Writing a Romance Novel

If you love stories that make you swoon, and are keen to write your own romantic novel, this course is for you.

Across six weeks, bestselling novelist Jenny Colgan will explore the world of romantic fiction. Whether you have the germ of an idea or are already halfway through, you'll discover how to make this genre your own. You’ll learn what makes a page-turning, heartfelt romance novel by drawing on popular examples of the genre, identifying the rules of romantic fiction and highlighting key techniques that you can bring to your own writing.

Romance is for everyone – whoever takes centre stage in your story and whatever kind of love you want to explore in your novel, Jenny will equip you with all the tools you’ll need to make your readers’ hearts leap and flutter.

WHAT DOES THIS COURSE GIVE YOU?

• Video modules: Work through six weekly modules comprising teaching videos, substantial notes and tasks from Jenny Colgan. Topics range from finding the focus for your romantic novel and understanding the building blocks of story, to invaluable tips about editing your novel.
• Writing tasks: Weekly tasks will help you explore and understand the teaching topics as you progress your novel.
• Resources & notes: You’ll get access to comprehensive teaching notes and reference materials, including extracts from Jenny’s own popular romance novels and a guide to help you bring your characters to life.
• Professional feedback: An expert CBC editor will give brief written feedback on several of the students' practical assignments every week, with all students receiving feedback on one of their writing tasks. Students are also given the option to purchase additional end-of-course feedback from our expert editors.
• Student forum: Find your writing community on our private student forums. Upload your completed writing tasks, give and receive peer-to-peer feedback, and discuss the week’s topics with your fellow students and the CBC team.

COURSE SCHEDULE & DELIVERY

Our online courses are designed for flexible learning. Allocate your own study time and take part from wherever you are in the world. Each week, we recommend spending at least four hours on the course. It’s also important to be planning and working on your novel throughout the six weeks.

ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK

All students will be given the option to purchase feedback on their final task from a CBC editor.

• CBC report: For an additional fee of £145, you can obtain a detailed 500-word report on your work (of up to 3,000 words) from one of our CBC editors.
• CBC report + tutorial: For an additional fee of £240, you can obtain a 500-word report from one of our editors and have a 30-minute video or telephone tutorial with them to discuss your work.