Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.

Welcome to the award-winning Freelance Writing Direct podcast—named the 2025 Podcast of the Year in the Education category by the American Writing Awards. Freelance Writing Direct is your go-to resource if you're a writer who wants to break through the noise and get published—whether in essays, memoir, books, or journalism. Hosted by Estelle Erasmus—an award-winning journalist, author of Writing That Gets Noticed (named a “Best Book for Writers” by Poets & Writers), NYU writing professor, and seasoned editor-in-chief—the show blends craft, industry insight, and career strategy to help writers get noticed and published. Each week, Estelle shares short, sound bite-filled episodes packed with actionable tips and candid conversations with bestselling authors, top editors, and publishing insiders. You'll get a behind-the-scenes look at how the writing world really works—plus smart, strategic advice to move your writing forward. From breaking into top publications and crafting irresistible pitches to navigating the path to book deals, Estelle pulls back the curtain on the writing life. She shares how the “sauce is made,” with writing prompts, publishing tips, and guidance from her 30+ years of experience across over 150 publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, AARP, and The Independent. Whether you're a creative writer, freelance writer, or aspiring author, you'll find community, mentorship, and momentum here. And as the show evolves, so will Estelle—listening to her guests, responding to her audience, and always staying one step ahead of the industry curve. If you've ever asked: How do I get started writing? What are assigning editors really looking for? How do I find an agent? What do publishers want? What writing tips can I use today to improve my craft? How do I get my pitches noticed? What do bestselling authors and writing teachers recommend? You're in the right place. It’s time to elevate your writing—with Freelance Writing Direct. Estelle can’t wait to read what you’ll be writing. Learn more at estelleserasmus.com, follow Estelle on Substack at estelleserasmus.substack.com, and connect with her on social media @EstelleSErasmus. About Estelle Erasmus: Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, 2025 TEDx Speaker, and the author of Writing That Gets Noticed (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine). She is a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest and the host of the Freelance Writing Direct podcast, which was named the 2025 Podcast of the Year (education) from The American Writing Awards. Estelle is also an adjunct instructor for NYU’s School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts. Her work has appeared in over 150 publications including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent, The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine. She has served as the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at estelleserasmus.com, follow her newsletter on Substack, and connect on social media @EstelleSErasmus.

#142 Giving Motherhood a Microphone: How Listen to Your Mother Became a Movement Featuring Ann Imig 06/05/2025

#142 Giving Motherhood a Microphone: How Listen to Your Mother Became a Movement Featuring Ann Imig If you’ve ever felt creatively stuck or invisible after becoming a mom, this conversation will speak to you. Nearly 15 years ago, a single storytelling show about motherhood sparked a nationwide movement—and it’s still going strong. Here, we explore how Listen to Your Mother grew from one stage to 70, how the blogging boom birthed a wave of creative expression, and how vulnerability can turn into community power. We also dive into what happens after the kids grow up—when ambition, burnout, and joy collide in midlife. Ann Imig is an award-winning founder and speaker with numerous national media and stage appearances. An MSW and certified coach (PQCC), Ann helps burned-out moms regain their mojo, crush their goals, and fuel their joy at home and work. In 2010 she created the storytelling series (and then book) titled LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER. Almost 15 years later, LTYM continues Giving Motherhood A Microphone on stages across North America (70 cities and counting). In this episode: The surprising origin of Listen to Your Mother and how it grew to 70 cities [3:41] Why storytelling (and vulnerability) creates powerful community [7:05] How the blogging era fueled a generation of creative women [10:07] Moving from burnout to brain science: Ann’s shift to coaching midlife women [19:11] Ambition, motherhood, and redefining success in midlife [23:38] The impact of positive intelligence and rewiring your brain for joy [31:46] Connect with Ann Schedule a free breakthrough session with Ann at . Episodes on Freelance Writing Direct Mentioned Wendi Aarons Nina Badzin Amy Wilson Listen to Your Mother YouTube Channel Estelle’s Listen to Your Mother Reading of “And She Danced” on YouTube Buy Ann’s book Listen To Your Mother on Estelle’s Bookshop If you haven’t yet—watch my TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond In this bold, funny, and widely shared talk, I blend personal storytelling with the real-world writing strategies I’ve developed as a longtime magazine editor, NYU professor, and writing coach. It all starts with a chaotic moment involving Thomas the Tank Engine—and builds into a powerful message about how to stand out in a crowded, noisy world, no matter the medium. 📺 Watch, comment, and share: About Estelle: Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, author of Writing That Gets Noticed (named a “Best Book for Writers” by Poets & Writers), and host of Freelance Writing Direct—2025 Podcast of the Year (Education), American Writing Awards. A Contributing Editor for Writer’s Digest and adjunct instructor at NYU, she’s written for over 150 outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, PBS/Next Avenue, The Independent, and AARP: The Magazine, and has served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines. ✨ Explore More: 📚 Writing That Gets Noticed – | 📬 Subscribe – Craft tips, pitch advice & exclusive podcast extras. Latest post 🎧 – Interviews, insights & behind-the-scenes publishing tips Follow Estelle: 📸 | 🎵 | 🐦 | 🌐 /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/36857735

#141 Solo Episode: Estelle’s Edge on How AI Is Disrupting Content Marketing—And What Writers Should Do Next 05/29/2025

#141 Solo Episode: Estelle’s Edge on How AI Is Disrupting Content Marketing—And What Writers Should Do Next AI is disrupting the writing industry—fast. But what does that mean for you as a freelance writer, content creator, or journalist? In this Summer Shorts with Estelle solo episode, I share my editorial perspective on the recent Chicago Sun-Times controversy involving an AI-generated listicle that included fake book titles attributed to real authors. You'll learn: Why listicles and content marketing assignments are disappearing [3:38] What types of editorial content are most vulnerable to AI outsourcing [6:09] How ghostwriting and white papers are emerging as higher-paying, human-centered alternatives [9:30] Why editorial integrity and fact-checking are more essential than ever in the AI era [11:13] How to tell the difference between short-term panic and long-term opportunity [11:51] Want context on where the industry is heading? Don’t miss my 2025 Forecast episode: How to Steer Through the Publishing Gauntlet And if you haven’t yet—watch my TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond In this bold, funny, and widely shared talk, I blend personal storytelling with the real-world writing strategies I’ve developed as a longtime magazine editor, NYU professor, and writing coach. It all starts with a chaotic moment involving Thomas the Tank Engine—and builds into a powerful message about how to stand out in a crowded, noisy world, no matter the medium. 📺 Watch, comment, and share: About Estelle: Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, author of Writing That Gets Noticed (named a “Best Book for Writers” by Poets & Writers), and host of Freelance Writing Direct—2025 Podcast of the Year (Education), American Writing Awards. A Contributing Editor for Writer’s Digest and adjunct instructor at NYU, she’s written for over 150 outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, PBS/Next Avenue, The Independent, and AARP: The Magazine, and has served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines. ✨ Explore More: 📚 Writing That Gets Noticed – | 📬 Subscribe – Craft tips, pitch advice & exclusive podcast extras. Latest posts and 🎧 – Interviews, insights & behind-the-scenes publishing tips Follow Estelle: 📸 | 🎵 | 🐦 | 🌐 /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/36762965

#140 Growing Up in a Black-and-White World and the Truth Between the Lines Featuring Shannon Luders-Manuel 05/22/2025

