PROGRAMS OVERVIEW
Wondering if this is the right place for you? Wondering what WFWA has to offer? Craft, Community, and a place to grow.
If you’re still in the rough drafting stage but appreciate accountability, consider joining some WFWA Writing Dates—they can help you create a schedule, structure, and motivation. Once you have more material to share, you might be ready to join a Critique Group for peer feedback. Are you a current or aspiring Indie author or maybe you write historical fiction? Explore our Affinity Groups.
Have a full manuscript and need thoughtful feedback? Sign up for our Beta Reader Swap, which runs twice a year. When your draft is polished and ready for the next step, WFWA also offers a Mentorship Program to help guide you forward.
Looking to grow your craft or focus on a specific skill? Don’t miss our Workshops and free Webinars. Ready to pursue publication? Submit your manuscript to our annual Pitch Program for a chance to connect with agents seeking women’s fiction—or enter our Rising Star Award contest.
Already published? Celebrate your achievement by entering the Star Award contest for published works. Want to amplify the women’s fiction genre and promote your work? Join in the Women’s Fiction Day festivities every June. And if you’re seeking more ways to share your voice, explore our Debut Author Podcast and Publication Opportunities. Beginning in fall of 2025, we’ll be launching new initiatives offering Author Opportunities resources and a space for Author Services amplification.
No matter where you are in the writing journey, WFWA is here to support you every step of the way.
Writing Dates
What is a Writing Date?
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A Writing Date is WFWA’s version of a writing sprint. A free Zoom meeting where WFWA members work on their own material at the same time as other members.
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Sessions last 1.5 – 2 hours. What you choose to write, research, edit, etc. is entirely up to you. No one reviews your material.
How do they work?
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Writers, check the schedule for session days and times that week and logon! There are Writing Dates hosted every day of the week at varying times.
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On Zoom, we begin with a brief check-in, state what we're working on, and encourage each other.
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Then we set our timers for 1.5 hours and write in our own corners, muting our Zoom microphones. You can choose to leave your camera on or turn it off. Whatever makes you more comfortable—or accountable.
Critique Program
WFWA offers critique group matching opportunities three times a year in spring, fall, and winter for a requested commitment to a group of six months. These groups are made up of 3 - 5 members who exchange chapters of their works in progress for constructive feedback, positivity reads, and more. Most groups meet monthly and communicate via email. You can apply as many times throughout your membership as you’d like to get matched with other WFWA writers!
Groups are sorted based on a variety of factors, including:
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Sub-genre
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Writer experience (published, has an agent, participated in a critique group in the past, job or degree in a writing-related field)
Looking for support between our critique program cycles? We have an open forum in our online community to post what you are looking for!
Beta Reader Swap
Introduced in 2025, WFWA offers reader matching for writers with polished manuscripts looking for a beta reader. If you've had your story workshopped/critiqued and are in the final stages of edits before submitting for query or publication, consider joining the newest program at WFWA!
Each person will be paired with a single other writer/complete manuscript. Matches are based on:
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Sub-genre
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Writer experience (published, has an agent, participated in a critique group in the past, job or degree in a writing-related field)
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What you like to read and what trigger warnings you want to avoid
Participants will have a maximum of three months to read the assigned piece and provide overall feedback.
Mentorship
The WFWA Mentorship program pairs writers who are working toward publication with published (large press, small press, and independent) authors, agented authors, developmental editors, and book coaches.
Mentoring benefits everyone—mentees, mentors, and our organization.
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Mentees learn from those who have traveled the path before them.
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Mentors hone their leadership skills, and gain the satisfaction of working with and helping another writer, giving back to the community.
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Mentoring also helps the WFWA community by encouraging an environment where people motivate one another and work together to improve skills and knowledge.
The Mentorship Program is popular and mentees may only be matched once during their time in WFWA. In order to get the most out of the experience, mentees ideally have participated in workshops and groups before seeking a mentor.
The WFWA Mentorship Program is typically offered twice a year, spring and fall.
Affinity Groups
WFWA Historical Fiction Group
Join a friendly community of writers passionate about historical fiction—from debut authors to multi-published pros. The group meets weekly via Zoom (Tuesdays at 1 PM ET) to explore the craft and research of writing across eras and cultures, from 750 BCE to the 1970s.
Expect camaraderie, mutual support, and discussions tailored specifically to the joys and challenges of historical fiction. Topics range widely and have included world-building, cultural appropriation, dual timelines, archival research, oral history, and more—chosen and led by members themselves.
WFWA Indie Author Group
A welcoming community for writers exploring or embracing the self-publishing path. Whether you're working on your first book or have indie titles under your belt, this group offers camaraderie, insight, and support for every stage of your publishing journey.
Connect with fellow authors, swap resources, ask questions in the Online Community Indie Author Headquarters or browse tips on our Memo Board. We're here to help you navigate the challenges—and celebrate the freedoms—of going indie.
Workshops
WFWA offers monthly workshops that cover a variety of topics. Ranging from craft to marketing, we have single-instance opportunities and ones that take place over the course of three weeks.
While most workshops have an associated registration fee, we do offer 4 - 5 free workshops a year, including the following options.
Free Peer-to-Peer Opportunities:
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Grabbing the Reader - work in a small group to workshop your first 500 words to make it sparkle.
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Sizzling Synopsis - workshop your synopsis in a small group to prepare it for your query package.
