A friend from work has suggested that I put myself through grad school by writing romances. And while I can think of a million reasons why this would be very difficult, even absurd---not least of which is my utter lack of personal romantic experience---I must admit I'm really very tempted by the notion.

I love romances, and for as long as I can remember my stories have contained some thread of it. I like the challenge of writing something so fully, and unabashedly, concerned with character and emotion, and to be perfectly honest, I don't feel nearly as scared of writing romance as I do fantasy. Plus there's the whole money thing. Having some income for school, especially earned doing something I enjoy, would be lovely.

Only I'm coming to the notion a little late. I'm a scant few months from diving into school-ish debt, and I don't know that I'd be earning any kind of money from publication until I was nearly finished with my degree. And then there's the whole lack of a storyline. How does one go about finding a romance novel story? They seem so finite, grounded in the real and the known, whereas I'm used to letting my mind turn over interesting philosophies or concepts that eventually spin themselves into plots. And I think I'm just enough of a literary snob to want to contribute something different, or at least unusual, to the genre. Of course, my tastes in romance don't run toward the typical stupid, selfish "spitfire" heroine that abounds these days.

Any suggestions? Please? A writing challenge? A plot thread? Anything? :)

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