Before you begin writing your romance novel, do a thorough job researching the novel's background.
Research everyday life, customs and cultures of the era for historical romance novels.
Study every aspect of your story location, characters' background, occupations and hobbies for a contemporary romance novel.
Organize your research in three-ring binders by topic (occupation, history, clothing, for example).
List the major events or milestones of your novel, such as the first time the hero and heroine meet, kiss and fight on a blank piece of paper.
Make another list, either on the same piece paper or a separate piece, of other events that help connect the major events. These will be the basis of your subplots.
Type up a copy of your rough outline.
Organize your big and small events by chapters. A standard romance novel has 15 to 20 chapters, with about 20 pages per chapter.
List the characters who are in each chapter, the time and date it takes place and the location at the start of each chapter. This will help you further flesh out the chapter as you write.
Make notes at the end of each outlined chapter of what information you need to further research or what characters or scenes you need to work on.
Check each chapter to make sure it has a purpose. It should either help advance the main plot (getting the hero and heroine together), give information about characters or help set the scene for an upcoming big event. This will help you avoid including "filler" material.