Your AI Keeps Writing Conflicts That One Conversation Would Fix.

The Contemporary Romance Outline Builder is an interactive AI skill for Claude Desktop that asks what you want — subgenre, tropes, relationship config, heat level, tone, and conflict type — then builds a complete, publishable outline with a Conflict Architecture document where every obstacle passes the “just talk” test, an emotional arc map, a banter map, and a chapter outline tracking push-pull in every scene.

No more conflicts that boil down to “she overheard something out of context.” No more dark moments that feel manufactured. No more heroes who just need to apologize and everything’s fine. This skill builds outlines where the conflict is STRUCTURAL — competing life goals, specific trauma responses, external pressures that can’t be wished away, and genuine incompatibilities that require real growth to resolve.

How It Works

Step 1: Answer 10 setup questions.

1. Subgenre — Small Town, Second Chance, Workplace, Friends-to-Lovers, Fake Dating, Single Parent, Sports, Celebrity, Military/First Responder, Later-in-Life, Holiday, New Adult
2. Romance Tropes — Enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, slow burn, forbidden, he/she falls first, only one bed, and more (pick 2-3)
3. Relationship Configuration — M/F, M/M, F/F, Why Choose/Poly (any configuration), ménage, or custom
4. Heat Level — Sweet/clean, sensual, steamy, or spicy
5. Tone — Rom-com (Emily Henry vibes), emotional/angsty (Colleen Hoover), heartwarming (Abby Jimenez), or dramatic (high stakes)
6. Conflict Type — Competing life goals, past trauma/trust issues, external pressure, fundamental incompatibility, identity/self-worth, or loyalty conflict
7. POV — Dual first (dominant CR style), dual third, single first, or multi-POV
8. Series Position — Standalone, Book 1 of interconnected standalones, or continuation
9. Friend Group — Full squad (4-6 future books), small circle (2-3), or solo focus
10. Length — Novella (20k), standard (55-80k), or extended (85-100k)

What the Outline Includes

1. Story Concept & Pitch — hook, tagline, comp titles, emotional promise
2. Protagonist Bio — 16 fields including specific wound, behavioral patterns, what they need to learn, and the thing they won’t admit
3. Love Interest Bio — Same 16 fields. For multi-partner: distinct bios with group dynamics.
4. Conflict Architecture — The critical document. Primary conflict tested against the “just talk” rule. Internal conflicts per character (wound → lie → behavior → trigger → growth). External conflicts that are structural, not convenient. Dark moment plan. Resolution specifics. Grand gesture.
5. Emotional Arc Map — 10 phases from awareness through HEA, tracked across the book
6. Supporting Cast — Each with their own romantic baggage, series seeds, and distinct voice. For interconnected standalones: future couples teased.
7. Setting — Specific, sensory, lived-in. Key meeting spots. How the setting affects the romance.
8. Banter Map — 6 key conversations planned: first meeting, the shift, the vulnerable moment, the fight, the dark moment, the repair
9. Chapter Outline — 13 fields per chapter including emotional arc phase, push-pull beat, conflict depth check, and humor beat
10. Series Setup — For interconnected standalones: the town/world, future couples, recurring elements, series arc

What’s in the Download

• contemporary-romance-outline.skill — The installable skill file
• Installation Guide (PDF)

Requirements

• Claude Desktop app (free from claude.ai/download)
• An active Claude Pro, Team, or Enterprise subscription

How Is This Different from the Romance Outline Pipeline?

The Romance Outline Pipeline is a general-purpose outliner for any romance subgenre. It works, but it’s a one-size-fits-all approach.

The Contemporary Romance Outline Builder is purpose-built for CR:

• Conflict Architecture with “just talk” testing — every conflict verified for depth before a word of prose is written. The general tool doesn’t do this.
• 12 CR-specific subgenres — each handled differently (small town pacing ≠ workplace dynamics ≠ sports romance structure)
• 6 named conflict types — competing goals, past trauma, external pressure, fundamental incompatibility, identity/self-worth, loyalty conflict. Each with its own architecture template.
• Banter Map — 6 key conversations planned before writing: first meeting, the shift, the vulnerable moment, the fight, the dark moment, the repair. The general tool doesn’t plan dialogue arcs.
• Emotional Arc Map — 10 distinct phases from awareness through HEA, tracked across the chapter outline
• Friend group / series seeds — supporting cast designed as future protagonists with their own romantic baggage planted
• Push-pull tracking — every chapter has at least one pull and one push verified in the outline

If you write contemporary romance specifically, use this. If you outline across many romance subgenres, the Romance Outline Pipeline is the broader tool.

Perfect Companion: Contemporary Romance Author Skill

The Contemporary Romance Author skill takes your outline and writes the complete manuscript with the Conflict Depth System active every chapter. Available separately.