Writing romance
Choose a starting date
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
- Start Date: 12 Jun 2025End Date: 17 Jul 2025Thu (Evening): 19:00 - 21:00OnlineFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £75.00
- Start Date: 29 Oct 2025End Date: 03 Dec 2025Wed (Evening): 19:00 - 21:00OnlineLocation: OnlineDuration: 6 sessions (over -6 weeks)Course Code: HW465Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £80.00
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
On this fun course you'll be encouraged to toy with the tropes and structures of romance fiction and twist them to create an epic love story of your own design. Dream up a central couple that readers can't help but fall for and learn how to overcome the greatest obstacle romance writers ever face: cliché.
What will we cover?
- The conventions of the romance genre
- Common cliches and how to break them.
- Romance settings with a twist.
- Creating your central couple.
- Plots and manipulations.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Plot your own modern romance with a twist.
- Create a central couple with a believable romantic journey.
- Develop strategies for avoiding romantic cliches.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This is an intermediate course suitable for students who have already completed an introductory creative writing course at City Lit.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Students will analyse excerpts from romance fiction in order to explore new approaches to writing the modern-day romance. There will also be a mix of writing exercises, group discussions, group work activities, pair work and formal instruction from the tutor.
All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.
For classes longer than one day, regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Writing materials.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
City Lit offer a range of courses for aspiring authors. Browse the writing section of our website to find the perfect course for you.
All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.
Aliya Ali-Afzal is an author and creative writing teacher. She is the author of two contemporary fiction novels, Would I Lie To You (2021) and The Big Day (2024). Would I Lie To You was chosen for World Book Day 2022 and was featured in Cosmopolitan, Woman and Home, Bustle, Woman, Bella, BBC Radio, London Live TV, the New York Post as a 'fab British export' and was an Editor’s pick in The Bookseller. Aliya has an MA in Creative Witing with Distinction from Royal Holloway and a degree in Russin and German Language and Literature from UCL. Her writing was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award, the Mslexia Novel Award, the Mo Siewcharran Prize, and the Primadonna Prize. Before becoming a writer and writing teacher, Aliya worked as an MBA Career Coach in Business Schools. Instagram: @aliyaaliafzalauthor
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.