Introduction to Romance Writing

Course summary: Learn to plan, draft, and revise romance fiction with compelling leads, believable attraction, meaningful conflict, expressive scenes, and an earned optimistic ending. Build a portfolio and a polished final sample.

Course overview: This independent study course is for new romance writers and fiction writers moving into romance. No prior publication or software is needed. Plan for roughly 3–5 hours per module plus time for the final portfolio. Each lesson teaches a distinct skill, models a revision, and gives an assignment you can save under the lesson. You may write a standalone short romance or a portion of a longer book; the capstone requires a self-contained relationship movement.

Overall outcomes: Identify the genre promise; select a subgenre and reader experience; develop two motivated leads; outline escalating and resolving conflict; draft scenes that change the relationship; revise for character agency and emotional clarity; present a polished sample and positioning statement.

AI collaboration policy: The human writer creates and controls characters, events, and final prose. AI may answer craft questions, compare alternatives, or check clarity when asked. Do not submit private material without permission. If you use AI, inspect its suggestions rather than accepting them automatically. Every lab also works without AI.

Completion standards: Complete all 40 lesson labs, retain at least one revised portfolio item from each module, and submit the Lesson 10.4 capstone package. Revise any submission that does not demonstrate the lesson’s stated craft skill. Self-checks are for learning, not external certification.