#140 Growing Up in a Black-and-White World and the Truth Between the Lines Featuring Shannon Luders-Manuel What does it mean to grow up in a world that doesn’t fully reflect your identity? In this episode, covering memoir, race, religion, the stories we’re told, and the ones we learn to write ourselves, Estelle Erasmus sits down with writer and memoirist Shannon Luders-Manuel, author of The One Who Loves You: A Memoir of Growing Up Biracial in a Black and White World. Shannon shares the deeply personal journey behind her memoir, which explores her childhood growing up mixed-race in a predominantly white family, her complex relationship with her Black father, and how those dynamics shaped her identity, relationships, and voice as a writer. In this episode: The story behind the book’s title and structure [3:31] How Shannon used personal artifacts, like journals and letters, to write memoir [6:08] The challenges and emotional truths of writing about family [7:15] Writing scenes, trusting memory, and tips for memoirists [15:02] How religion, race, and belonging intersected in Shannon’s upbringing [18:37] Her experience as a sensitivity reader and why nuance matters [19:46] Shannon Luders-Manuel is the author of The One Who Loves You: A Memoir of Gorwing Up Biracial in a Black and White World (Lawrence Hill Books, 2025). Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, JSTOR Daily, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among others. She holds an M.A. in English literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and performs sensitivity reads for major publishers, providing feedback on Black and mixed-race characters and issues. Connect with Shannon: Website Facebook Instagram Threads https://www.threads.com/@shannon_luders_manuel Watch Estelle’s TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond In her widely shared TEDx Talk, Estelle Erasmus reveals how to command attention in a noisy world—starting with a chaotic moment involving Thomas the Tank Engine. It’s bold, funny, and packed with real-world strategies for writers who want to be seen and heard. 🎥 Watch, comment, and share: About Estelle: Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, author of Writing That Gets Noticed (named a “Best Book for Writers” by Poets & Writers), and host of Freelance Writing Direct—2025 Podcast of the Year (Education), American Writing Awards. A Contributing Editor for Writer’s Digest and adjunct instructor at NYU, she’s written for over 150 outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, PBS/Next Avenue, The Independent, and AARP: The Magazine, and has served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines. ✨ Explore More: 📚 Writing That Gets Noticed – | 📬 Subscribe on Substack – Craft tips, pitch advice & exclusive podcast extras 🎓 🎧 Freelance Writing Direct – Interviews, insights & behind-the-scenes publishing tips Follow Estelle: 📸 | 🎵 | 🐦 | 🌐 /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/36664545

#139 How to Submit Your Writing to Literary Magazines and Get Published Featuring Dennis James Sweeney 05/15/2025

#139 How to Submit Your Writing to Literary Magazines and Get Published Featuring Dennis James Sweeney Submitting your work doesn’t have to feel like a mystery. In this episode, Estelle Erasmus is joined by Dennis James Sweeney, author of How to Submit: Getting Your Writing Published with Literary Magazines and Small Presses (New World Library). Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, this conversation offers a grounded and empowering look at how to navigate the literary submission process. In this episode: How to find the right literary magazines and small presses for your work [5:56] How platforms like Substack are changing the publishing landscape [7:21] The differences between consumer/mainstream and literary publishing [11:15] The role of vulnerability, validation, and a curated community [16:16] Why positive rejections are invitations, not failures [25:38] How to build a submission strategy that makes sense [27:40] What makes a cover letter stand out (without overthinking it) [28:22] The importance of aligning submissions with the write intention [30:06] Creating a joyful writing space [32:55] Dennis James Sweeney is the author of How to Submit: Getting Your Writing Published with Literary Magazines and Small Presses, a guide for writers. His first book, In the Antarctic Circle, won the Autumn House Rising Writer Prize and was a Debut Poetry Book of 2021 in Poets & Writers. You’re the Woods Too, his second book, was a Small Press Distribution bestseller and a finalist for the Deborah Tall Lyric Essay Prize. Most recently, The Rolodex Happenings won the Stillhouse Press Novella Prize. Sweeney's fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have appeared in Ecotone, Ninth Letter, The New York Times, The Southern Review, and Witness, among others. He has an MFA from Oregon State University and a PhD from the University of Denver. Originally from Cincinnati, he lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he teaches at Amherst College. Connect with Dennis Website: https://www.dennisjamessweeney.com Instagram Substack https://dennisjamessweeney.substack.com/ Get How to Submit on Estelle’s Bookshop https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-submit-publishing-your-writing-with-small-presses-and-literary-magazines/21264529?aid=98827&ean=9781608689361&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct Podcast Episodes Mentioned Casey Mulligan Walsh, Episode #137 Rachel Kramer Bussel, Episode #128 Watch Estelle’s TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond In her widely shared TEDx Talk, Estelle Erasmus reveals how to command attention in a noisy world—starting with a chaotic moment involving Thomas the Tank Engine. It’s bold, funny, and packed with real-world strategies for writers who want to be seen and heard. 🎥 Watch, comment, and share: About Estelle: Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, author of Writing That Gets Noticed (named a “Best Book for Writers” by Poets & Writers), and host of Freelance Writing Direct—2025 Podcast of the Year (Education), American Writing Awards. A Contributing Editor for Writer’s Digest and adjunct instructor at NYU, she’s written for over 150 outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, PBS/Next Avenue, The Independent, and AARP: The Magazine, and has served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines. ✨ Explore More: 📚 Writing That Gets Noticed – | 📬 Subscribe on Substack – Craft tips, pitch advice & exclusive podcast extras 🎓 🎧 Freelance Writing Direct – Interviews, insights & behind-the-scenes publishing tips Follow Estelle: 📸 | 🎵 | 🐦 | 🌐 /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/36572680

#138 Making Memoir Peculiar—and Propulsive Featuring Dinty W. Moore 05/08/2025

#138 Making Memoir Peculiar—and Propulsive Featuring Dinty W. Moore What gives memoir its momentum—and its magic and what if the structure you’re resisting is exactly what your writing needs? Before we dive in…✨New TEDx Talk! I share a deeply personal story—and the actionable lessons I teach at NYU and in Writing That Gets Noticed—in my TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond Please watch to the end (that’s what counts!), and if it resonates, I’d be so grateful for a comment on the TEDx YouTube page. 🎥 Watch, comment, and share: Back to my illustrious guest...In this episode, I talk with celebrated writer, author, and teacher Dinty W. Moore about why the peculiar often makes the most powerful material. We explore how to shape scenes that move, lean into voice and vulnerability, and write with the kind of tension that keeps readers turning pages. Plus, Dinty shares craft insights, revision tips, and the surprising ingredient every great memoir needs. As the founding editor of Brevity, the journal that helped define flash nonfiction, Dinty shares his honest take on voice, structure, and how to write toward truth—even when memory is imperfect. Dinty W. Moore is author of the memoirs Between Panic & Desire and To Hell With It, and the writing guides Crafting the Personal Essay and The Mindful Writer, among other books. He has published essays and stories in Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, Georgia Review, Kenyon Review, Short Reads, and elsewhere. He is founding editor of Brevity, the journal of flash nonfiction. In this episode: How Brevity began and why it still matters [2:37] Dinty’s philosophy on truth, memory, and writing nonfiction [7:53] The mistake many memoirists make with voice—and how to fix it [10:56] Why structure often emerges after the writing [12:31] How to excavate childhood memories with sensory detail [18:30] The connection between humor and grief in storytelling [24:50] What he’s learned from years of revising, publishing, and teaching[26:31] Connect with Dinty Website: Facebook: BlueSky: Connect with Brevity X: Mentioned in This Episode Cheryl Strayed’s episode #38 Maggie Smith’s episode #81 About Estelle: Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, author of Writing That Gets Noticed (named a “Best Book for Writers” by Poets & Writers), and host of Freelance Writing Direct—2025 Podcast of the Year (Education), American Writing Awards. A Contributing Editor for Writer’s Digest and adjunct instructor at NYU, she’s written for over 150 outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, PBS/Next Avenue, The Independent, and AARP: The Magazine, and has served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines. ✨ Explore More: 📚 Writing That Gets Noticed – | 📬 Subscribe on Substack – Craft tips, pitch advice & exclusive podcast extras 🎓 🎧 Freelance Writing Direct – Interviews, insights & behind-the-scenes publishing tips Follow Estelle: 📸 | 🎵 | 🐦 | 🌐 /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/36479505

