On the topic of romance, no matter what I do I'm never able to set up real romantic tension between characters. It did happen once accidentally last year between a pair of characters, but I was never able to settle that since there was never a time when a kiss scene wouldn't have been completely out of place. 

The vision I have of my characters from when I begin to write tends to be radically different from when I begin. This seems to be affect me without fail. This year I had planned a side character who had a fiery, even rude personality. She's now turned a trickster whose pretty kind, and has turned into the main character. The fact that I am even able to surprise myself is undoubtedly the best part of pantsing for me.