The Week Ahead
Monday, July 27 to Sunday, August 2. Your weekly line-up of events, activities, and deadlines for writers who crave inspiration, motivation, accountability, and the support of community.
Highlights
Registration closes for the Butterfly and Be Wellness and Writing Retreat at midnight Friday, July 31, 2026. We have one spot left. Our Pilates fitness trainer and wellness coach Janet Salsman needs those two weeks before the retreat to gather info like physical limitations, dietary restrictions, and food preferences from each retreater so everyone gets the best experience possible. Everything happens in Cloverdale, CA (exact location provided with payment and return of waiver and food questionnaire). Click here for the run-down:
August is our birthday month! I turn some kind of age on some kind of day and To Live & Write turns 12 on some other day. The dates don’t matter. What does matter is that I spend the month randomly tossing random deals and discounts on my products and services at the To Live & Write Facebook community—and to you awesome subscribers here as well. Come back next week to see what the first one is. Hint: +50% savings on a pretty big deal, but there only three of these available, so be ready to pounce.
Have you tried writing in the company of other writers? Membership in To Live & Write gives you access to two free in-person and two free virtual writing meetups every week (membership is also free). Give it a whirl. See what you think. There is room for you, and you are welcome.
Need a coach to help you through the tricky bits or set a pace and make a plan that fits with the natural rhythms of your life? Drop me a line. The first consultation is free.
To Live & Write is a support community for writers.
If you write for any reason, you are welcome to join us. Let our outside voices drown out any negative inside voices holding you back. We have 12 years of practice in the art of real, nurturing, effective, life-affirming and potentially life changing support and encouragement. We see you. And we would love for you to grow into your authentic creative identity with us.
This is the link to the Facebook group To Live & Write, where you can hang out, check us out, and move into engagement at your own pace, on your terms. You don’t have to be in there to join us for Write Ins and Write Alongs, but it’s a good place to start.
Not on Facebook? Let me know in the comments where to find you or email me for easy ways to get in on our gatherings. Newbie or professional writer, let’s chat about your needs, how I can help, and how you can benefit from membership in To Live & Write. My email is bronwyn.coach@gmail.com.
Check out our calendar of events:
Hyper-local, super productive, 4-hour writing retreat
There’s nothing quite like quietly writing in the company of other writers, with someone else facilitating time and responsibility to really feed your creative need. Come delight yourself with what you can get done with us on a Saturday morning.
Next three Tiny Retreats
In person and fabulous:
Saturday, August 8
Saturday, September 5
Saturday, October 10
10:00am-2:00pm]
$75 - includes one menu item and one beverage
PRO TIP: Book more than one, save money
Featuring
Four hours of structured writing time and guided focus
Inspiration, motivation, and accountability tailored specifically to you and your needs on this day.
Optional 1:1 private session with the coach (hey! that’s me)
Feedback on your work
Help moving through writers block
Workshopping on request
A plan for next steps
Invitation to Proof of Write.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE:
1. The Monday Write In
Write with us in person at a cute coffee shop in a friendly downtown spot.
Mondays: Noon-2:00pm PST
The Local - 1333 Park Street, Alameda CA
Free - you buy your own food and drink
Comment to request membership in the RSVP text thread*
2. Elevenses
Join our weekly in-person gathering to discuss writing, the writing life, and your WIP with people who know what you’re talking about, feel your pain, and delight in your success.
Tuesdays: 11:00am-1:00pm PST. Members only (membership is free)
Free - you buy your own food and drink
3. The Late Night Write
Jump online to write in the company of other writers. Borrow their focus and flow, lose yourself in parallel play, and benefit from body doubling without having to leave your home. Join when you can, leave when you have to.
Tuesdays: 7:00-9:00pm PST. (excluding the 3rd Tuesday of the month))
Comment to request membership in the RSVP text thread*
4. The Wednesday Write In
Start your day off with a hot cup of coffee and put some strong writing energy back into the middle of your week.
Wednesdays: 10:00am-Noon PST. Host: Erica Peck
Free - You buy your own food and drink
5. The Top Secret Write Along
~Paid subscriber perk~
The Top Secret Write Along is an online writing session where we gather to write quietly in each other’s company without having to leave the house.
Fridays coming up:
August 21 and 28: 12-3pm PST
September 4 and 11: 12-3pm PST
If you’re a paid subscriber, comment for membership in the RSVP text thread*
6. Proof of Write
Wrap up the weekend (and kick off the week) with positive feedback.
This online gathering is a safe place for women writers to share up to 5 minutes of raw, rough, or polished work written the previous week. Every participant must give - and then sit still to receive - positive feedback.
Proof of Write
8pm on Zoom Sundays (meeting ID provided with RSVP text or email)
Free for members. (Membership is free)
Zoom ID provided on request
Comment to request membership in RSVP text thread
Men welcome the last Sunday of the month.
Next three:
August 30
September 27
October 25
Interested? Email bronwyn.coach@gmail.com
7. Lend Me Your Voice ~ private until 2026
Paid subscriber perk! This is your chance to listen to how your words land in a reader’s mind and mouth, where the text flows, where it stumbles, whether your voice and tone hit the way you wanted, and more.
2026 Retreats - click here for the list
Next up: Write by the Pool
July 31-Aug 3
The Bay Club / Marriott Renaissance in Walnut Creek, CA.
Saturday: One spot opened up
Sunday: $259 - two spots open
Saturday and Sunday: $459
Friday is free when you book Saturday, Sunday, or both.
Prices include poolside cabana on Saturday, food and beverages (up to $50/person), and full access to the Bay Club Walnut Creek amenities (pools, hot tub, sauna, workout equipment, exercise classes, lockers, showers, cafe, etc.). Prices do not include other meals, parking, accommodations, or incidentals.
And then: Butterfly and Be Wellness and Writing Retreat
Aug 14-16
This retreat is a collaboration with Janet Salsman of Butterfly Wellness Garden and Recess Physical Fitness. I bring the journaling, the wild writing, and lessons in storytelling for self-discovery. Janet brings the movement and exercise (designed specifically to support the writer’s body), healthy food prep demos, and lessons in the ROI of good sleep hygiene. Did I mention wine tasting Friday afternoon? Cloverdale, CA. $499 - includes meals but does not include accommodations. Email me for info (this is a pilot retreat so there are no website pages to link to yet): bronwyn.coach@gmail.com
Labs & Workshops
Happening Now:
Camp MEG - Wednesday nights, July 22-Aug 19
Happening Next:
TBD - Perhaps a private Read Between the Lines workshop …
Inspiration, Motivation, & Accountability!
For writing tips and habit hacks from your friendly neighborhood writing + creativity coach (hey! that’s me!), sneak peeks at what’s going on in my workshops, examples of my own writing, and exclusive invitations to secret writing situations, consider a paid subscription.
Gratuitous Kitty Shot!
When the human comes home from a weekend away, anchor her in place and purr hard to remind her how important it is to come back. Let her know she was missed. Works every time.
*Group text threads are for women and non-binary writers.