#137 Writing Through Rupture: Finding Belonging After Loss Featuring Casey Mulligan Walsh 05/01/2025

#137 Writing Through Rupture: Finding Belonging After Loss Featuring Casey Mulligan Walsh What does it mean to truly belong — and how do we find our way back to ourselves after unimaginable loss? In this episode,I talk with memoirist Casey Mulligan Walsh about grief, belonging, resilience, and the journey behind her powerful book The Full Catastrophe. In this episode: Casey’s path to writing The Full Catastrophe and how the theme of belonging revealed itself [1:57] How early losses shaped her search for identity and home [4:42] Why grief looks different for everyone — and why there’s no "right" way to heal [6:22] The moment Casey realized her memoir wasn’t just about resilience, but belonging [9:32] How a writing book helped her plug in the structure the story of her life [18:29] The creative structure behind her memoir and how she used scene to deepen emotional resonance [20:11] The role of spirituality, dreams, and unexpected moments of peace in her healing journey [20:58] Casey’s advice for memoirists about theme, structure, and trusting your story’s evolution [33:17] Casey Mulligan Walsh writes about life at the intersection of grief and joy, embracing uncertainty, and the nature of true belonging. Her memoir, The Full Catastrophe: All I Ever Wanted, Everything I Feared, was released from Motina Books on February 18, 2025. She has written for The New York Times, HuffPost, Next Avenue, Modern Loss, Hippocampus, Barren Magazine, and numerous other literary magazines, and her essay, “Still,” published in Split Lip, was nominated for Best of the Net. She is a founding editor of In a Flash literary magazine. She also serves as an ambassador for and on the Board of the Family Heart Foundation, which raises awareness of the genetic lipid disorders that have affected her family across generations. Casey lives in upstate New York with her husband Kevin and too many books to count. When not traveling, they enjoy visits from their four children and ten grandchildren—the very definition of “the full catastrophe.” Connect with Casey Website: Facebook: Facebook author: Instagram: Threads: BlueSky: @caseymulliganwalsh.bsky.social Linkedin: Casey’s Piece Still (originally from Split Lip Magazine): In A Flash Substack: Submission Info for In A Flash: Find The Full Catastrophe on Estelle’s Bookshop Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast . She is an adjunct instructor for NYU’s School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts, has written for over 150 publications, including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent,The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at Sign up for her Substack (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an offer for paid subscribers): How to Get Published in Cosmopolitan or Seventeen Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: l Freelance Writing Direct has been named a 2025 Podcast of the Year Winner in the Education category by the American Writing Awards. For a list of winners go here /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/36382500

#136 Writing Towards Recovery: Jackie Goldschneider on The Weight of Beautiful 04/24/2025

#136 Writing Towards Recovery: Jackie Goldschneider on The Weight of Beautiful Jackie Goldschneider gets real about writing her powerful memoir The Weight of Beautiful, opening up about her lifelong battle with an eating disorder, her journey to recovery, and what it was really like turning her story into a book—on her own terms. In this episode: Why Jackie chose not to use a ghostwriter for her memoir [5:25] How her eating disorder shaped her life and why recovery was non-negotiable [6:17] The writing process behind The Weight of Beautiful [7:00] What helped Jackie write a book while filming, parenting, and working [7:48] Tips for structuring memoir scenes that connect with readers [8:39] How she decided what to include (and leave out) about family and TV life [10:56] The importance of voice and honesty in memoir writing [15:17] Jackie's next project—and how a screenplay idea turned into a novel [34:34] Jackie Goldschneider is an author, activist, speaker and a longtime cast member of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Before joining the show, Jackie was an attorney and freelance journalist, and has contributed extensively to publications including Good Housekeeping, HuffPost and Scary Mommy, and wrote a weekly parenting column for New Jersey's The Record newspaper for several years. Her debut memoir, The Weight of Beautiful, was published by ‎Simon and Schuster in September 2023. Since then, Jackie has been a nationally recognized advocate for eating disorder recovery. Jackie graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston University and received her Juris Doctorate from Fordham University School of Law. Jackie lives in Tenafly, NJ with her husband, Evan, and their two sets of twins, ages 17 and 14. Connect with Jackie Website: Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: TikTok: Get The Weight of Beautiful on Estelle’s Bookshop Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast . She is an adjunct instructor for NYU’s School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts, has written for over 150 publications, including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent,The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at Sign up for her Substack (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Mentioned in the episode: Estelle’s substack post Why Taping My Podcast Reminds Me of Working in Magazines Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an editing offer for paid subscribers): 5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: l Freelance Writing Direct has been named a 2025 Podcast of the Year Winner in the Education category by the American Writing Awards. For a list of winners go here /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/36287780

#135 Query Letters, Persuasive Proposals, and Publishing Secrets Featuring Literary Agent Joëlle Delbourgo 04/17/2025

#135 Query Letters, Persuasive Proposals, and Publishing Secrets Featuring Literary Agent Joëlle Delbourgo Joëlle Delbourgo is President of Joëlle Delbourgo Associates, a boutique literary agency founded in 1999. She represents a broad range of adult nonfiction and fiction. Her authors include NYT bestselling and award-winning novelist Ben H. Winters; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Debbie Cenziper and Dale Russakoff; award-winning educator Michele Borba, the late Dr. Susan Forward, memoirists Ariel Burger, Rachel Stolzman, Grace Jung and Sara Sherbill; historians Philip Freeman, Joanna Sliwa and Elizabeth White; true crime writer James Renner; and novelists Marilyn Simon Rothstein, Lindsey J. Palmer, Roy Hoffman and Rosa Kwon Easton, and Tommy Hays. A former senior executive at HarperCollins and Ballantine Books, she has a Masters in Literature from Columbia University and graduated from Williams College. Joëlle shares what she looks for in nonfiction and fiction submissions [6:50] Her background in both sides of the publishing wall [6:50] Why she considers herself a “Renaissance Agent” [7:10] The excellence advantage that writers need to get on her radar [14:24] How to craft a compelling proposal that gets attention from agents and publishers [14:49] Joëlle’s tips for memoirists [18:05] Why your query letter matters and what red flags agents look for [19:59] Why obsession can help get a writer a book deal [26:54] Can a writer jump genres? [27:26] Some of her authors success stories [31:16] Connect with Joëlle Website: Facebook: LinkedIn: Episodes Mentioned Georgia Hughes formerly Editorial Director of New World Library Michele Borba Writing a Bestselling Book and Making Mistakes Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast . She is an adjunct instructor for NYU’s School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts, has written for over 150 publications, including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent,The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at Sign up for her Substack (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Mentioned in the episode: Estelle’s substack post Why Taping My Podcast Reminds Me of Working in Magazines Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an editing offer for paid subscribers): 5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: l Freelance Writing Direct has been named a 2025 Podcast of the Year Winner in the Education category by the American Writing Awards. For a list of winners go here /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/36192455

#134 Writing a Memoir That’s Also an Industry Exposé Featuring Hannah Selinger 04/10/2025

