2020 Retreat Information
SAVE THE DATE!
36th Annual Washington Romance Writers Retreat
Best Western Westminster, Maryland
April 24-26, 2020
REGISTRATION OPENS IN JANUARY 2020
Registration fee includes hotel room (single or double occupancy) as well as all activities and all meals and snacks (not including adult beverages) from Friday evening to Sunday morning.
[DETAILS TO COME]
- Keynote Speakers
- Editors
- Agents
- Guest Authors
- WRW Guest Speakers
- Inspirational Closing Speaker
- Craft, Industry, and Business Workshops
Submissions Requested Now (log onto RWA Portal/Forums/Communities)
For an idea, check out last year’s Retreat General Schedule
Friday, April 12, 2019
3:00-5:00 p.m. Hotel & Retreat Registration
4 p.m. – midnight Pub & Karaoke
4:30 p.m. Newcomer Orientation
5:00 p.m. Welcome Reception
6:15 p.m. Dinner & Keynote Speaker—Alexis Daria
8:00 p.m. Moonlight Madness Market and Karaoke
8:15 p.m. Editor & Agent “Ask Us Anything” Q&A Panel
9:30 p.m. Group Critique Session (pre-registration required)
Saturday, April 13, 2019
7:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. Breakfast
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Chair Massages
8:45 – 9:45 a.m. Morning Workshops #1
Craft Session: Weddings, Scapegoats & Villians: Three Optional Elements
Industry/Business Session: Building a Strong Author Platform
9 – 11 a.m. Editor/Agent Appointments
10 – 11 a.m. Morning Workshops #2
Craft Session: Fast Track Construction: Building a Series Framework
Industry/Business Session: Writing Synopses that Grip Editors & Agents and Sell Your Book
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Morning Workshops #3
Craft Session: Research Like a Pro
Industry/Business Session: Talking to a Graphic Designer
12:30 – 1:45 p.m. WRW Chapter Awards Luncheon
2 – 4 p.m. Editor/Agent Appointments
2 – 3 p.m. Afternoon Workshops #4
Craft Session: From Heart-Racing to Heart-Stopping and All Points in Between
Industry/Business Session: How to Survive Career Highs and Lows
3:30 – 4:15 p.m. Afternoon Workshop #5
Guest Author Speed Round Q&A Panel: Ask Us Anything!
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Critique Session (first pages)
6:15 – 8 p.m. Dinner and Keynote
8:30 – 9:30 p.m. Test Drive Your Workshop!
8:30 – 10:30 p.m. Country-Western Costume Contest and Karaoke!
(Please be respectful of RWA’s Chapter Code of Conduct when designing your costume.)
8:30 – midnight Quiet Group Writing Time
Sunday, April 14, 2019
7:30 – 10 a.m. Breakfast
7:30 – 9:10 a.m. Quiet Group Writing Session
9:15 – 10:30 a.m. Morning Workshop #6
Craft Session: Upping the Ante: How to Create and Sustain Conflict in Your Novel
10:45 – 11:15 a.m. “Last Words: Out the Door” Angelina M. Lopez
11:15 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Prize Drawings & Raffle Baskets, then good-byes and hotel check-out
12:30 p.m. Courtesy Late Checkout
Anti-harassment Announcement: The 2020 WRW Annual Retreat follows the RWA Conference Conduct and Anti-harassment Policy. If you, as a WRW event presenter or attendee, believe you or someone else is being subjected to inappropriate conduct or have any other concerns during the WRW Retreat, please contact retreat organizers.