What exactly is a Romance novel? According to the Romance Writers of America , a book qualifies for the Romance genre if it contains two things. Yep, just two things, and I quote (from the RWA website): “Two basic elements comprise every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.” Having a central love story means that the crux of the plot revolves aro...