Monday, May 18 to Sunday, May 24. Your weekly line-up of events, activities, and deadlines for writers who crave inspiration, motivation, accountability, and the support of community.
May 18, 2026
Highlights
Registration for the Write on the Rails June train retreat closes May 31. You have time to decide, but please be aware that train fare could go up the closer we get to departure. Friday, June 19-Monday, June 22. Newbies welcome! Email me ASAP: bronwyn.coach@gmail.com (repeat retreaters can text me).
Sunday mornings are for self-care. Join me to learn the magical language of friendship, growth, and support within your journal. Open your heart to the possibility of finding legitimate reasons to give yourself grace and respect. Bonus: When you get used to doing this for yourself, it becomes even easier and more natural to do for others. Sundays, May 31 through June 28 (no session June 21). Live on Zoom (login provided with payment). Pilot price: $99
Selfishly (super selfishly), I am really looking forward to the Butterfly and Be Wellness and Writing Retreatin August. Scroll down for my reasons. Spoiler alert: It has everything to do with who I’m collaborating with and why.
Tiny Retreats are on sale again! Buy one, get the second one 20% off. Buy two, get the third one 30% off. And so on. Use them any time. Offer good through June 15, 2026.
Have you tried writing in the company of other writers? Membership in To Live & Writegives you access to two in-person and two virtual writing meetups every week (membership is free). Give it a whirl. See what you think. There is room for you, and you are welcome to write with us.
https://bronwynemery.com/events
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.
That’s why I’m so excited to collaborate with Janet Salsman on the Butterfly and Be Wellness and Writing Retreat in August. She’s my personal trainer and - not to put too fine a point on it or make it weird - my body’s personal savior. I just made things weird, sorry, but it feels true. Let me tell you why.
Working with Janet has changed how I work with my body to alleviate pain in my hips, lower back, shoulders, and neck from sitting so much all day every day. Your mileage would absolutely vary working with her, because your body is different than mine - duh - but the bottom line for me is I no longer reach for the ibuprofen and Tylenol several times a day just to be able to concentrate on other things.
Instead, I reach for what Janet calls Movement Snacks. They’re simple exercises that I can do in 5 minutes, right here in my office, to gently stretch out what’s been hunched over, loosen what’s been holding itself tight, and give a break to what needs a break in the sitting marathon that is my normal day.
Janet’s Movement Snacks will be a core part of the Butterfly and Be retreat.
I spend a lot of time sitting in chairs. I’m a professional writer and I’m a life coach for writers and creatives by trade. Both occupations involve sitting down to write, sitting down to write or have sessions with clients at coffee shops, and sitting down to sessions with clients on Zoom. If you’re a writer, you know how this goes.
I’m also a caregiver for my grandkiddo, which does involve running up and down stairs, but for some godforsaken reason chasing children doesn’t burn the calories or keep you in the kind of shape you want. G’kiddo’s therapy commute is 3-4 hours a week in the car, plus a couple hours of sitting time if I wait there to bring him home for mom. If you’re a parent or caregiver, you know how this goes.
On top of all of this, I’m in my 50s and my body has started protesting about the sitting and the driving and the whole thing involved with getting out of bed in the morning. What’s with the morning creaking/groaning thing? Just to get out of bed? And the car? I don’t remember signing up for that. If you’re at an age where things hurt for stupid reasons (or no reason), you know how this goes as well.
So, I’m a champion sitter—and my hips and lower back are fine.
This could be you. Keep reading to see what I mean.
I’m super grateful for Janet’s Movement Snacks. I start my day with at least one before I make it my bed every morning (yes, I make my bed every morning - not to be a good girl (gross) but because it feels amazing and borderline decadent to come back to a neatly made, dare I say fancified bed at the end of a busy day).
Movement Snacks work out the kinks and work back in some of the supple, whether it’s at 7am, 2pm, 9pm.
The best part about a wellness and writing retreat with Janet is that the Movement Snacks are just one of the awesome life-enhancing set of lessons she’s bringing to the table. She’s also bringing literal healthy, tasty food to the table—among other things.
I’ve been a client of Janet’s long enough to have acquired a very long list of benefits to share with the world and I am happy to go into greater detail offline. I’ll tell you about things like how her workouts have increased my strength, stability, and flexibility over the years to the point where keeping up with my adult kids and my grandkiddo is easy, and now I’m asking for more challenging exercises so I can achieve a vanity goal for September.
From Day 1, the very best thing about workingout with Janet was that she met my body where it was, with assessment but not judgement. She listened to my needs, let me shape my goals, figured out what I respond to (hint: not the loud, high energy, super sweaty gym workout situation), and designed exercise routines that worked best for me then and there. And she does this every time.
This is a super big bonus for me: She coaches in person if you’re close enough and on Zoom if you’re not. She’s been coaching on Zoom since the pandemic and it’s a pivot I was super excited about then and am still super excited about now. I get to work out in my living room. Mowgli gets to hang out and enjoy her voice. I get to shower in my own bathroom afterwards.
If you want in on these benefits and you want your own collection of Movement Snacks, first sign up for the Butterfly and Be Wellness and Writing Retreat in August. Next, sign up for a consultation with Janet to see if she’s the right person for you like she is for me (and a bunch of people I know). She’s got a few openings in her schedule and the first session is free.
If you’ve read this far, you get a special bonus: If you sign up for a free info session (wellness) or intro session (training or Pilates), you can buy a training/Pilates package at the old price of $700 for 10 sessions (that’s a savings of more than 25%). Just let her know you read about her in The Week Ahead.
And be sure to ask her about the Butterfly and Be Wellness and Writing Retreat.
If you write for any reason, you are welcome in ourcommunity. Let our voices drown out any negative voices holding you back. We are all about support and encouragement. We see you. And we would love for you to join 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.
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.
Comment to request membership in 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)
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 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. Write Ins are in-person writing sessions where we gather to write quietly in each other's company.
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: Private Paid Subscriber Perk!**
If you’re a paid subscriber, comment for membership in 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 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)
Subject to core member availability; minimum 4 writers
hosted by Bronwyn or the next available core member
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.
Write on the train from the SF Bay Area to Reno, Nevada on Friday. Write in a resort hotel across the weekend. Write on the train from Reno back to the Bay Area on Monday. This one fills up fast. $459 (does not include meals, train fare, accommodations). Email me ASAP if you have questions: Bronwyn.Coach@gmail.com
I’m researching a possibility here in the Bay Area that involves a pool, a cabana, a very accessible price, and daylight hours. Hotel stay optional, but most people will go back home at night to Zoom in for Proof of Write. Let me know if you want to be on the list. Pricing TBD (less than $200 - does not include accommodations).
And then: Butterfly and Be Wellness and Writing
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
Journaling to Know Love - Sundays 10-1130am, May 31-June 28 - $99
The Live-Write Balance Lab - Spring
The Live & Thrive Manifestation Lab - Spring
Camp MEG - Summer
Mini Memoir Lab - Summer
The Storyteller’s Spellbook - Fall
The November Situationship - Fall
The Shift: Journaling for Metamorphosis - Winter
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!
Playtime in the office. Don't underestimate the fun -- especially when you get to interrupt your human.
*Group text threads are for women and non-binary writers.
**Paid subscribers receive exclusiveinvitations to Top SecretWrite Alongs and their in-person counterparts, the Top Secret Write Ins.