#134 Writing a Memoir That’s Also an Industry Exposé Featuring Hannah Selinger How do you turn personal experience into a powerful memoir that names names? Estelle Erasmus talks with Hannah Selinger, author of Cellar Rat, about transitioning from essayist to memoirist while tackling the dark side of the restaurant industry. In this episode: How Hannah’s viral essay led to a book deal What it means to write a memoir that’s also investigative Naming names and dealing with backlash The role of narrative in exposing abuse and toxic culture About Hannah: Hannah Selinger, author of Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly, is a James Beard Award-nominated lifestyle writer and mother of two based in Boxford, MA. Her print and digital work has appeared in the New YorkTimes Magazine, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, Eater, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and elsewhere. Her 2021 Bon Appétit essay, "In My Childhood Kitchen, I Learned Both Fear and Love," is anthologized in the 2022 Best American Food Writing collection, published by HarperCollins and edited by Sohla El-Waylly. Connect with Hannah Website: Instagram: 🎙️ Hosted by Estelle Erasmus Award-winning journalist, author of Writing That Gets Noticed, NYU professor, and 2025 Podcast of the Year (Education) winner. 📚 Learn more: 📘 Buy the book: 📰 Subscribe: Get Cellar Rat on Estelle’s bookshop Mentioned in the episode: Estelle’s substack post Why Taping My Podcast Reminds Me of Working in Magazines Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an editing offer for paid subscribers): 5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/36077040

#133 Writing the Book You Need to Read When You’re Always Happy to Help Featuring Amy Wilson 04/03/2025

#133 Writing the Book You Need to Read When You’re Always Happy to Help Featuring Amy Wilson AMY WILSON is a writer, podcaster, and performer. She is the author of the memoir When Did I Get Like This? and her latest book Happy to Help. Amy is also the co-host of the Webby-honored parenting podcast What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood. She and co-host Margaret Ables have racked up over 11 million lifetime downloads and 800 episodes since the podcast's launch in 2016, and regularly perform live shows for audiences around the country. As an actor, Amy appeared on Broadway as "Sunny Freitag" in the Tony Award-winning play The Last Night of Ballyhoo. She was a series regular on the sitcoms Norm (ABC) and Daddio (NBC). Other TV guest appearances include Veep, Felicity, Blue Bloods, Unforgettable, Ed, Law and Order: CI, and Deadline. She wrote and performed sketch comedy for NBC's Live on Tape, which filed in Saturday Night Live's famed Studio 8H. Amy is also the creator of Mother Load, a one-woman show which she toured to 16 cities after its hit off-Broadway run. Amy's writing has also appeared in The New York Times, Redbook, CNN.com, NPR Books, Parenting, Parents, Baby Talk and Big Apple Parent. Amy graduated from Yale University with a dual degree in English and Theater Studies. She lives with her family in New York City. In this episode: The way Estelle and Amy first connected through Listen to Your Mother [1:32] How Amy’s book Happy to Help: Adventures of a People Pleaser manifested [6:43] The formative experience in Catholic school that shaped Amy’s overachiever mindset [9:19] The way Amy used adage to structure her book, and how that happened [10:57] Why Amy included research in her essays and how she seamlessly weaved it into narrative [13:33] The real reason many women take on too much, and why that’s not a personal flaw [17:03] How perfectionism and people-pleasing show up differently at home vs. in the workplace [24:46] Her creative process, perfectionism, and letting go of “doing it all” [31:55] The early impact of magazines on Amy — and women [33:10] Advice for women feeling overwhelmed: It’s not you—it’s the system. [38:07] Sitting in the silence of not knowing [39:54] Connect with Amy Wilson: Website: Podcast TikTok Buy Happy to Help on Estelle’s Bookshop: Estelle’s Listen to Your Mother episode (Amy Wilson as director) Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast . She is an adjunct instructor for NYU’s School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts, has written for over 150 publications, including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent,The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at Sign up for her Substack (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Mentioned in the episode: Estelle’s substack post Why Taping My Podcast Reminds Me of Working in Magazines Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an editing offer for paid subscribers): 5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: l Freelance Writing Direct has been named a 2025 Podcast of the Year Winner in the Education category by the American Writing Awards. For a list of winners go here /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/35980525

#132 The Blurry Boundary Between Truth and Fiction in Women’s Lives Featuring Nicole Graev Lipson 03/27/2025

#132 The Blurry Boundary Between Truth and Fiction in Women’s Lives Featuring Nicole Graev Lipson Nicole Graev Lipson is the author of the memoir in essays Mothers and Other Fictional Characters. Her writing has appeared in The Sun, Virginia Quarterly Review, LA Review of Books, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and Marie Claire, among other venues. Her work has been awarded a Pushcart Prize, shortlisted for a National Magazine Award, and selected for The Best American Essays anthology. She lives outside of Boston with her husband and children. In this episode: The organizing principle of Mothers and Other Fictional Characters and how personal essays that started with confusion or a question became a cohesive book [3:00] How Nicole layered literary themes and archetypes into her book along with real life situations [7:56] The complexity of intergenerational relationships, particularly with mothers and fathers [11:48] The duality of embracing and resisting traditional gender roles [16:34] How to write emotional scenes from everyday moments [22:21] Advice for writers on structuring essays, capturing sensory details, and writing an accumulation of small moments [41:03] Connect with Nicole Website Instagram Subscribe to Nicole’s newsletter Buy her book on Estelle’s Bookshop Other Episodes Mentioned Maggie Smith Episode #81 The Art of Shaping a Compelling Story Joanna Rakoff: Episode #87 Writing Memoir that Reads Like a Novel and Captivates on Every Page Kelly McMasters: Episode #39 The Literary Gifts of The Leaving Season Christie Tate: Episode #123 Writing About Trauma Using Timelines, Throughlines, and Imagery Nicole’s Pushcart- Prize winning essay “Tikkun Olam Ted” that was in River Teeth Journal Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast . She is an adjunct instructor for NYU’s School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts, has written for over 150 publications, including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent,The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at Sign up for her Substack (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Mentioned in the episode: Estelle’s substack post Why Taping My Podcast Reminds Me of Working in Magazines Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an editing offer for paid subscribers): 5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: l Freelance Writing Direct has been named a 2025 Podcast of the Year Winner in the Education category by the American Writing Awards. For a list of winners go here /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/35882180

#131 The Flavor of Trauma: A Food Memoir Wrapped Around a Family Story Featuring Bonny Reichert 03/20/2025

#131 The Flavor of Trauma: A Food Memoir Wrapped Around a Family Story Featuring Bonny Reichert Bonny Reichert is a National Magazine Award-winning journalist. She has been an editor at Today’s Parent and Chatelaine magazines, and a columnist and regular contributor to The Globe and Mail newspaper. When she turned forty, a now-or-never feeling made her quit her job to enroll in culinary school, and she’s been exploring her relationship with food on the page ever since. Bonny was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and lives in Toronto with her husband and little dog, Bruno. HOW TO SHARE AN EGG won the 2022 Dave Greber Book Award for social justice writing. Bonny’s journey from journalism to food writing and memoir [2:23] The inspiration behind How to Share an Egg and how Bonny blended personal and historical narratives for a universal message [3:17] How Bonny’s Holocaust-surviving father shaped her understanding of food, resilience, and storytelling [3:45] The power of a declarative sentence, key incident, conversation or experience [7:22] How Bonny restructured her book chapter by chapter for a stronger narrative arc [8:30] The meaning of the phrase coping was containment [18:11] The role of metaphors in good writing [20:01] Why Bonny believes writing for the reader [27:58] Advice for writers tackling their own personal and family histories [36:06] Connect with Bonny Reichert Subscribe to my newsletter: Find How to Share an Egg: A True Story of Hunger, Love and Plenty on Estelle’s Bookshop Bonny and her Father on NPR with Scott Simon Bonny’s article on Jane Friedman’s Site How to Find Your Memoir’s Narrative Arc (There May Be More Than One) Episode Mentioned in This Episode Episode #87 Writing Memoir that Reads Like a Novel and Captivates on Every Page Featuring Joanna Rakoff Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast . She is an adjunct instructor for NYU’s School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts, has written for over 150 publications, including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent,The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at Sign up for her Substack (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Mentioned in the episode: Estelle’s substack post Why Taping My Podcast Reminds Me of Working in Magazines Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an editing offer for paid subscribers): 5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: l Freelance Writing Direct has been named a 2025 Podcast of the Year Winner in the Education category by the American Writing Awards. For a list of winners go here /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/35785165

