1. Initial Contact- In romance fiction, the way the characters meet is very important. It should set the stage for your story. It should be unique and it should be presented early. Your objective is to capture their interest within the first paragraph and keep him/her engaged throughout the story.
2. The Characters-Humanize your characters. You want to connect to your audience. One way of doing that is to develop characters that are believable. More importantly make them clearly and concise by defining their strengths and their flaws.
3. Facts-Do your research and understand the time period you are writing about. Don't have the star-crossed lovers traveling by automobile before they were even invented. Succinctly don't get caught up in a history lesson when doing so. Remember you're writing a romance story not substitute teaching a history class!
4. Pace- Move your story along without letting it get bogged down in too much detail. The emotions and actions of the main characters should set the pace and move your romance along to its desired conclusion. Too much description, history, and rhetoric slows down the pace of your story. Romance stories are always about two people finding each other and falling in love in spite of their differences and obstacles. Keep the pace aimed towards this path and your readers will come back time and time again.