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The Writer’s Journey: Moving Beyond the Draft, a Mt. Diablo Workshop with Gala Russ
October 10 @ 10:00 am – 1:30 pm PDT
Stuck in Revision? Not sure what your manuscript needs next?
A workshop series presented by CWC Mt. Diablo
Join us in October for a hands-on workshop focused on strengthening scenes, identifying weak spots, and developing a revision strategy that works.
You’ll learn how to:
- Evaluate scenes with purpose
- Spot missing elements in your story
- Move beyond endless editing
- Create a roadmap for revision
Because finishing a draft isn’t the end of the writing journey.
It’s where the real work begins.
Schedule
- 9:30 AM – Registration & socializing
- 10:00 AM – Part 1 Macro Editing + Logline (50 min)
- 10:50 AM – Break
- 11:00 AM – Part 2 Scene Structure That Actually Works (1 hr)
- 12:00 PM – Lunch break*
- 12:30 PM – Part 3 Applied Editing + Coaching (1 hr)
- 1:30 PM – Workshop ends
*Bring your own lunch. We will provide coffee, fruit, and pastries.
Save the Date!
October 10, 2026, 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Location
Pleasant Hill Senior Center
233 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill
GALA RUSS
Romance Author, Book Coach, and Publishing Strategist
galarussauthor@gmail.com
galarussauthor.com
Gala Russ is a multi-published romance author, book coach, and publishing strategist who helps writers move from overwhelm to clarity. She works with:
- brand-new writers to show them that starting (and finishing) a book is possible and what steps lead from a book idea to a finished draft
- genre authors who want to strengthen romantic subplots so readers root for the couple
- draft finishers who need a clear roadmap for editing and publishing: traditional or indie
- all writers to market their books in a way that complements their interests and budgets
- Writers ready to indie-publish their work
In the past four years, Gala has published nine books—from young adult to adult, closed-door to wide-open door—including two trilogies. She’s currently writing a new urban-fantasy series.
A repeat presenter at national events, she has spoken at Daniel David Wallace’s Teachers of Fiction and Escape the Plot Forest summits and taught a two-hour Romancing the Subplot workshop for Beth Barany’s speculative-fiction community.
Her teaching blends approachable guidance with no-nonsense strategy. Having published her first book without understanding comps, tropes, story structure, editing timelines, querying, or marketing, she knows how isolating the path to figuring all those out alone can feel. Now she helps writers skip years of trial and error with clear frameworks and actionable, tailored advice aligning with open web initiatives.
