As a man, how does he feel about writing love stories?

The love story is one of the oldest and most explored genres in literature. For example, The Iliad's Trojan War was fought over the love of a woman. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was a love story.

Because of the three requirements in this particular genre (a)originality, (b) universality of character and setting, and (c) a plot interesting enough to keep the pages turning, and the fact that the conflict of the story is generally internal, it's among the most difficult genres in which to work. It's easy to write a story or create a character featuring two of the three requirements (Hannibal Lecter is interesting and original, but not universal, for instance; Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton is original and interesting, but not universal), but combining all three is easier said than done.

It's the same with the challenge of internal conflict. External conflict (a crime to be solved, a killer on the loose, a monster in the woods, a terrorist threatening disaster, a young boy learning magic) is much easier to write in a way that keeps the reader interested than internal conflict (will Garrett Blake be able to put his past behind him? Will Allie remember Noah?). It's also difficult to employ universal, internal conflict without resorting to timeworn cliches, which Nicholas works hard to avoid.

With that said, he enjoys the challenge this genre presents. It's also interesting to note that in recent history, men tend to have written more successfully in this genre than women. (Women, on the other hand, dominate the romance novel genre). Love Story was written by Erich Segal, The Bridges of Madison County was written by Robert James Waller, The Horse Whisperer was written by Nicholas Evans, so Nicholas Sparks is not alone.