Want Your Bad Romance...

Heathcliff and Kathy. Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy. Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. We all want the perfect romance. But what actually constitutes one of those? At first, Heathcliff and Kathy hate each other, Elizabeth and Darcy won't allow themselves to swallow their pride and open their eyes, and Bella and Edward's love almost kills each other. In order to really love someone, does your romance have to turn bad before it can go good, or can it be straight and pure all the way through? But then again, where's the fun or drama in that, especially when it comes to books! In most romantic books, there needs to be a climax, a build up, tension, passion, arguments, complex storylines, fireworks, emotions, and sexual chemistry. There needs to be a protagonist, an antagonist, a villain. Someone who can tear down a relationship leaving the two main characters to build it back up again and find their own truths in the process... but also be able to ultimately bring out the best [and worst] in each other, but the best books are the ones that aren't too cheesy, but have that dramatic edge we all want.
This is what I try to keep in mind when writing chapters for beautiful awakenings. Its hard to find inspiration for what you want your characters to be, which is why I completely understand writers going through writers block. People and critics alike may just brush it off as being lazy, but if you're not feeling truly inspired when you write, and love what you're writing, then there's no point writing just to write something or feel a sense of accomplishment, because you won't, not really. You just have to give it time, but most importantly, wait for the right time. Most writers really do have to take the time to become completely involved in their characters, they can't write from an altogether personal perspective, but instead be able to step outside themselves in order to hear their characters' voices so that they're able to bring the story together.
Like "method acting", most writers and musicians need to feel the inspiration or type of emotion and really go through it before they feel they have enough of an authentic voice to write about what they're trying to say, or really convey their point across to their readers in order to help quantify what they're trying to say.
When it comes to being inspired, particularly by love and the romantics of things, I believe you really can find a romantic thing, gesture, or appeal in almost everything, if you look hard enough, whether that's good romance or bad romance. The most common medium of finding romance in today's culture is probably through photography, as it's the most poignant way of showing every emotion or feeling just by capturing looks on camera.