#130 Focus on Friendship Featuring Nina Badzin 03/13/2025

#130 Focus on Friendship Featuring Nina Badzin Nina Badzin is the host of the top 1% charted podcast Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. As an essayist and freelance writer, she's had numerous pieces published on a wide variety of topics, but she started focusing on friendship in 2014. Nina moved to writing solely about friendship in 2021. Her Substack, "Conversations About Friendship" is a go-to newsletter for friendship advice, and her private Facebook group, "Dear Nina: The Group," has become a community where people help each other solve friendship problems and talk about books, shows, and more. In this episode: How Nina Badzin transitioned from parenting essays to writing exclusively about friendship [5:39] Why Nina started Dear Nina, Conversations About Friendship and how the podcast has evolved [9:45] The challenges of pitching to podcasts and what makes a great pitch [11:13] The importance of pivoting and adapting as a writer and creator [15:09] How Nina monetizes her writing and podcast through paid Substack subscriptions [19:54] How friendships evolve over time and why letting go of expectations can improve relationships [31:57] Connect with Nina Website Substack The Podcast TikTok Facebook: Dear Nina: The Group Estelle’s episode on Nina’s Podcast #97 Disclosing my Invisible Disability Increased the Intimacy in My Friendships Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast . She is an adjunct instructor for NYU’s School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts, has written for over 150 publications, including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent,The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at Sign up for her Substack (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Mentioned in the episode: Estelle’s substack post Why Taping My Podcast Reminds Me of Working in Magazines Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an editing offer for paid subscribers): 5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: l Freelance Writing Direct has been named a 2025 Podcast of the Year Winner in the Education category by the American Writing Awards. For a list of winners go here /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/35664450

#129 Intentional About Structure: Dual Timelines and POVs As a Bridge Featuring Jessica Strawser 03/06/2025

#129 Intentional About Structure: Dual Timelines and POVs As a Bridge Featuring Jessica Strawser Jessica Strawser is editor-at-large at Writer’s Digest and the USA Today bestselling author of suspenseful book club novels, including Almost Missed You; Not That I Could Tell (a Book of the Month pick); A Million Reasons Why; The Next Thing You Know (a People Magazine Pick), and her latest, Catch You Later, as well as The Last Caretaker, both instant USA Today bestsellers. She has written for The New York Times, Modern Love, Publishers Weekly and other fine venues, and is a popular writing instructor and freelance editor specializing in helping writers with their submission packages. She lives with her husband and children in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she was named 2019 Writer-in-Residence for the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County and awarded an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award for 2024. In this episode: The inspiration behind the story [2:48] How Jessica structured the dual POV, dual timeline narrative in Catch You Later [6:41] The concept of a reliable or unreliable narrator [11:08] How she built tension by giving readers more information than the characters have [12:30] The importance of friendship and friendship rituals as a central theme [15:07] Jessica’s process for incorporating backstory [17:20] Throwing obstacles at her characters in an organic way [20:03] How she researched state troopers and highway travel stops for authenticity [22:15] The “murky middle” struggle and how she keeps her writing momentum going [25:58] Why she includes book club discussion questions [30:31] Why she overwrites [27:00] Jessica’s disciplined writing routine—1,500 words a day, five days a week [27:29] Jessica’s next book and plans for the near future [29:17] Connect with Jessica Website: Facebook: Instagram: Catch You Later on Estelle’s Bookshop Jessica’s prior appearance on the podcast #96 Writing and Elevating a Suspense Novel Connect with Estelle Erasmus Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast . She is an adjunct instructor for NYU’s School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts, has written for over 150 publications, including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent,The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at and follow her on at Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an offer to paid subscribers) 5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing Freelance Writing Direct has been named a 2025 Podcast of the Year Winner in the Education category by the American Writing Awards. For a list of winners go here /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/35553540

#128 Crafting Cathartic Personal Essays with Rachel Kramer Bussel of Open Secrets Magazine 02/27/2025

#128 Crafting Cathartic Personal Essays with Rachel Kramer Bussel of Open Secrets Magazine Rachel Kramer Bussel () is an essayist, journalist, and editor based in New Jersey. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Glamour, Publishers Weekly, Salon, Slate, TODAY.com, The Village Voice, and many other publications. She's founder and editor of personal essay magazine Open Secrets and organizer of personal storytelling summit Open Secrets Live. Rachel is the author of How to Write Erotica and Lap Dance Lust and editor of 70+ erotica anthologies. She teaches essay writing workshops online and is working on a nonfiction anthology and a podcast on our attachments to our belongings. In this episode: Rachel shares why she transitioned from writing erotica and fiction to founding Open Secrets, a Substack magazine for personal essays [2:45] The first piece of writing that made an impact on Rachel 30 years ago [4:14] The reason personal storytelling works so well to foster connections [6:40] The topics she covers on Open Secrets, now including climate change and our relationship with our belongings [10:14] The editorial process behind Open Secrets and what Rachel looks for in submissions [12:07] Rachel’s focus next year on submitting pieces for awards [17:48] The programming for the upcoming Open Secrets Magazine Live, a one day summit on May 3, 2025 [17:48] The keynote speaker for Open Secrets Live who will bring a sense of nostalgia to most attendees [20:49] The power of personal essays—what makes a strong piece stand out [22:22] The role of humor in personal writing and why Rachel wants to publish more of it [27:37] Connect with Rachel Website: Open Secrets Magazine: Registration Link for Open Secrets Magazine Live One Day Summit: Instagram: Threads: Rachel’s piece on bankruptcy/debt for The New York Times referenced in this episode Estelle’s episode focused on Publishing Trends in 2025 #119 Solo Episode: Estelle’s Edge on Steering Through the Publishing Gauntlet Connect with Estelle Erasmus Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast . She is an adjunct instructor for NYU’s School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts, has written for over 150 publications, including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent,The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at and follow her on at Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/35445495

#127 Finding Scientific Angles on Any Story with The Open Notebook’s Editor Siri Carpenter 02/20/2025

#127 Finding Scientific Angles on Any Story with The Open Notebook’s Editor Siri Carpenter Siri Carpenter is an award-winning journalist and is co-founder, executive director, and editor-in-chief of The Open Notebook, a non-profit organization widely regarded as a leading source of training and educational materials for journalists who cover science. She is also the editor of the book The Craft of Science Writing. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Science, Discover, Scientific American, Science News, bioGraphic, and other publications. She is a past president of the National Association of Science Writers and was the 2023 winner of the Online News Association’s Community Award. She has a Ph.D. in social psychology from Yale University and lives in Madison, Wisconsin. In this episode: Siri shares the inspiration behind The Craft of Science Writing and what’s new in the expanded edition. [3:34] How the pandemic made everyone a science writer [4:34] The rise of science writing across all beats—why every journalist needs to understand and implement research and data. [5:05] How to craft compelling science stories without a science degree. [6:08] The dos and don’ts of pitching –pitching hygiene —plus how to sharpen your story angle. [9:30] How to write complex subjects in a reader-friendly way [13:48] The goal of the Open Notebook to make science writing accessible and offer training opportunities and free courses [27:17] Siri’s thoughts on AI [30:22] Submission info for The Open Notebook [34:37] Why understanding research, statistics, and expert interviews is essential for today’s writers. [37:16] Connect with Siri via The Open Notebook The Open Notebook Facebook Linkedin BlueSky Sign up for Newsletter and free courses Editor, SECOND, EXPANDED EDITION ! Connect with Estelle Erasmus Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast . She is an adjunct instructor for NYU’s School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts, has written for over 150 publications, including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent,The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at and follow her on at Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/35358560

