Write your memoir in 9 months!
If you’re finally ready to write the memoir of your heart, we invite you to join longtime writing teacher and author Diane Zinna for her new class, Memoir Maker. This will be Diane’s 12th time leading a book-in-a-year course, which has helped bring so many writers to a finished draft. Classes will be a mix of proven lessons, exploratory exercises with opportunities for sharing, and workshops. There will be classes on captivating beginnings, mushy middles, climax scenes, and meaningful endings. As participants near the end of the course, lessons will cover publishing, including writing a successful book proposal. Each student will have four scheduled workshops during the year and receive thoughtful, guided class feedback. And the best thing: You’ll have a cohort of new writer-friends doing this right alongside you.
Schedule
This class will meet every other Tuesday morning, August 5 – April 2026 from 10am – 12:30pm ET, for a total of 20 sessions:
- August 5, 19
- September 2, 16, 30
- October 14, 21
- November 4, 18
- December 2, 16
- January 6, 20
- February 3, 17
- March 3, 17, 31
- April 14, 28
Frequently Asked Questions
Tell me more about workshops.
Workshops meet during our regular class time. You will send the class up to 25 double-spaced pages of your writing in advance of your scheduled date. You’ll be sending your pages to your classmates as Word documents, and they’ll provide thoughtful feedback during class. My teaching style involves you asking questions of your classmates about your own work. You’ll be able to leave every workshop with answers to questions you have really been asking yourself. We don’t get derailed in this class; you can expect workshops to feel positive.
How much reading is expected of me?
Generally, there will be two workshops per class, which may require you to read up to 50 double-spaced pages every two weeks. As I get to know your project, I’ll also be suggesting books you might want to check out that feel like they are in conversation with your memoir, or those with similar themes, style, or structure.
Do I have to provide feedback to the other students on their work?
Yes. Providing feedback on the work of other writers helps to reinforce what you believe about writing. You can be more objective when looking at the work of others, then apply that understanding to your own work. If you aren’t yet comfortable with giving feedback to others, don’t worry—I will provide a template to help you.
Do I need to know what my story is before I start this class?
So much of writing any book—especially memoir—is about discovery as you go. You should have a general sense, 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 your daughter but about your own sense of self. Be open, be free, and you’ll find the truest path.
Am I ready?
Only you know that for sure. If this is your year to do this, look at your year 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, it might 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 Memoir Maker. I will be meeting with applicants 1:1 before the class begins, so I’ll know what kind of group I am putting together. If you decide to join us, you can trust that you’ll have intentionally been included among writers with great instincts, smarts, and compassion.
Apply Today!
Application Deadline: July 28
Note: Acceptance to the course is required before registration.
To be admitted into this intensive program, potential candidates will need to submit:
- A one-page cover letter detailing their interest in the program.
- A twenty-page writing sample from their memoir in progress. (Submissions must be double spaced and use a standard font.)
Admissions will be on a rolling basis, and the number of participants will be limited to 8, so participants are encouraged to submit early. Send your application materials to laura.spencer@writer.org.
