Have you always wanted to write a romance novel, but do not know where to start? Writing is no easy feat and can seem daunting. Don’t despair, there are people who can help! There are multiple writing courses available in South Africa, both online and offline. We have listed and summarised our top 5 picks. The website link for each course has been included so you can explore your options straight away. If you know of any other courses we may have missed, please let us know in the comments below.

1. The Writing Room with Sarah Bullen
Writing coach Sarah Bullen runs this one-day intensive workshop on romance writing. You will learn how to plan, craft, write and submit a romance novel. The workshop teaches you how to structure your book, find your book genre and sub-genre, develop your characters, plan your plot points and much more – http://www.thewritingroom.co.za/write-a-romance.html.

2. SA Writers College
The SA Writers College offers 43 specialised writing courses from journalism to creative writing and more. Their courses are online so you can study from anywhere and at your own pace. Although they do not have a course focused on romance writing, their creative writing courses all come highly recommended – https://www.sawriterscollege.co.za/shop.html.

3. Write Romance Fiction
This is an online romance writing course and offers a 14-module certified course that has been developed by best-selling romance writers and bonafide industry experts – https://www.writeromancefiction.com.

4. Pro Writing Academy
Pro writing Academy offers writing courses in multiple genres. The romance writing course is a 7-week course that explores a diverse range of romance writing genres, including hot, historical and modern romance. The course is run by Heidi Rice, a USA Today bestselling author of 26 romantic novels, novellas and short stories – https://www.profwritingacademy.com/writing-romance.

5. All About Writing

 All About Writing was established in 2007 by two South African writers. They offer online and face to face courses, as well as coaching and mentoring. One course that may be of interest to romance writers is the guide to writing sex scenes short course that looks at sex in Romance writing – https://allaboutwritingcourses.com/product/the-guide-to-writing-sex-scenes/.

Special mention

Romance Writers Organisation of South Africa

ROSA is a volunteer-run, non-profit organisation founded to support and develop romance writers in Southern Africa. They have chapters in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, and offer writers support and guidance. They run a number of conferences and other events throughout the year – https://www.romancewriters.co.za.

Make sure you contact the Staging Post team once you are done writing your novel for guidance and support through the publishing process.