#126 Rocking Your Radiance In Work and Play Featuring Becca Powers 02/13/2025

#126 Rocking Your Radiance In Work and Play Featuring Becca Powers Becca Powers is a USA TODAY best-selling author, renowned keynote speaker, Fortune 500 sales executive, and visionary behind The Dragonfly Effect, which she leads as a transformative movement inspiring positive change and resilience. Through The Dragonfly Effect, Becca empowers high performers to embrace adaptability, growth, and impactful purpose. She has shared her inspiring journey from minimum-wage worker to award-winning Fortune 500 leader with organizations like Cisco, Dell, Carrier Global, and Royal Caribbean. Her insights have been featured in Business Insider, Newsweek, Forbes, USA TODAY, and more. Her books, A Return to Radiance and Harness Your Inner CEO, and her podcast, The emPOWERed Half Hour, deliver practical tools for personal and professional growth. Becca’s proprietary POWER Method teaches individuals the skills and tools to integrate career success with creative fulfillment, cultivating happier, healthier, and more impactful lives. Certified in Kundalini Yoga and trauma-awareness, Becca incorporates these healing practices to help clients overcome limiting beliefs and achieve new heights. Dedicated to philanthropy, she supports causes like the Alzheimer’s Association, Believe Ranch, and Feeding America. As a sought-after speaker, Becca’s transformative insights inspire audiences to join The Dragonfly Effect movement, to embrace and share qualities like resilience, adaptability, and purpose to elevate impact around the globe . She resides in South Florida with her firefighter husband, their blended family of four young adult children, two french bulldogs, and a pitbull mix. In this episode: The inspiration behind her book, A Return to Radiance [3:24] The underlying spiritual component of success [4:50] How witnessing her family member’s disconnect shaped her understanding of radiance. [6:13] Becca’s proprietary Power Method and how she used it as an acronym to structure the book. [9:41] Challenges Becca faced on when to go into teacher mode, and when to go into personal storytelling [12:29] Making each theme in her book digestible to the reader [16:46] Adding stories of transformation from Becca’s coaching clients into the book for another layer of expertise [19:08] What Becca means when she writes “bear hugging the uncomfortable.” [23:49] How Becca’s book melds the spiritual and the practical into an accessible package. [25:24] Connect with Becca Powers Website: Connect with Estelle Erasmus Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/35265495

#125 Parlaying Writing Into An Act of Reclamation Featuring Alyson Shelton 02/06/2025

#125 Parlaying Writing Into An Act of Reclamation Featuring Alyson Shelton Alyson Shelton writes about women across mediums + genres. In the film she tackles a psychological thriller through fractured realities and self-invention. In her comic she centers a superpowered and mutli-faceted heroine, and in , the award winning feature she wrote and directed, the narrative delves into childhood secrets and their ongoing repercussions. She hosts a weekly Instagram Live series inspired by ’s poem, where she’s welcomed over 160 writers and creatives. And her own poem provides the spine for her memoir in essays, currently in revision. Her writing has been published widely at outlets including , , and more. She is thrilled to be a contributor to the essay collections, Broken Free: Writers on Estrangement (Forthcoming from Catapult in 2026) and , to host her podcast, for and to be co-founding a community and co-editing an anthology entitled, You can learn more about her through her website, and her Instagram In this episode: The genesis of her Where I'm From poetry series, inspired by George Ella Lyon's poem [1:18] The importance of specificity when storytelling [8:05] How storytelling through poetry and fiction can clarify complex relationships and help heal and process childhood trauma [12:32] The difference between writing from the "scar" versus writing from the "wound" [16:19] A discussion of anticipatory grief when it comes to estrangement [13:01] Tips for writers on channeling difficult emotions into creative works [15:54] Alyson’s personal experience towards growth and self-acceptance [17:27] Advice for writers on how to have give themselves self-care while writing memoir [26:17] Connect with Alyson Shelton Website: Where I’m From Poems Jeannine Ouellette’s episode referenced #103 Launching into New Dimensions with Embodied Writing YouTube Estelle’s Episode of Where I’m From #163 Instagram Connect with Estelle Erasmus Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/35168700

#124 Essays on Loneliness: Tethering An Isolated Writer To A Disconnected World Featuring Athena Dixon 01/30/2025

#124 Essays on Loneliness: Tethering An Isolated Writer To A Disconnected World Featuring Athena Dixon Athena Dixon is the author of essay collections The Incredible Shrinking Woman and The Loneliness Files and her work appears in publications such as Harper's Bazaar, Shenandoah, Grub Street, Narratively, and Lit Hub among others. She is a Consulting Editor for Fourth Genre and the Nonfiction/Hybrid Editor for Split/Lip Press. In this episode: How the Pandemic pushed Athena into writing essays [3:26] The extreme loneliness epidemic in our country [5:35] How Athena explored loneliness in throughlines of grief, the concept of a “split self”, and journals [7:57] Why she used a multi-tiered braided essay in the collection [10:15] How she used the vessel of the body to play with the fear of the heart [11:09] The influence of her fanfiction fixation on Athena’s writing and ability to daydream a new reality [14:11] Her use of intention and ritual as a roadmap for bringing romance to fruition [16:51] Athena’s editorial work with Fourth Genre and Split Lip Press [24:44] Why Athena now values her loneliness and moments of isolation as a tool in her tool kit [25:47] Advice for identifying a strong throughline in your essay collection [32:45] Keys to figuring out the right format for your stories, when deciding between memoir or a memoir in essays [35:42] Buy The Loneliness Files on Estelle’s Bookshop Connect with Athena Website: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_muse_paper/?hl=en TikTok BlueSky Split Lip Press Fourth Genre Magazine Episode mentioned with Jeannine Ouellette #103 Launching into New Dimensions with Embodied Writing Connect with Estelle Erasmus Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/35075720

#123 Writing About Trauma Using Timelines, Throughlines, and Imagery Featuring Christie Tate 01/23/2025

#123 Writing About Trauma Using Timelines, Throughlines, and Imagery Featuring Christie Tate Christie Tate is an essayist and author who writes creative nonfiction and memoir. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Group, which was a Reese’s Book Club selection and has been translated into 19 languages. She is also the author of B.F.F.-- A Memoir of Friendship Lost & Found. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and elsewhere. Her essays have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes, and Kiese Laymon selected her essay, Promised Lands, as the winner of the New Ohio Review’s 2019 nonfiction contest. She writes about addiction, eating disorders, friendship, alienation, recovery, and her Grandma’s farm in Forreston, Texas. She grew up in Dallas and now lives in Chicago with her family. She has finally stopped telling people that she graduated first in her law school class. Please don’t hate her because she has no pets. In This Episode: The inspiration behind Christie’s memoir, Group, and its impact on readers worldwide [3:08] The inciting incident that drove the rest of her book [4:24] How she initially started with a prologue that became her ending and why she made that choice [5:41] Why vulnerability and honesty are crucial in her storytelling [6:02] The ticking time bomb that informed her memoir and why that’s key to building dramatic tension [7:37] How group therapy transformed her life and how ‘prescriptions’ offered a structure for her writing [8:54] The key to using detail and specificity to bring readers into the story [11:33] Her advice for aspiring writers: go where the “heat” is, and how to do that [28:13] How Christie found her throughline and worked it into the memoir [29:27] The power of images in writing [32:36] What to do when you get stuck and how being a reader before a writer, helps [33:54] Connect with Christie Tate Website: Books: Buy Group on Estelle’s Bookshop Connect with Estelle Erasmus Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/34964415

#122 Crafting A Tsunami of Transformation in Memoir Featuring Hannah Sward 01/16/2025

