Upcoming Meetings

Not a WRW member? You can still join us! Many WRW programs and events are open to non-members for a small registration fee. Check individual event listings for non-member availability and pricing.

SEPTEMBER

The AI Taboo

Sunday, September 20
12:30 PM
WRW President’s home
Members: Check our private Groups.io for the address.
Members only | In person | Not recorded

Annual General Meeting + Golden Angel Writing Workshops

Presenter: Golden Angel

Topics: Writing Steamy Scenes that Stick + Author Journey

Saturday, September 26
10:00 AM–4:00 PM
Lorton Library — Lorton Meeting Room
9520 Richmond Hwy, Lorton, VA 22079
Hybrid

WRW members: Free | Non-members: $10 for the full day
Non-members may pay via PayPal to treasurer@washingtonromancewriters.com; please include “WRW September Meeting” in the memo line.

Spend the day with bestselling author Golden Angel as she explores how to write compelling, emotionally resonant love scenes that deepen character and advance plot—not just raise the temperature. Golden will also share insights from her own publishing journey.

Golden Angel is a USA Today bestselling author of heart and bottom warming romance. Publishing since 2012, she's now a full-time, six-figure romance author who is known for dispensing publishing and authoring tips on Tiktok and Substack. Former Vice President of the Maryland Romance Writers, she has given presentations and run roundtables on marketing, publishing, and craft to a variety of writers including InkersCon, Romance Author Mastermind, the Write Women's Festival, the Romance Writers of America, Regency Fiction Writers, etc. When she's not behind her computer or a book, she can be found wandering the grounds of the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

We'll also hold WRW's Annual General Meeting and conclude the day with a hands-on Canva Clinic designed to help members create polished graphics for newsletters, social media, and promotional materials.

Schedule

• 10:00–10:15 AM — Arrive, mingle, welcome & settle in
• 10:15–11:45 AM — Golden Angel: Writing Steamy Scenes that Stick + Author Journey
• 11:50 AM–12:35 PM — Annual General Meeting
• 12:35–1:50 PM — Lunch on your own in the area
• 2:00–4:00 PM — Canva Clinic

OCTOBER

WRW Board Meeting

Monday, October 5
7:30 PM
Zoom
All WRW members are welcome to join.

How to Write Like a Unicorn

Presenter: Grace Burrowes

Sunday, October 18
2:00–4:00 PM
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Business Center
4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814
Parking available below the building
Hybrid
WRW members: Free | Non-members: $10
Non-members may pay via PayPal to treasurer@washingtonromancewriters.com; please include “WRW October Meeting” in the memo line.

How to Write Like a Unicorn

Once upon a time, an acquiring editor was asked—at a WRW retreat!—what single factor she found most often responsible for manuscripts ending up in the slush pile. The editor thought for a moment and then explained that there was nothing specifically wrong with most of those unsuccessful submissions. They were clean, devoid of protracted backstory dumps, grammatically correct, structurally sound, sensory details in place, not too passive, not too filtered, but they just did... not... sparkle.

Grace Burrowes delights in analyzing how storytelling acquires sparkle. In this two-hour live/webinar presentation, she will pass along a dozen simple, specific techniques that lift prose from competent to captivating. Whether you are pre-published or have been enjoying the writing gig for years, you'll leave with insights, tips, and tools to immediately up your prose game in the best possible way.

About Grace Burrowes

Grace Burrowes loves to write and to discuss writing, publishing, and the writer's life. She has penned more than one hundred titles, including Regency, Victorian, and contemporary romances, as well as Regency mysteries, many of which have hit the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. Her books have been both traditionally and independently published. She is a former child welfare attorney, a certified therapeutic riding instructor, an avid flower gardener, and an appreciator of good dark chocolate. Learn more at graceburrowes.com.

NOVEMBER

WRW Board Meeting

Monday, November 2
7:30 PM
Zoom
All WRW members are welcome to join.

Meetup November: Connect with Your Writing Community

Throughout November, members will have multiple opportunities to connect through both in-person gatherings and Zoom sessions.

We'll kick things off with an in-person meetup early in the month, followed by additional virtual programming.

Building a Story Bible

Monday, November 9 + Tuesday, November 10
7:30–9:00 PM each evening
Zoom
WRW members: Free | Non-members: $10

Join WRW for a two-night workshop exploring how to build a story bible that captures the details that matter—and how to organize all that information so you can actually find and use it.

