How to write a romance novel

Pick the characters' names and plan their personalities. The female lead in a romance novel is usually attractive (even if she's unaware of it) and clever or smart. Do not make her into a Mary-Sue (a perfect character). Give her flaws. Give her problems. Make her real. The male lead is also attractive, but don't over-do him either, by giving him muscles, dimples, AND gorgeous eyes. Give him his flaws too. Give him his problems.
Pick a setting. For example, determine the city and state they live in. Be sure to do your research on the chosen setting. It's sometimes more fun to make up towns, but even then, do research on what region your fictional town is set in. Or, if you're not much of a researcher, place your characters in your town.
Pick their ages. Try not to make them forty-somethings, or even thirty-somethings, unless you're writing an adult romance. Teens devour more romance novels, so it would be best if your characters ranged from about fourteen to twenty-eight-ish.
Make sure that they start out slowly at first. Maybe they're just friends. Maybe they've just met. Maybe the guy saved the girl from a creep, a car, or whatever. Heck, they could even hate each other! Then, make things heat up. What in the world causes them to get along? Are they forced to? What makes them want to become a couple? If you start with major heat, then, as your story progresses, the reader will skip the later parts of the book, because it will get boring.
Make their words real. No teen these days would say, "I don't believe we've met before. I'm Charlotte." Seriously. "Um...I'm Charlotte. Do I know you?" sounds more believable. Don't give them cheesy dialogue like, "You have the most amazing eyes." Please, this is a romance novel, not a black-and-white TV love story!
Give them their share of trouble along the way. The whole "boy meets girl and they fall in love and live happily ever after" thing is getting really old. How about, boy meets girl and they hate each other until boy sees girl getting tortured at a party and takes her on a pity date and she finds out about the pity part ...? Yes, it's a long scenario, but it's much more original.
In the Romance Novel genre, the relationship between the main character (usually female) and her future spouse is the most important thing. The other characters in the book are there to help in developing the relationship or to put roadblocks in the way. They also play the part of scenery or to give the two main characters something to do while they are away from each other.
Always, always, always, end the novel with the guy and gal together and dreaming of growing old together. A romance novel is intended to tell about how two people reached the happily ever after finish. If the novel ends on another note, such as the guy chooses the other girl, then it fits more appropriately in another genre.

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