Meetings and Events
Monthly Meetings
NorCalRW typically meets the 4th Saturday of each month, online via Zoom (unless otherwise noted). Those who register and pay for the scheduled meeting will receive an email with the meeting's Zoom link. Be sure to pay at least three days in advance to allow time for the Zoom invitation to be issued.
Once a quarter, we meet in person.
Check in begins at 9:30 a.m. A brief business meeting begins at 10:00 a.m., followed by that month's program and speaker. We typically conclude by 12:00 noon. All times are US Pacific.
Charge for regular meetings:
Zoom meetings: NorCalRW members pay $15 to attend each meeting. The price for non-members is $25.
In-person "regular" meetings: NorCalRW members pay $25 to attend each meeting. The price for non-members is $35.
Fees are not refundable if you are unable to attend (although you will have access to any meeting handouts).
Upcoming Meetings:
May 23: Peggy Jaeger. Romance Writer and Contest Guru, on "Why you should be entering contests, how and which ones, to benefit your writing career." Come hear why Peggy believes entering writing contests is an effect marketing strategy and tool for getting your books into the hands of new-to-you readers.This workshop explores the ins and outs of contest submissions, the ones that are right for you, where to find them, and the things you should consider before entering one. (Zoom)
See above for pricing. Make payable to SVRTreasurer@gmail.com
June 27: Anna Stewart "How Do I Fix This? An interactive, hands-on workshop. You know what they say. Multiple brains are better than one. Are you stuck on your plot? Having trouble nailing down your GMC or looking for scene ideas to flesh out your story? Not sure who your characters are or what motivates them? Are you just needing some inspiration by talking with other authors? Bring it all to this in person meeting and we'll hive mind our way through it all!
This is a new kind of workshop that bestselling author and long-time NorCal member Anna J Stewart is hosing in June. Come IN PERSON and let's talk about craft, business, and all the things in between (including writer self care). (In-person at Rancho Cordova City Hall)
July 25: Kathleen Sweeney of Book Brush. "Create, Connect, Grow: Social Media Made Simple for Authors." Not sure what to post—or tired of feeling like social media takes too much time? Join Kathleen Sweeney from Book Brush for a lively, practical workshop packed with real-life content ideas you can start using immediately. We’ll walk through easy ideas to create consistent, engaging posts, share examples that work across genres, and wrap up with a quick live how-to demo in Book Brush so you can hop in and create a ready-to-post graphic. You’ll walk away with new confidence, a variety of content ideas, and a smoother, faster way to show up on social media. (Zoom)
August 22: New York Times best-selling romance author Jane Porter. (Zoom)
September 26: Bonnie Phelps presents on social media and marketing strategy. (In-person at Rancho Cordova City Hall)
October 24: June Gillam, romance writer and creative writing PhD shares on creating characters your readers will turn the page for (Zoom)
November14: Holiday party at RCCH (In-person)
Click here for a list of Past Meeting topics
Writing Sprints
Need a little structure and team motivation to work on that important project? Give writing sprints a try!
Six times a week, several members meet online for a brief chat and timed periods of writing. Here's when we meet (all times Pacific):
Weekdays:
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Mornings
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Monday through Friday 7:00 - 8:00 a.m.
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Evening
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Monday & Thursday from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
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Weekends:
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Afternoon
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Saturday from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
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The Zoom link and password are listed in the members' Groups.io forum. Another great reason to join NorCal Romance Writers!
(Note that there is no fee to participate in the sprints, but you must be a member of NCRW.)
Events
Our tradition is to schedule an all-day workshop or a full-day or weekend writing retreat once a year. Check back for details on the next event!
Past Meetings and Events
Click here for a list of some of the speakers and topics presented at past monthly meetings, workshops and retreats.
Marketing Mojo
Typically the second Sunday of each month at 2:00 p.m. Pacific, we'll gather via Zoom to review a variety of topics related to book marketing, researched and led by our past president and teacher extraordinaire, Bonnie Phelps. This is a great benefit of membership! Sessions are videotaped and are available to members upon request. The Zoom meeting link will be emailed out through our Groups.io forum.
May 3 (meeting a week earlier due to Mother’s Day) – The In’s and Out’s of creating Foreign Language Translations.
June 14 – TBD
July 12 – Creating and using short-form videos.
August 9 – Content Ideas for newsletters and social media.
September 13 – AI is here to stay. How can we use it to make our lives easier?
October 11 – Setting up and running your own online store.
November 8 – What I’ve learned about social media engagement strategies.
December – No meeting
As always, Marketing Mojo is free to NCRW members. Check the group forum for the Zoom link.