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Back Cover Blurbs - exchange blurbs with other readers and polish to perfection for your future book back cover!
Free Opportunities with an instructor:
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Women’s Fiction Day workshop - rotating topic but free to the public and members in celebration of Women’s Fiction Day.
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New free workshop coming in late 2026 (Topic TBD)
Want to know more about what we have offered? Here are a few from 2025.
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Emotion in Fiction Masterclass with Angie Hodapp - This three-part workshop covered how emotion informs your fiction from three different angles: Writer, Reader, and Character and explored how to deepen a reader’s emotional experience using a variety of tools.
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Mastering the Art of the Synopsis with Jessica Strawser - This workshop covered the dos and don'ts of writing a successful synopsis.
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Query Clinic: Fine Tune Your Pitch - a week-long query workshop with small groups and two rounds of agent feedback.
- Plotting Characters with Sandra S.G. Wong - The workshop explored the interplay between plot-driven and character-driven fiction. In 75 minutes, participants engaged in two writing exercises to create compelling plots through detailed character development.
Interested in presenting a Workshop? Fill out the Workshop Proposal Form.
Webinars
The Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) offers complimentary monthly webinars as a valuable form of professional development for members on topics of craft, book marketing, and publishing.
Webinars are typically 1-2 hours in length, attended by approximately 50-100 members, and are recorded and maintained in a password-protected area of the WFWA website for members to access in the future at their leisure.
Presenters are experts on various aspects of writing and publishing, and are vetted prior to being selected. As WFWA is a nonprofit organization, a small honorarium is provided to webinar presenters and they are asked to refrain from direct sales and promotion of their products and services; however, WFWA does highlight presenters' bios and accolades.
Here is a sampling of our 2025 webinar topics:
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The Overhead View: Writing with Omniscience in a Multi-POV World with Tim Storm
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What's Working Today in Book Marketing: Influencers, Social Media, Book Clubs, and More with Andrea DeWerd
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Bring Order to Creative Chaos: Project Management for Writers with Kerry Savage
Here are some that you can watch for free!
Low Down for Writers from a Literary Agent: A Conversation with Nikki Terpilowski of Holloway Literary for Women's Fiction Day with Nikki Terpilowski
Understanding Diversity: Avoiding Harmful Depictions in Your Writing with Nancy Johnson, Kim Lionetti, and Patricia Green
Interested in presenting a Webinar? Fill out the Webinar Presenter Application.
Pitch Program
Once a year, WFWA hosts our annual Pitch Program. This two-part opportunity is meant to A) help writers workshop their agent pitches for their manuscripts and B) submit those polished pitches to a closed event on our Online Community with invited agents seeking women’s fiction.
In 2025, the Pitch Program will welcome 34 agents to participate and 100 participants to submit their work for review. This competitive program is free of charge to WFWA members and is capped at 100 participants.
In 2024, with 24 agents participating, there were 111 requests for materials from participating agents across women’s fiction sub-genres.
Contests
Star Award
The STAR Award is designed exclusively for the published women's fiction author.
In addition to the traditional Star Award trophy and recognition by WFWA, the winner of each category will receive a $500 prize.
The STAR Award has two categories.
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A general category for all full-length published women's fiction book, regardless of time period of the premise or additional plot element.
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The second category is 'Outstanding Debut.' To be eligible, the entry must be women's fiction and the author’s first ever published work in any genre.
A novel may be entered into ONE of the categories.
The STAR Award Contest is limited to the first 50 entries in each of the two categories.
Important Dates
Entry Opens: February each year. The first half of the month is only for WFWA members; then mid-month it opens for non-WFWA members, space permitting.
Winners Announced: Late September
Rising Star Award
This award is designed exclusively for the unpublished, unagented writer of women's fiction. It offers the chance for priceless feedback from industry professionals, plus the opportunity to break out of the slush pile and land on the desk of five final round judges, all acquiring agents of women's fiction.
The RISING STAR Award for unpublished manuscripts has NO categories. It is open to all unagented writers of women's fiction who have never been published in book-length fiction of 60k words or more. The contest is limited to the first 100 entries.
Entry Opens: Mid-May of each year
Winners Announced: Late September
Women’s Fiction Day
On June 8th of each year, WFWA and the women’s fiction community celebrate Women’s Fiction Day! This is a celebration for all writers of Women’s Fiction, members and non-members.
In 2025, we added the Women’s Fiction Virtual Summit in late June and hosted a variety of events, including a free workshop on June 8th itself. In 2026, we plan to go even bigger!
Debut Author Podcast
Maggie Smith, author and blogger, interviews WFWA members who are debut novelists on the Hear Us Roar podcast. Authors discuss not only the inspiration behind their book, but also their insights into the writing process, the best advice they ever got, and the joys and sometimes pitfalls they encountered on their path to publication. To listen to the podcast, visit Hear Us Roar.
Author Opportunities
Putting yourself ‘out there’ doesn’t have to be a lonely experience. WFWA is here to provide suggestions, resources, and guidelines for creating partnership opportunities with local merchants and venues. From external contests to collaborations like live Writing Dates and more, we’ve got opportunities coming for you!
Author Services Amplification
When it’s time to start getting the word out about your work, don’t be shy! WFWA can help you explore ideas for how to convey your message and find your readers. From book fairs and festivals to book signing checklists and podcast appearance toolkits, published authors will want to check this out.
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