My Experience with the GCLS Academy 1

Jun 13

Written By Molly .

I originally found out about the Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) and the GCLS Writing Academy through YouTube. Every time I tell someone that, I usually get a surprised reaction and the inevitable question, “There’s a YouTube channel?”

Yes! And while we’re at it, Bold Strokes Books also has a fantastic YouTube channel; they have a live bookathon every year and upload them for later viewing.

When I’m working or gaming, I usually have a video running in the background. Usually, it’s something related to writing. I first discovered Bold Strokes on YouTube, then realized that they couldn’t be the only ones there. I started looking for other sapphic channels, and that’s when I stumbled upon GCLS. Back in 2023, they uploaded several panels from their Sapphic Literary Event in Jersey City. I watched the entire playlist, then went back to see what other videos they had on their channel. There were several about their writing academy.

I’d taken a romance writing class before, and I’d hated it. Don’t get me wrong; the instructor seemed very knowledgeable in her genre, but that genre happened to be straight romance. As someone who exclusively writes sapphic romance, I felt like the class was a waste of time.

The writing academy, however, is specifically for people like me: members of the sapphic community who write sapphic stories. I did a lot of research before I applied, but I only heard positive things—how the classes are great, but what most students get out of it is a community. The academy is a nine-month program and even includes a mentorship with an established author, which was something completely new to me.

There were a few drawbacks; by the time I discovered the academy, they’d already started classes. Also, it was expensive. While I didn’t like the romance class I’d taken, it was only $50. The academy, however, was $1,500. There was no guarantee I’d get in, so I went ahead and applied for the 2024 class in October 2023. I figured I had plenty of time to decide if it was worth it to me. In the meantime, I’d continue doing more research.

I found out I was accepted into the program in January 2024, and I immediately confirmed I was going. I’m happy to say that the academy has been one of the best decisions I’ve made for my writing career. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I applied and was accepted into writing academy 2. I will be in the 2026 class.

Writing academy 1 covers the basics and includes classes like POV, tense, and creating natural dialogue. Initially, I was a little concerned that some of the classes were going to be too basic or cover things I already knew, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I got something out of each class. Even if it was something small.

The classes were great, but what really sold me was the community. Our class was pretty quiet at the start, but I’m pretty sure that’s how it is for all classes. Most of us are introverts, after all! One of my more outgoing classmates hosted a post-class Zoom, where we got to talk about what we learned and also about writing in general. When we got closer to mentorship, more and more folks started flocking to that meeting and to our Discord, which, while not directly affiliated with the academy, had members of both current and past classes.

I attended the GCLS convention in St. Paul last year, and the one thing I constantly heard about the academy was that to get the most out of it, you had to put in 100%. Makes sense, right? So, I did. I attended every class, every post-Zoom meeting, and turned in all my homework. Every time an instructor offered a one-on-one, I immediately took them up on it.

Since I started the academy in September 2024, there’s been a noticeable difference in the quality of my writing. It’s stronger, more confident. Do I still struggle with interiority? Absolutely. But I know what I need to work on, and sometimes that’s half the battle! One of my favorite sayings is, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” And that’s true here, too.

I’m always happy to discuss my time at the academy, so if you have any questions, email me or reach out via social media.