#122 Crafting A Tsunami of Transformation in Memoir Featuring Hannah Sward Hannah Sward, daughter of the late poet Robert Sward, is the IAN awarding-winning author of Strip: A Memoir. Strip, Swards first book, has received the attention of authors such as Nobel Prize winner, J.M. Coetzee, Melissa Broder, and NYT Bestselling novelist Caroline Leavitt who called Sward, “One of the most moving and honest memoir writers. So eloquent, so brave.” Sward has spoken on dozens of podcasts and panels with special appearances on NBC CA Live and C-SPAN BookTV. Published in literary journals for the past twenty years, she was a regular contributor at The Fix and Erotic Review. Her most recent work can be read in the LA Times, NY Times (TLS), Huff Post, The Rumpus and others. Sward is on the board at Right to Write Press, a nonprofit that supports emerging incarcerated writers. She lives in Los Angeles where she is working on a short story collection about love and jealousy. In this episode: Hannah Sward’s life story and the inspiration behind her memoir, Strip. [2:33] The impact of loneliness and addiction on childhood and young adulthood [3:35] Refusing to center in shame, despite fraught scenarios [6:30] How Hannah started writing her memoir, and traversed the path of sobriety [6:50] The benefits of mentorship [7:49] Structuring a book in short chapters [8:33] Her 2 page a day process for putting down her truth [8:48] Excavating childhood memories [10:36] Distilling scenes and setting from her dad’s poetry [11:50] The scene she had to rewrite till she got it right [13:39] Navigating family reactions, especially with difficult topics [16:02] Looking at older work and readying it for publication [22:18] Hannah’s next project [25:12] Get Strip on Estelle’s Bookshop Episodes Mentioned Episode #120 Writing Days of Wonder Featuring Caroline Leavitt Episode #87 Writing Memoir that Reads Like a Novel and Captivates on Every Page with Joanna Rakoff Connect with Hannah Sward Website Facebook Instagram Threads Connect with Estelle Erasmus Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/34874660

#121 A Deep Dive into Hachette’s Legacy Lit Imprint Featuring Publisher, Krishan Trotman 01/09/2025

#121 A Deep Dive into Hachette’s Legacy Lit Imprint Featuring Publisher, Krishan Trotman Krishan Trotman is the co-author of the Queens of the Resistance series and Vice President, Publisher of Legacy Lit, an imprint at Hachette Book Group in New York. She was recently profiled in the New York Times and Essence magazine as one of the few African American publishing executives. She has committed over fifteen years to publishing books by and about multicultural voices and social justice. Throughout her career, she has proudly worked with leaders and trailblazers on this frontier such as John Lewis, Stephanie Land, Malcolm Nance, Zerlina Maxwell, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Al Roker, Ed Gordon, Lindy West, and other dynamic celebrity and bestselling authors. She is the self-described Beyoncé of Books, and mom to her son Bleu. In this episode: The importance of partnership in publishing and how to make it work [2:41] How to navigate your book’s cover design conundrums [3:50] The benefits of acting proactively [9:45] Legacy Lit's mission and the true meaning of diversity in publishing [13:22] How Krishan sources writers for Legacy Lit and what to do to get on her radar [15:55] How publishers support their authors and uplift voices that might not be heard [16:01] How Krishan uses her spidey sense to make deals [17:58] An big announcement about Legacy Lit the types of books they are acquiring [19:53] How Audiobooks can make a difference [26:30] What will make you a writer that will get a publishing contract? [35:08] Connect with Krishan and Legacy Lit Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Threads Legacy Lit Website Instagram: Facebook Twitter Connect with Estelle Erasmus Estelle’s episode #119 analyzing the publishing landscape Estelle’s Edge on Steering Through the Publishing Gauntlet Estelle’s substack post on getting her audio book dea If You Are Thinking About Doing an Audiobook: Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/34781795

#120 Writing Days of Wonder Featuring Caroline Leavitt 01/02/2025

#120 Writing Days of Wonder Featuring Caroline Leavitt Caroline Leavitt is the New York Times bestselling author of 13 novels, most recently Days of Wonder, which was a CBS/Mary Calvi bookclub pick, the recipient of a MidAtlantic Arts Foundation grant, and which was translated into Russia and has a shopping agreement for film. The co-founder of A Mighty Blaze, the book program begun the day of lockdown, she writes a column blog “Runs in the Family” for Psychology Today, and is a book critic for people and the recipient of a New York Foundation of the Arts Fellowship. She teaches story structure for the novel at UCLA Writers Program Extension and works with private clients. Her work has appeared in the New York Times “Modern Love,” New York Magazine, Salon, Lit Hub, The Millions and many anthologies. Caroline is longlisted for the 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize. In this episode: The Inspiration Behind 'Days of Wonder' Caroline’s process for crafting her story with themes and structures Turning trauma into art Navigating dual timelines The art of multiple POVs in her writing Writing with themes of change, redemption, and societal perception The importance of perseverance in the writing industry Caroline’s advice for aspiring writers Connect with Caroline Instagram Facebook TikTok Website: Connect with Estelle Erasmus Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/34560255

#119 Solo Episode: Estelle’s Edge on Steering Through The Publishing Gauntlet 12/26/2024

#119 Solo Episode: Estelle’s Edge on Steering Through The Publishing Gauntlet The publishing industry is going through a groundbreaking sea change, reminiscent of the early days of the Internet. In this episode, Estelle Erasmus speaks about the current state of the publishing landscape, changes she is seeing, how to traverse them, and what to expect going forward. Estelle discusses the significant challenges faced by editors and writers due to the rise of AI, ongoing layoffs with media companies, the diminishing presence of print magazines, and the increasing presence of the digital world. In this episode: Estelle’s insights on the changes within the publishing industry. The decline of print magazines and the rise of social media, and what that means now The importance of good writing skills - and how to use it to break through the noise Exploring Substack and new publishing models What book publishers find valuable. Hint: it’s not necessarily social media followers The future of legacy media How to keep an audience’s/reader’s attention Connect with Estelle Erasmus Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/34560215

#118 Reflections on Writing for Next Avenue/PBS with Managing Editor Julie Pfitzinger 12/19/2024

#118 Reflections on Writing for Next Avenue/PBS with Managing Editor Julie Pfitzinger Julie Pfitzinger has been with Next Avenue, a digital publication of Twin Cities PBS, for seven years and is the Managing Editor and Senior Editor for Features. She has worked as a writer and editor for more than 25 years; her work has appeared in publications including the Star Tribune and Minnesota Parent. For several years, she was a managing editor for the community lifestyle magazine group at Tiger Oak Media in Minneapolis, where she also served as writer and editor for Saint Paul Magazine and other Tiger Oak publications. In this episode: Julie’s 25-year career in writing and editing [2:33] What types of articles Next Avenue publishes [3:47] The changing demographic of Next Avenue’s readers [4:37] The topics the publication covers, including retirement, health, volunteering, money, caregiving, relationships and lifestyle [4:37] How and where to pitch observational personal essays and articles [6:49] The way that Next Avenue prefers to cover parenting in stories and why the holidays is such a key time [6:57] When humor pieces work [9:51] What makes an older story relevant? [10:23] The pandemic’s impact on older generations and what kinds of pitches on COVID work [15:40] The specific (but easy) pitching portal, word count, pay and rights [20:41] Why Next Avenue doesn’t do roundups [24:07] Criteria for writing about travel for the publication [24:14] Julie’s joy at working with writers [37:22] Connect with Julie Facebook: Connect with Next Avenue Next Avenue Submission Guidelines Pitching Portal for Next Avenue https://airtable.com/apppNGXCs7kzbdiJr/pago2SiOjXEVW7s7E/form Stories Mentioned in This Episode The Founding Mothers of NPR My Parenting Strategy Was Too Effective Sorry Nobody Wants Your Parents’ Stuff Lying for Love: The Psychology of Catfishing Two Adoptions, One Family: A Story of Two Brothers Don’t Tell Me To Stop Saying ‘Don’t’ Estelle’s new Essay on Next Avenue Lessons from a Babysitter with a Restless Spirit https://www.nextavenue.org/lessons-from-a-babysitter-with-a-restless-spirit/ Connect with Estelle Erasmus Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/34489700

