Writing Romantic & Commercial Fiction
Applications
Writing Romantic & Commercial Fiction
Learn how to take readers on an emotional journey and write an uplifting novel with characters your readers will invest in.
Tutor
Julie CohenLength
9 weeksLocation
Zoom,OnlineWriting Goal
Develop your writingWrite a heart-warming novel with emotional depth, characters to fall in love with and a plot to make readers desperate to turn the page.
We quickly became an established and supportive group – which Julie actively encouraged. I was astonished by the quality of the feedback provided by my fellow students. Also, everyone at CBC was so friendly and welcoming.
Whether you want to write funny, feel-good fiction like Veronica Henry, powerful dramas like Jodi Picoult, or love stories that are as full of joy as they are heartbreak like Bolu Babalola, this advanced course will give you the tools you need. By getting to grips with what makes your character tick, the relationships that mean the most to them, and the dilemmas they will come up against, million-copy bestselling author Julie Cohen will show you how to deliver a satisfying, unforgettable story that will elate and/or devastate your reader – in the best possible way. You’ll interrogate what labels like ‘women’s fiction’ and ‘commercial fiction’ mean, and discover ways you can experiment with genre conventions to write an irresistible page-turner in your unique voice.
You’ll join a group of 15 budding writers, tutored by Julie, for flexibly timed weekly writing workshops delivered on our bespoke online learning platform, plus live group teaching sessions via Zoom covering important genre topics. Students will attend a special Zoom masterclass session with a top literary agent who works with leading romance and commercial fiction authors. You’ll also get in-depth feedback via a one-to-one tutorial with Julie, to take place towards the end of the course. This course runs from 23 April to 18 June 2025.
Tutor
Julie Cohen
Julie Cohen grew up in Maine and studied English at Brown University, Cambridge University and the University of Reading. Her award-winning novels have sold over a million copies worldwide, and she has twice been selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club in the UK. Julie is a popular teacher of creative writing and runs an online school, Novel Gazing. She is a Vice President of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, a founder of the RNA Rainbow Chapter for LGBTQ+ writers, and a Patron of literacy charity ABC To Read. She won the 2020 Romantic Novelists’ Association Inclusion Award. Her bestselling novel Together has been translated into eleven languages and optioned for television; The Two Lives of Louis & Louise was longlisted for the Polari Prize and has been optioned by Enderby Entertainment as a feature film. Her first historical novel, Spirited, was published in July 2020 and her latest novel is Summer People (Orion, 2022). Under the name Julie Mae Cohen, her first thriller, Bad Men, will be published by Bonnier in July 2023. She lives in Berkshire, UK with her teenager and a terrier of dubious origin.
Read our interview with Julie Cohen
WHAT DOES THIS COURSE GIVE YOU?
- Live teaching sessions on Zoom: On six Wednesday evenings, Julie will welcome the group for a 90-minute Zoom class, covering topics of significance to romance and commercial fiction writers, such as developing a protagonist readers will root for, building chemistry between characters, and how best to handle internal and external conflict.
- A community of writers: Our selective applications process means that you will be writing your novel in a peer group of 15 students working at a high level. We have developed a bespoke learning platform exclusively for our students. Here you can give and receive feedback, and discuss the week’s topics with your fellow students and tutors. Many of our former students have found their trusted readers with us – and form strong working friendships with classmates which go on long after the course is over.
- Writing workshop: You’ll get a dedicated workshop centring on a 3,000-word extract from your novel-in-progress. Workshops offer in-depth feedback from your fellow students and tutor, and are also designed to help develop your self-editing skills.
- 1-to-1 tutorial: You'll get a 45-minute, one-to-one tutorial with Julie, based on a 3,000-word extract from your novel-in-progress. Use this tutorial to address your specific concerns about your writing.
- Author & agent masterclass: Join a live Zoom session with a Curtis Brown literary agent and author and put your questions about writing romantic and commercial fiction to them. The discussion will cover writing, editing and the submissions process.
- End of course submission: All students will be invited to submit the 3,000-word opening from their novel, plus a synopsis, to be shared with the agent teams at Curtis Brown and C&W. This is not a formal submission but a chance to give the agents a taste of your work at this stage. When you are ready to formally submit – no matter how long after your course has finished – the CBC team will give you guidance and support with your submission to the Curtis Brown and C&W agents.
- Alumni services: You’ll be given access to a range of exclusive writing services, available only to the alumni of our selective courses, which you’ll be able to access after your course finishes. These services include individual mentoring, editorial reports on your completed novel and submission reports on your ‘pitch package’. Read more about the opportunities available to our alumni here.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Please note that precise dates of sessions and details of course speakers are subject to change.
Week 1
Weds 23 Apr – Tues 29 AprWeek 2
Weds 30 Apr – Tues 6 MayWeek 3
Weds 7 May – Tues 13 MayWeek 4
Weds 14 May – Tues 20 MayWeek 5
Weds 21 May – Tues 27 MayWeek 6
Weds 28 May – Tues 3 JunWeek 7
Weds 4 June – Tues 10 JunWeek 8
Weds 11 Jun – Tues 17 JunWeek 9
Weds 18 Jun – Sun 22 Jun
COURSE FEES
The course fee of £960 (inc VAT) per student is payable, in full, by bank transfer or cheque before the start of the course. However, if you are unable to pay the full fee upfront, let us know and we can arrange an instalment plan.
READY TO APPLY?
Our application form asks some questions about you and your writing – and it also asks you to send us the first 3,000 words of the romantic and/or commercial fiction novel you’re working on and a one-page synopsis.
The CBC team will select applicants based on the quality of the writing sample provided. The deadline for applications is midnight, end of day Sunday 30 March 2025, and we will respond to applicants by Thursday 3 April 2025.
We read all application material promptly after the closing date and make our selection of students swiftly at that time. However if you require an earlier response from us in order to be able to take part in this course, please email us with full details and we will consider and respond on a case by case basis.
If you encounter any problems during the application process, or have any more questions about the course, please email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk for assistance.
