Classes

June 16 through 27, 2025
9am–10am Eastern Time

For the past four years, I have taught a popular class called the February Publishing Circle, where we met each morning with a passionate literary magazine editor and took a deep dive into one aspect of journal publishing. And we have done it all in an uplifting community of writers who provide inspiration, motivation, and joy for the journey.

This June, I’ll be creating something similar. But instead of literary magazines, we’re doing it this time with book publishing.

YES!

Whether you are seeking a home for your memoir or novel, this class will cover it all. I’ll take you through each step, from query letters to proposal creation, agent and publisher searches, and ways to make this business of writing a happy part of your writing life–that doesn’t take over your art. Even if you don’t feel you’re ready for all this information yet, let me show you what your path ahead can be.

Morning visits from book editors and publishing professionals will be about bridging the connection between you, the writer, and potential supporters of your work. Because that is what an editor is: someone who sees value in what a writer is doing and has a platform from which to shout: This is good, everyone! Read this and be moved the way I was moved.

Some of the topics we’ll explore include–

• Knowing when you are ready to query
• Curating a list of agents and publishers
• Developing a system to manage submissions and edits
• Creating captivating query letters and book proposals
• Approaching agents and editors at writing conferences
• Overcoming imposter syndrome and staying committed to your dream
• Understanding the process of being “on sub”
• Knowing what to expect once your book is accepted for publication
• Marketing your book in ways that feel authentic and connect you with your best readers

Come learn about the many, many options you have ahead of you. And you know I’ll be helping you to imagine doing all of this in a way that feels right for your literary soul!

Registration for the class is $250 and includes a textbook you’ll be mailed as soon as you register. You can join us via Zelle using dianeyzp (at) hotmail (dot) com or Venmo: (@) zinnaliterary.

I hope to see you!

Warmly,
Diane

Hear What People Are Saying About Diane’s Past Publishing Circles: 

“Diane has built a vibrant and inclusive community of writers who are deeply interested in their craft, and her February Publishing Circle is the most thorough introduction to publishing and sending out work I’ve ever taken.”   –Travis Eisenbise, Fiction Writer and Associate Director of Programs, Sewanee Writers’ Conference

“Diane shares FANTASTIC advice and resources! I wish I’d known a generous soul like her when I was first getting started.” –Michael Meyerhofer, Poetry Editor, Atticus Review.

“Diane has an insight and a gentle presence like no one else. She humanizes the whole writing endeavor and gives grace, direction, as well as empathy for the real people behind the scenes.” –Sara Evelyne, Poet

“I cannot begin to tell you how much I have gained from the February Publishing Circle.  It has informed, inspired, and challenged me.  I thank you so much for offering an opportunity like this to writers. It has been far better than any treatment I received on this subject matter during my MFA. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” –Sharon Waters, Creative Nonfiction Writer

The 2025 Summer Magic Circle
Weekdays in August 2025, 9–10am ET

Maybe you’ve been longing to finally establish an early-morning practice. Maybe you’re determined to begin a project that’s been on your heart forever. Let me light some lanterns along the way! I know you’ll discover what I and so many writers have discovered by doing this: there is magic in the early morning.

This will be our 20th season of writing together! Beginning August 4, we’ll meet every morning to check in, set our intentions, write in supportive quiet, and share when we’re on fire!

Come for warm community, lots of inspiration, and a fresh, imaginative writing portal every morning if you need one. 

Register today and receive your Early-Bird Discount! All previous students can register for $100 now through July 1. After that date, registration is $200 for the full month.

Payments can be made via Venmo (@zinnaliterary) or Zelle (dianeyzp(@)hotmail(dot)com).

I hope you can join us for our incredible 20th season.

