A 6-Month Editing Course to Deepen Your Novel or Memoir
January 4–June 7, 2025
Registration: $1200
Have you finished a draft of your book but need some help to make it all you really want it to be? Join me for a strategic editing journey and see how much you can truly love your book in six months of devoted editing time.
“Love Your Book” Saturdays
Our class will run from January until June 2025, building on the motivation that comes with the start of a new year and ending at just the right time to start preparing your book for submission to agents and publishers in the fall.
Each month, we’ll come together for a “Love Your Book” Saturday. We will meet for class 10am–12pm Eastern Time. During the first hour, we will discuss specific editing strategies for the month. The second hour will be devoted to group readings; writers who wish to share from their book in progress can read aloud and receive immediate feedback from the class.
This course also includes a 30–minute, 1:1 meeting with Diane every month, which you can set to fit your own schedule. As part of those meetings, Diane will review up to 25 pages of your revised work. You’ll receive a total of 100 pages of close edits by the end of this class.
Our Class Schedule
January 4: Evaluating past feedback and organizing for the work ahead.
February 1: Reviewing all sections and different ways to work through your large project.
March 1: Diving deep into key scenes with handwritten/highlighted explorations.
April 5: Reinforcing and expanding your themes.
May 3: Refining your unforgettable end and rewriting your captivating start.
June 7: Editing your prose at the sentence-level–and celebrating all there is to love about your book!
What Else Do I Need to Know About Love Your Book?
This is not a workshop-style class, so you will not be expected to read and provide written comments on anyone else’s books. This is a time to devote yourself fully to revising your own memoir or novel.
Do I Need to Participate in the Readings?
No, but I hope you will! It’s a time to share what you’ve been working on, hear the writing of others, and build your community UP. You can also just come and listen if you prefer.
Will You Read My Whole Novel or Memoir?
I will be reading up to 100 double-spaced pages of your book this year and looking at how those scenes fit into your book’s outline. (Don’t have one yet? You will!) I do provide developmental editing on full books as a separate service, but my intention is that the comprehensive edits I provide during Love Your Book can help you shape, refine, and clarify it all.
Will You Provide Refunds?
Please carefully consider your schedule for the year ahead and if you feel you are ready to tackle this round of editing over six months’ time. Refunds are not available for this class, but if an emergency arises that prevents you from continuing, we can talk about the possibility of putting a portion of the class fee toward a full developmental edit at a point that works for both of us in the future.
How Do I Apply?
Please send me an email expressing your hopes for this course and why you think Love Your Book will work for you. Please also attach a 1-page description of your book. Students will be accepted on a rolling basis and registration will close after the class reaches capacity. Accepted students will receive information on how to make payment; smaller payments can be made along the way, but please pay in full by the class start date, January 4.
Registration
The total cost of Love Your Book is $1200, and includes 100 pages of editing, 6 two-hour classes, and three hours of personalized 1:1 coaching via Zoom. I am happy to provide an invoice if you need; thank you for making your payments via Zelle or check.
Please reach out if you have questions, and I hope you will take the rest of this year to LOVE YOUR BOOK.
Warmly,
Diane