Romance is sometimes belittled. Romantics are too soft and too much of a dreamer, they say. But without romance where would we be in terms of imagination and creativity?

I don't know how men can claim to be looking for a woman and only consider sex, no romance, nothing really personal or affectionate. Sex without the romance seems far too clinical and sad/ lonely. I've had times when I could have chosen a temporary partner but it didn't really appeal to me. I thought of the next day and how I would feel to have given so much of myself and have nothing to show for it in return.

Today for the A - Z Blogging Challenge... K is for Kiss

The Virtual Kiss site has been around for many years. I've sent virtual kisses to Todd while he was my boyfriend and then my husband. I think I even sent him one after the divorce. That's a lot of years for one virtual card site to keep going.

Have a look at the style of kisses you can send. Send one to someone. Everyone has someone they can send a kiss to, for one reason or another. (Of course, my Irish luck, that the kissing booth is down for a week while they move servers.)

Invent a kiss. Maybe a divorce kiss. A kiss for good luck. Or a kiss for best wishes on a long trip. Each virtual kiss is a graphic with the focus being a huge pair of lips. So, in that style, create a new one for the site. Create a few and even send in your ideas.

I happened to catch a re-run of a reality type TV show called, The Letters: Rediscovering the Art of Courtship.

Have you ever written a love letter or even a letter to someone you felt romantic about? Is it something you could do next time instead of emailing?

Here is the promotional copy written about the show on the GAPC Entertainment site:

If you've ever written a love letter or received one from an ardent admirer you will fall in love with Seasons 1 and 2 of The Letters: Rediscovering the Art of Courtship. It's a different kind of TV show where sparks fly on paper instead of in hot tubs.

Ten Suitors set out to court a mysterious woman known to them only as "Roxanne," but with one very romantic twist. They must woo her with the power of the pen. Anonymity is key as the Suitors and Roxanne never lay eyes on each other and use pen names to mask their true identities.

In each episode the Suitors embark on exciting challenges to inspire them in their letters to Roxanne while she must decide who stays and who goes...Until she is left with two Suitors and one final heart-stopping decision.

Whom will she choose to meet face to face for a very special first date? The Letters. Rediscovering the Art of Courtship motivates us all to spice up our own love lives. Who doesn't appreciate getting a passionate love letter? It's one of the most amorous gestures there is.

The Letters. Rediscovering the Art of Courtship provides all of the usual twists and turns that audiences have come to love about unscripted television... but with a difference.

It would be strange to be the "Roxanne" on this show, reading letters written by men you don't know who are trying to court you. I think it would feel unreal, like the men could be writing to any woman, some generic woman, yet they are trying to catch your attention. Or, are they just trying to win? Is it romance for them or just the means to an end?

If men were smart about wanting a woman to dominate them they would learn to be what she wants, to behave and speak in ways that please her. I'm kind of a romantic, a bit of a traditionalist... Sometimes I expect a lot even when I try to be realistic and accept what I get. I know what I really want is some guy to sweep me off my feet with romance and flowers. I want him to wait at my feet with his breath held, hoping I will want him too.

You’re just too good to be true. Can’t take my eyes off you. You’d be like Heaven to touch. I wanna hold you so much. At long last love has arrived And I thank God I’m alive. You’re just too good to be true. Can’t take my eyes off you.

Pardon the way that I stare. There’s nothing else to compare. The sight of you leaves me weak. There are no words left to speak, But if you feel like I feel, Please let me know that it’s real. You’re just too good to be true. Can’t take my eyes off you.

I love you, baby, And if it’s quite alright, I need you, baby, To warm a lonely night. I love you, baby. Trust in me when I say: Oh, pretty baby, Don’t bring me down, I pray. Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay And let me love you, baby. Let me love you.

You’re just too good to be true. Can’t take my eyes off you. You’d be like Heaven to touch. I wanna hold you so much. At long last love has arrived And I thank God I’m alive. You’re just too good to be true. Can’t take my eyes off you.

I love you, baby, And if it’s quite alright, I need you, baby, To warm a lonely night. I love you, baby. Trust in me when I say: Oh, pretty baby, Don’t bring me down, I pray. Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay..

Even if you're a virgin you can write a real love scene. You've read the Harlequin, the romantic novel version, but how about a real love scene. He farts, she sneezes or gets the giggles. The sheet gets tangled or bunches up uncomfortably. The cat jumps on the bed. It's not so easy to have romance in reality. Reality tends to assert itself at all the wrong moments.

Write a scene with two lovers who start out with a great plan but keep getting reality messing up the romance of their lovemaking.

Need more inspiration for chaos?

• His toupee falls off into the bedsheets.
• The phone rings, it's her Mother leaving a long message, a really long message.
• A rodent finds it's way into the bedroom.
• The cable repair person comes early, a day early.
• Her earring gets caught in his mustache.
• A spider spins it's web down, down, down, getting closer and closer.
• He has a really gross tattoo in an unusual area.
• Things are going well until you hear someone talking under the bed.
• You realize he's got a video camera set up and has been filming the whole thing.
• His watch gets caught in her hair.

I know you can come up with all kinds of disasters and minor annoyances to give romance a challenge.