I think we all get wispy thoughts about people–characters–and situations. Maybe while watching a movie or reading a romance novel. Putting a story together, though. That’s a different challenge.
I usually start off with a scrap, a fragment really. Sometimes this may be as simple as the way someone walks or as complicated as a full-blown relationship challenge. My romance Race The Darkness was inspired as I listened to a Nickleback song. All of the sudden I had a rough-voiced hero who kept popping up in my head. I had to write about him and Kinkade Holbert, who races motorcycles as if dying doesn’t scare him, was born. Truthfully, the way Kade came to me, he was so troubled by his guilt over his beloved brother’s death, he wasn’t much afraid of death.
Once a main character pops into my head, their perfect match isn’t usually far behind. In writing, as in life, characters are challenged to grow and deal with their issues. This is what drives a romance for me–the relationship!