Discover how to weave authentic chemistry, relatable tension, and modern stakes into unforgettable stories in this six‑week masterclass on contemporary romance.
Whether you’re drawn to banter-filled rom-coms, gritty small-town drama, forced-proximity tropes, or high-stakes romantic suspense, this course will help you turn your ideas into compelling pages.
Across six weeks, you’ll map your subgenre (rom-com, sports romance, billionaire, small town, or suspense), build a vibrant real-world setting, craft complex characters, stack tropes with intention, and design plots that balance emotional vulnerability with external conflict. You’ll also learn how to control heat and tone—from sweet to piping hot, and from lighthearted to deeply angsty—so your story lands exactly where your ideal readers want it.
In class, you’ll get live lectures, guided examples, and practical exercises.
Learn how to capitalize on Character-centered (deep internal arcs and emotional growth) or Trope-centered (forced proximity, fake dating, or enemies-to-lovers) narratives with specific callouts and market references for each category.
This isn’t just a “how to write kissing scenes” class.
This is a deep dive into the craft and business of contemporary romance fiction — one of the biggest, fastest-growing, and most emotionally powerful genres in publishing today.
Over six weeks, we’re going to talk about:
— tropes readers obsess over
— emotional tension, chemistry, and spice levels
— structure that keeps readers bingeing
— creating unforgettable love interests
— niches and subgenres
— small towns, hockey teams, billionaires, cowboys, chaos, and more
— how romance is actually marketed and sold
— branding, covers, TikTok, Kindle Unlimited, and reader psychology
You’ll learn why some romance novels become comfort reads readers return to over and over again — and how to create stories that deliver that same emotional payoff.
This class is part creative writing workshop, part industry crash course, and part unapologetic celebration of romance fiction as both art and career path.
You do NOT need:
— publishing experience
— a finished manuscript
— permission to take romance seriously
You DO need:
— a willingness to write emotionally
— curiosity about readers and storytelling
— openness to learning the business side of books
— a love of happily-ever-afters (or at least happy-for-now)
This masterclass is designed for romance readers, romance writers, aspiring authors, and people who are tired of pretending love stories aren’t powerful literature.
Session 1 – Wednesday, June 10, 6:00pm ET
Session 2 – Wednesday, June 17, 6:00pm ET
Session 3 – Wednesday, June 24, 6:00pm ET
Session 4 – Wednesday, July 1, 6:00pm ET
Session 5 – Wednesday, July 8, 6:00pm ET
Session 6 – Wednesday, July 15, 6:00pm ET
BONUS AutoCrit Pro Session: Wednesday, July 22, 6:00pm ET
All live sessions are recorded and replays are posted within 24 hours in the course material. Expect each class session to be around 90 minutes long.
USA Today Bestselling author and industry veteran Bekah Brinkmeier is leading this course. With over 90 novels under her belt as both a romance novelist and a professional ghostwriter, Bekah doesn’t just teach theory, she lives the authorpreneur life every single day.
For over a decade, Bekah has navigated the ever-shifting tides of the independent publishing world. Based in the Pacific Northwest, she has built a sustainable, full-time writing career that supports her family.
When she isn’t dictating her next romance novel or hunting for agates along the Pacific coast, she’s sharing her experience as an instructor for AutoCrit, author coach, and captain of Team Plantser for the Novel 90 Writing Challenge.
Want to get a feel for Bekah’s teaching style? Check out her free mini workshop on YouTube.
Follow Bekah Brinkmeier on Instagram @HeyCoachBekah
We’re thinking about pacing, character psychology, reader expectations, publishing schedules, branding, and marketing — often all at the same time.
We’re already doing the work.
Now it’s time to treat romance with the respect it deserves while also having a ridiculous amount of fun talking about what makes contemporary romance so addictive to read and so thrilling to write.
Get ready to dive into tropes, book boyfriends (and girlfriends), reader psychology, emotional tension, and what actually makes readers fall completely in love with a romance novel.
Somewhere along the way, a lot of people were taught that romance is somehow "less serious", embarrassing, formulaic, or easier to write than other genres. Isn't it time we put that ridiculousness to bed? The truth is, romance is one of the most emotionally demanding genres to write well and it claims a huge market share of the multi-billion dollar publishing industry.
Contemporary romance is one of the most powerful, profitable, and emotionally resonant genres in publishing today.
At its core, romance offers readers hope — the promise that connection, healing, vulnerability, and love are still possible in a complicated world.
Contemporary romance, in particular, reflects modern relationships, modern struggles, and modern desires, making it one of the most accessible and commercially successful genres for writers today.
Whether set in a cozy small town, a bustling city, a hockey arena, a billionaire penthouse, or a quirky workplace, contemporary romance allows writers to explore universal emotional truths through deeply personal love stories.
Learn The Secrets of Writing Contemporary Romance
6 complete modules of craft guidance, featuring video lessons, live classes and module assignments.
Access to supplements and examples for key learning.
Easy-to-follow worksheets and reference guides
AutoCrit Pro Members will have an extra session of this course to discuss all things marketing for Contemporary Romance
Connect with like-minded authors and discuss course content.
When you purchase a course or workshop you have access to the course materials forever, so you can come back whenever you need a refresher.