November 9: Story Bibles: Beyond the Basics

Presenter: Sharon Wray

Most writers know a story bible can help track character names, eye colors, family trees, and important locations. But a truly useful story bible tracks the often-overlooked details that keep a novel—or an entire series—consistent, believable, and emotionally satisfying.

We’ll look at ways to track story time and timelines, emotional and relationship arcs, themes and motifs, tropes, settings and geography, recurring details, setups and payoffs, and the small continuity threads readers may not consciously notice but will absolutely feel when something goes wrong.

About Sharon Wray

Sharon Wray is a USA Today bestselling author who writes modern myths. She’s traditionally and independently published, and her stories live in small towns and shadowed cities, in motorcycle clubs and military brotherhoods, in haunted woods and broken systems. They range from contemporary romance to romantic suspense to gothic women’s fiction. But they are all driven by the same question: What happens when love refuses to stay silent?

Sharon also blogs daily at sharonwray.com, where she writes about writing craft, fairytales, prepping for normal people, cooking and homekeeping, and anything else that interests her that week.

November 10: Using Obsidian to Organize Your Story Bible

Presenter: Meredith Bond

After learning everything that goes into a story bible, how are you going to organize it all in a way that makes it easy to find what you’re looking for? With Obsidian.

Obsidian is a free app that lives on your computer, with an optional paid feature that enables syncing across devices. Meredith will show you the program and how she uses it to organize her story bible. She’ll also provide a template so you can do the same with minimal setup—just input your own information.

About Meredith Bond

Meredith Bond is an award-winning romance author who has been both traditionally and self-published. She has written more than forty books, including three works of nonfiction. After teaching writing and self-publishing both in person and online since 2005, she now edits and coaches other authors.

You can find her weekly blog on writing and publishing topics on her website and Medium. Learn more at anessabooks.com or meredithbond.com.

DECEMBER

Monthly Meeting

Date & time: TBD
Program details coming soon.

WRW Board Meeting

Monday, December 7
7:30 PM
Zoom
All WRW members are welcome to join.

JANUARY

SAVE THE NEW DATE: WRW New Year’s Party!

Our traditional holiday celebration is moving to the New Year—so save the new date now!

Sunday, January 3, 2027

Daventry Community Room, 7721 Painted Daisy Drive, Springfield, VA

The room is reserved, and we’re looking forward to kicking off 2027 together!

More details to come, but for now, get January 3 on your calendar.

WRW Board Meeting: January 4 | 7:30 PM on Zoom — All members are welcome to join.

15K Writing Challenge

Start the new year strong by joining WRW's annual online writing challenge. Whether you're writing every day or squeezing in words whenever you can, this challenge is designed to keep you accountable and motivated.

Also coming this month:

A Zoom spotlight featuring a popular writer-assistant platform.

FEBRUARY

WRW Board Meeting: February 1 | 7:30 PM on Zoom — All members are welcome to join.

Mid-Atlantic Writers Conference

Date: February 6–8

Join WRW and fellow writers from across the region for the Mid-Atlantic Writers Conference at Randolph-Macon College.

Additional details and registration information will be posted as they become available.

MARCH

WRW Board Meeting: March 1 | 7:30 PM on Zoom — All members are welcome to join.

Monthly Meeting

Date: Saturday, March 6
Time: 10:00 AM–4:00 PM

Topic to be announced.

Also this month: a Zoom spotlight on another writer-assistant platform.

APRIL

WRW Board Meeting: April 5 | 7:30 PM on Zoom — All members are welcome to join.

Monthly Meeting

Date: Sunday, April 18
Time: 2:00–4:00 PM

Topic to be announced.

MAY

Monthly Meeting

WRW Board Meeting: May 3 | 7:30 PM on Zoom — All members are welcome to join.

Date: Saturday, May 1
Time: 10:00 AM–4:00 PM

Topic to be announced.

Also this month: a Zoom spotlight on another writer-assistant platform.

JUNE

Annual Potluck Picnic

Date: Saturday, June 12
Time: Noon–3:00 PM

Wrap up the WRW year with one of our favorite traditions! Join fellow members for an afternoon of good food, great conversation, and celebration of another year of writing together.

WRW Visioning Retreat (Board): Sunday, June 6 | 11:00 AM–2:00 PM