Warmly,
Diane

Hear what people are saying about the Magic Writing Circles:

“The practice of starting each day thinking of myself as a writer in the company of other people who think of me as a writer is the best gift I’ve ever given myself. This practice is carving out a space in my brain that I haven’t been able to create on my own. I have always put writing after…after work, after the family, after errands, after after after, contingent on so many things. I thought I’d feel cramped in my day fitting this in, but honestly, it is reducing my anxiety because, finally, I am starting the day seeing myself the way I want to see myself. And the rest of the day falls into the cracks around that writing core rather than the other way around. I am so grateful.”
–Sara Dovre Wudali

“The writing portals you provide and that we yearn for are calls to our subconscious looking for answers. The fears that might have had us trapped in paralysis are gone because a group of engaged, caring people is watching, hearing, but most importantly: listening with their hearts.”
–Juana Rodriguez

“This has been the most generative, inspiring, and supportive space for me. I truly have loved every second of it.”
–Rachel Lola Wolfe

Write a novel draft with me in ten months!

I often hear writers tell me, “I can’t write unless I’m in a class with you, Diane,” or “I can’t write unless I’m with a group.” If this is your experience, please know this is not uncommon. And it doesn’t mean you’re not a writer. It’s just how you prefer to write right now. And if this is what you need, I have a class that can help you to complete a novel draft…in ten months.

Novel in 10 is a structured, immersive writing journey designed to help you complete a novel draft–up to 300 pages over 10 months–with guidance, intentional exercises, and community support. This brand-new course expands on my popular “10 Things” Class, offering a step-by-step system to develop a novel with intention.

How it Works

• Monthly Class Meetings (Thursdays, 3:30–5:30pm Eastern and recorded for those who cannot join live.)
• Class Dates: May 1, June 5, July 10, August 7, September 4, October 9, November 6, December 4, January 8, and February 5.
• Each month, we’ll use three targeted exercises to shape different areas of your novel, page by page. Writing will be started IN CLASS. At least half of each class will be spent writing together.

Monthly Writing Goals

• Expect to write 30 pages a month, leading to about 300 pages by the end of the course.

One-on-One Meetings with Me

• You’ll have five private meetings with me throughout the program (every two months or as needed).
• In these sessions, I’ll review your pages, provide feedback, and help you stay on track.

Whether you’re writing your first novel or reimagining that long-shelved project, Novel in 10 will keep you accountable, inspired, and moving forward.

Cost: $2625

Registration: Open now through April 15. Payment can be made via Zelle using dianeyzp(at)hotmail(dot)com or by check.

Limited Spots Available–Let me know you’re interested, and I’ll hold a seat for you!

Frequently Asked Questions

• Will there be workshops? Not in this class. Workshops, when we present our writing to other students for feedback, can be extremely valuable, but I am trying to do something different in this course. I envision this class as a solution for those people who need the support of a community around them to produce pages. The feedback you receive–and there will be a lot of it!–will come from me. This also means that you will not be spending time reading other student work. Your attention is fully on your own book from start to finish.
  
• Do I need to know what my story is before I start this class? So much of writing any book is about discovery as you go. I hope you begin the class with a general sense of the story you want to tell, but even if you feel confident that you are sure what your book is about, I’m going to encourage you to be open to surprises. You may discover 3/4 of the way through the book that you’ve really been writing about hope the whole time you thought you were writing about illness. You may realize the book is not so much about one character but about another. Be open, be free, and you’ll find your way.
  
• We’ll be writing in class? Yes! Each class I will present a lesson that corresponds to one of my “10 Things” (if you have taken that class, you know these are my favorite foundations for writing fiction!). I will then provide three writing prompts that correspond to that idea and the section of the novel you are working on. We will be writing for about an hour together each time we gather. For a certain kind of writer (maybe you?) this can be the key to getting that month’s work underway!
  
• How will the recordings work? We will have a password-protected website devoted to our class, where all of the class materials, prompts, and videos will be housed. You’ll be able to log in after each course and view the class video when the timing is right. You’ll even be able to write right along with us.
  
• When is payment due? For this class, the balance, paid by Zelle or check, is due in full by April 15. I can accept a credit card, but your total cost would be a bit more to offset high fees. Let me know if that is something you want to do.
  
• Are there refunds? Due to the intensive nature of the course and small number of seats, I’m sorry, but I will not be able to offer refunds after the class begins. In special situations, I might be able to convert a fee toward one-on-one coaching or put it on file for other classes, but this must be done on a case-by-case basis in consideration of my schedule in the year ahead.
  
