Okay, I get picky about romance edits — in the best way — so my checklist reads like a comforting but strict friend tapping a stopwatch. First pass is big-picture: does the central conflict actually exist beyond “they like each other”? I interrogate stakes, goals, and obstacles—external and internal. Are both protagonists pursuing something aside from the relationship? If not, I add motives, tiny personal arcs, or credible reasons they'd change. Chemistry isn’t just attraction; it’s reciprocity, risk, and consequence.
Next, I zoom into emotional beats and pacing. Are the confession, misunderstanding, and reconciliation spaced so the reader feels tension? I flag scenes where the emotional payoff happens off-page, or where one dramatic moment is stretched over three chapters with nothing new. Then comes craft: cut weak adverbs, swap tired metaphors, streamline exposition, and check POV slips and tense wobbles. Dialogue gets a spotlight — does it reveal desire, fear, or subtext? Finally, I run a functional pass: grammar, line breaks, consistent character names and physical details, timeline continuity, and consensual clarity in intimate scenes. I always end with a blind read: print it, read aloud, and pretend I never edited it before. That’s when the honest heart of the story shows itself to me.