Golden State Romance Writers

05/15/2026

Reminder, our May Meeting is Tomorrow due to the Memorial Day Weekend. Come join us tomorrow, May 16th, for our Spring Book Club. We are discussing "Dear Writer, You Need to Quit" by Becca Syme. Even if you haven't read the book, just started or are into a few chapters, come join the talk about this supportive book. It's like talking to your own writing coach. Link is available for members at our website: www.goldenstateromancewriters.org.

04/18/2026

Terena Bell will be talking to the group about setting your publicity goals. This important part of marketing can be daunting for writers. Come join us for this informative talk! April 25th!

Why do you really want publicity for your book? Is it to sell books or to be read? Or maybe something else? Coverage from something like "The Today Show" may sound great, but sometimes being in the local paper can sell more copies. PR — like any form of marketing — should come down to goal

03/23/2026

This Saturday, we will hear from Hillary DePiano talking about how to set better creative goals. Just as characters need a goal to drive their story forward, writers need a plan to focus our creative efforts. From drafting and revision to publication and beyond, writing is complex and setting realistic targets can be complicated and highly personal. A good writing goal isn't just S.M.A.R.T., it's tailored to your specific process so you're less likely to get overwhelmed or discouraged. From motivational tracking tools to long-term project planning, this Zoom workshop will cover strategies not only for getting through your current project, but also building your writing career book by book.
Hillary DePiano is a playwright, fiction and non-fiction author best known for fantastically funny fairy tales, surprisingly sweet slapstick and unrelentingly upbeat writing advice. With over two dozen plays for everyone from pre-schoolers and up, she’s been honored to have her work performed in schools and theatres around the world. For more info and to sign-up as a nonmember, here is the link. https://www.goldenstateromancewriters.org/.../2026/3/goals

02/22/2026

Please join us for our February Speaker, John Brantingham. He is a retired professor with expertise in poetry and short fiction. He is speaking about "Writing Like a Poet and Flash Fiction Writer". So, this is a great fit for other writers such as poets and serial writers to join us. Please spread the news to your writer friends. We're in for a real treat this Saturday! Feb. 28th!

Writing Like a Poet and Flash Fiction Writer” is a workshop designed to help participants see creation and revision through the eyes of shorter form writers. Techniques that poets and flash fiction writers use to generate new work can help people who write longer forms to develop their work as wel...

01/19/2026

Starting our 2026 line-up of speakers with Nadia Salem and her presentation on: "The Heroine's Journey: Mapping the Mystic Quest in Romance." The Heroine's Journey is a timeless mythic quest that has its origins in the monomyth, shaped by centuries of storytelling. In this webinar, we’ll walk through Heroine's Journey step by step using complete examples from contemporary film to reveal a powerful narrative framework romance writers can adapt to their novels as a practical creative roadmap.

As a mythopoeic scholar, Nadia Salem researches mythic structures in narrative throughout literature and film. By understanding mythology’s influence in creating classics, bestsellers, and blockbusters, she studies cross-cultural, genre-bending, marginalized stories for popular impact. Nadia has a doctorate in Creative Writing and has taught mythic structure at Georgetown and Northwestern Universities. She currently teaches at DePaul University and is also a produced playwright. She can be found on IG and www.monomythix.com.

More information on Golden State Romance Writer's website at: https://www.goldenstateromancewriters.org/.

07/10/2025

Publishing Business news for serial writers out there. Radish Fiction is closing on Dec. 31. It only will be open for the rest of the year, and then close. Any other romance serial writers have an idea of where to go with your stories after?

In 2021 Korea's Kakao Entertainment acquired mobile-first serialized fiction platform Radish Fiction for $440 million, but the company has decided to close the platform at the end of 2025.

07/01/2025

Last day to get the early bird registration price of $75 for GSRW members for our Fall All-Day Workshop Retreat. All the info is here on the website. Nonmember registration opens on July 1.

Join us in beautiful Half Moon Bay for a full day of writing and workshops! Jen Graybeal, a Creative Coach with ten years experience helping authors, will be there for a deep dive into Arcs and Archetypes. The morning workshop, Emotional Character Arcs, explores the themes and ties that put characte...

06/09/2025

Registration is now open for the September Retreat Workshop on September 20th with Jen Graybeal. Early bird registration for members is only $75 through June. It goes up to $100 in July. So get your tickets early.

GSRW has a block of rooms at Half Moon Bay Lodge available for a discounted rate of $249/night + tax and fees. If you would like to book a room, you can call the hotel and tell them you are with Golden State Romance Writers, or you can click here.

01/23/2025

This Saturday, we're starting off 2025 with goal setting. Come join us for an interactive workshop on setting your writing goals for 2025. Business Meeting starts at 9:30am. Speaker will start at 10:30am. This will be great for not just romance writers, but for any genre! Guests are welcome, but you do need to sign up and pay a small fee of $25. All members, this is included in your membership. See you Saturday!

Join us in January to set your 2025 writing goals, and get the new year off to the “write” start!

08/28/2023

Did you miss Karen Ford's presentation on Finding Your Secret Story? Never Fear! It's available now in the Members Area on the Recordings page.
https://www.goldenstateromancewriters.org/account/member-areas