• Am I ready? Only you know that for sure. If you think this is your time to do this, look at the 10 months ahead. Of course there will be unexpected things that come our way, and we can always adjust and adapt class-wise. But if you have a lot of travel or demanding work coming up this year, maybe it would be best to wait for another time.
  
  But maybe you were wondering if I think you are ready, as a writer? Here is what I can promise: I take care in accepting writers only when they are prepared for an intensive experience such as this one. I know almost all of my students from other classes before we begin. I know what kind of group I am putting together–and you can trust that you’ll have intentionally been included among writers with great instincts, smarts, and compassion.

Thank you for considering me to be your guide for your book! I hope we can begin our new books together this May!

Warmly,

Diane

One of my favorite classes to teach!

Join me for a burst of ten generative lessons to help you imagine your memoir or provide needed structure to your book-in-progress. Each class will focus on a different element of writing your memoir and provide time for writing.

You’ll leave this class with meaningful, completed scenes, and more—an understanding of how you might best arrange and connect them. At the conclusion of the course, all students will receive written feedback on up to ten pages of their writing and their sample book plan.

Dates: July 21 through August 1. Ten consecutive weekdays from 10-11:30am.
Cost: $325

Registration is open now, and the class will close when full. Payment can be made via–

* Zelle (preferred!) using dianeyzp(at)hotmail(dot)com, or
* Venmo, using (at)zinnaliterary

There’s no need to know what your memoir will be about right now. Even those of us who think we know our main topic will often change our plan midway through–it’s part of the exploration of memoir, and it’s part of the surprise.

Hope you can join us!

Warmly,

Diane

Every Other Sunday, 2–3 PM ET

FREE for all—and always!

Grief Writing Sundays have been happening since the November of 2020. These are drop-in classes, so don’t feel pressure to come every time—just join as you can! These sessions are TRULY for all levels. No prior writing experience is needed, but I have come to believe that if you can learn to write about grief as you have truly experienced it, you can write anything.

Each session includes a 10-minute craft lesson, a gentle prompt, and some quiet writing time together. You can quietly “lurk” with your camera off the whole time if that’s what feels right for you, but we end with readings from those who wish to share. Though these classes can feel therapeutic, please note that they are not meant to be a replacement for therapy; our main focus will be on how to write our hard stories.

You can get on the mailing list by sending me a message via the contact form on this site. Just be sure to include your email address so I can send you the Zoom link before each class starts.

Upcoming Dates:

Mother’s Day, May 11
May 25
Father’s Day, June 15
June 29

Spring Magic Circle
Every Weekday in April 2025, 9–10am ET

Maybe you’ve been longing to finally establish an early-morning practice. Maybe you’re determined to begin a project that’s been on your heart forever. Let me light some lanterns along the way! I know you’ll discover what I and so many writers have discovered by doing this: there is magic in the early morning.

Every weekday morning in April, we’ll check in, set our intentions, write in supportive quiet, and share when we’re on fire!

Come for warm community, lots of inspiration, and a fresh, imaginative writing portal every morning if you need one. 

Registration for the full month is $200 via Venmo (@zinnaliterary) or Zelle (dianeyzp(@)hotmail(dot)com).

Hear what people are saying about the Magic Writing Circles:

“The practice of starting each day thinking of myself as a writer in the company of other people who think of me as a writer is the best gift I’ve ever both been given and have given myself. This practice is carving out a space in my brain that I haven’t been able to create on my own. I have always put writing after…after work, after the family, after errands, after after after, contingent on so many things. I thought I’d feel cramped in my day fitting this in, but honestly, it is reducing my anxiety because, finally, I am starting the day seeing myself the way I want to see myself. And the rest of the day falls into the cracks around that writing core rather than the other way around. I am so grateful.”
–Sara Dovre Wudali

“The writing portals you provide and that we yearn for are calls to our subconscious looking for answers. The fears that might have had us trapped in paralysis are gone because a group of engaged, caring people is watching, hearing, but most importantly: listening with their hearts.”
–Juana Rodriguez

“This has been the most generative, inspiring, and supportive space for me. I truly have loved every second of it.”
–Rachel Lola Wolfe