Classes

Tuesday, January 9, 2024 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (EST)/8 to 9:30 a.m. (PT) for 8 weeks. This class is for fiction writers. Lead by Zibby Mag Editor and Online Community Host and writing instructor Darcey Gohring, this collaborative writing workshop will offer more experienced writers a chance to share and gain feedback on their current work. Each week, writers will gather around “the writers’ table” to get inspired, share their current work, and stay motivated. This class is recommended for those who have taken beginning writing classes and have work(s) already in progress.

 

This class is recommended for those who have taken beginning writing classes and have work(s) already in progress.

February 4, 2024 from 2 to 4 p.m. (EST)/11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (PT). You’ve got a brilliant idea for an essay or article that you’re sure should be gracing the pages of Vogue or the New York Times. That’s the easy part. Catching a busy editor’s eye can be a lot tougher. Enter the perfect pitch: the first step to seeing your words out there in the world where they belong. This class will provide a hands-on, practical guide to writing pitches that grab an editor's attention and lead to publication.

Topics will include:

• A step-by-step guide and template for writing a pitch that editors will notice.
• Details on how to find outlets and individual editors to send your pitch to.
• Guidance on the process of pitching and getting published, with tips on how to stay organized and focused.

Our session will also include an opportunity to work on a pitch together with live feedback from your peers and the instructor.

January 31, 2024 from 6 to 8 p.m. (EST)/3 to 5 p.m. (PT). We write because we have stories to tell. And some of those stories are about us. Arguably, even fiction writers dig deep into their own experiences for their plots—although they change the details. But what if the details are true-to-life? How can you be comfortable writing a memoir or a personal essay if you are essentially a private person? Or if the story involves someone else? Or if it might make people angry? How can you know if your topic is “important” enough to be relevant to others? All of these questions pertain, but they all have answers that can speed you on your way to effective autobiographical prose. You may be writing to grapple with your own experience, but readers also say that this kind of writing has enormous power in helping them validate their own life challenges. For this two-hour seminar, bring a topic you long to write about but feel might be too risky, and bring all your questions, from creation to publication. Your instructor, Jacquelyn Mitchard, has written personal autobiography for many magazines and anthologies, including Glamour, Newsweek, The New York Times, O The Oprah Winfrey Magazine, and more. She will guide writers on striking that happy balance between cursory and cringeworthy.

Wednesday January 14, 2024 from 2 to 4 p.m. (EST)/11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (PT). Writing memoir often means delving into our most painful and complicated memories, which can take a toll on us mentally, emotionally, and physically. This class is about developing a practice of caring for yourself as you craft deeply personal work. We will talk about prompts, exercises, and reading materials to help you figure out what helps you best.

Monday, February 5 and Monday, February 12, 2024 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. (EST)/3:30 to 5 p.m. (PT). Why is it that incredibly talented writers struggle to create a compelling book proposal? How does a new writer stand out in a seemingly-saturated market? What are the key details that storytellers miss in their sales pitch? In this two-part class, Jillian Abby will share her proven book proposal outline, strategies to stand out in the virtual stack of submissions, and the top things that writers miss in selling their story. Participants will then return the following week for a real-time working session to ask questions and get feedback on their hook, market analysis, and more.