#117 The Magical Metamorphosis Of Character Development Featuring Ann Garvin 12/12/2024

#117 The Magical Metamorphosis Of Character Development Featuring Ann Garvin Ann Garvin, Ph.D. is the USA Today Bestselling author, finalist for the Thomas Wolf Fiction Prize, and freelance contributor at the New York Times. Ann is a nurse, scientist, educator and author of six funny and sad novels. She writes about women who do too much in a world that asks too much from them. She currently teaches creative writing at Drexel University in their low residency MFA program and is the founder of the multiple award-winning Tall Poppy Writers. In this episode: The background of Bummer Camp [2:26] How Ann structured the transformation of each character in her novel [5:27] The way she built in conflict and roadblocks for each of her characters [8:34] How Ann equates structuring her book to painting a wall [13:09] What Ann does when she underwrites to fill in the gaps [17:58] Focusing on action and movement in the book [20:47] How Ann uses the endings of chapters to “open the door” to the next chapter [22:17] Ann’s groundbreaking way of promoting the book [29:17] Connect with Ann Twitter: Instagram: Facebook: Facebook: Ann’s Modern Love essay He Wanted To Date Younger Women Buy Bummer Camp on Estelle’s Bookshop https://bookshop.org/p/books/bummer-camp-ann-garvin/21144547?aid=98827&ean=9781662518560&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct& Connect with Estelle Erasmus Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: TikTok: Twitter: BlueSky: /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/34391325

#116 Conversations with Abby: Ruminations on Writing Featuring Abigail Thomas 12/05/2024

#116 Conversations with Abby: Ruminations on Writing Featuring Abigail Thomas Abigail Thomas has four children,12 grandchildren, two great grandchildren, eleven books, and a high school education. She was asked to leave Bryn Mawr freshman year when she told the Dean she was pregnant, and she never went back. She had always wanted to be a writer, but for a long time the closest she came was bopping around her kitchen to Paperback Writer, by the Beatles. When she was forty-eight, after an interesting adventure, when she got home, she left her ego outside, and began to write a story. It didn't work, but instead of crumpling it up saying "who do you think you are?" sat in a different chair, and another, and at the end of the afternoon, she had written a story. It was published in the Columbia Journal of Poetry and Prose. She had learned you have to keep at it. Writing is work of the best kind. She has written two short story collections, one novel and four works of non-fiction, including the memoirs Safekeeping; A Three Dog Life; What Comes Next and How to Like It; and a book about writing, Thinking about Memoir. Still Life at Eighty: The Next Interesting Thing is her latest memoir, published by Scribners in November 2024. In this episode: Abigail’s new book, Still Life at Eighty, now published by Scribner [1:11] What gravitas means to Abby [3:44] Why Abby’s go to reference is always the dictionary [3:59] The gifts Abby sees in aging [9:06] The meaning of ambition and weaving [7:04] How guilt grows up and becomes regret and how Abby really feels about guilt [15:02] What compels her to write [18:27] Using a person’s voice as a framing device [25:43] The importance of vulnerability and creativity in your writing [27:22] The meaning of her two tattoos and the third one she wants to get [31:30] Connect with Abigail Thomas: Website: https://www.abigailthomas.net Substack Abigail Thomas/What Comes Next?: Abigail on the Joe Donahue podcast Estelle’s prior Episode #83 with Abby Connect with Estelle Erasmus Check out Estelle's latest Substack post Debunking The Myths of Writing https://open.substack.com/pub/estelleserasmus/p/debunking-the-myths-of-writing Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/34290825

#115 Coaching Episode: Estelle’s Edge on Crafting Notable Narratives 11/28/2024

#115 Coaching Episode: Estelle’s Edge on Crafting Notable Narratives Deborah Copperud is a freelance writer, independent podcast producer, and former reference librarian. Her writing has been published in Glamour, Racket, Defenestration, Great River Review, Potomac Review, Door Is A Jar, Another Chicago Magazine, and Blue Earth Review, and her Substack newsletter Deborah Copperud Shops at Target. Her work is forthcoming in The Rumpus and Good Tape. She co-hosts the It's My Screen Time Too and Spock Talk podcasts and teaches podcasting for Minneapolis Community Education. Copperud is currently at work on an essay collection about volunteering, a subject she’s uniquely qualified to cover, having volunteered as a preschool choir accompanist, Democratic party activist, elementary school library book shelver, rock band cellist, potluck block party organizer, and Chess Club scorekeeper. Copperud holds a B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota and a master’s in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She enjoys jogging and biking around the Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis, where she lives with her husband and three children. In This Episode: What lane to choose when there are so many? An exercise that Estelle suggests to do for clarity Why information is power and how to accrue it Building an information network Finding agents by thinking outside the box Changing your mindset to a positive one Finding the hook in your writing Framing a story in a timely way Adding in layers to create depth in an essay Using mind mapping to find your focus Getting the SEO juice in your title Connect with Deborah Substack: Deborah’s piece for Glamour Best Acne Podcasts: Treating Acne Through the Ears Episode Mentioned Coaching Episode #84 Estelle’s Edge: Coaching to Get Your Writing Noticed with Anna Medaris Estelle's article on the AARP/The Ethel How Penny Marshall's "Laverne" Was the Role Model That Saved Me https://www.aarpethel.com/fulfillment/why-penny-marshalls-laverne-was-the-role-model-that-saved-me Connect with Estelle Erasmus Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with. FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/34188960

#114 Spotlighting Sibling Friction in Fiction Featuring Betsy Lerner 11/21/2024

#114 Spotlighting Sibling Friction in Fiction Featuring Betsy Lerner Betsy Lerner is the author of the recently released novel, Shred Sisters (Grove Press, October 2024). She is also the author The Bridge Ladies, The Forest for the Trees and Food and Loathing. With Temple Grandin, she is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns and Abstractions. She received an MFA from Columbia University in Poetry where she was selected as one of PEN’s Emerging Writers. She also received the Tony Godwin Publishing Prize for Editors. After working as an editor for 15 years, she became an agent and is currently a partner with Dunow, Carlson and Lerner Literary Agency. The surprising origin of the Shred Sisters and the reason a temporary title became so much more [3:51] How Betsy’s life informed the book’s backstory and is reflected in multiple characters [7:16] Writing a coming of age story with a twist [7:22] The difference between writing fiction and nonfiction, and why Betsy enjoys this latest genre so much [7:57] The value of good transitions to move the reader along and hook them into the story [10:46] Betsy’s ‘acorn’ theory and how she dropped seeds throughout her book [15:22] The key to structure and why many writers struggle with it [21:51] What Betsy really thinks about the process of revision and why slowing down is essential [24:06] The other side of her work, acting as a literary agent [25:01] How Betsy ended up going viral on TikTok and becoming a book influencer [26:28] Betsy’s dream for her book, and who she would cast in the movie [32:50] Why a writer should never write for an audience [36:32] Connect with Betsy Photo Credit: Maryana Karayim Website: TikTok: The New York Times Book Review of Shred Sisters Connect with Estelle Erasmus FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/34047001

#113 Writing with Ambition Featuring Kristi Coulter 11/14/2024

#113 Writing with Ambition Featuring Kristi Coulter Kristi Coulter is the author of EXIT INTERVIEW: THE LIFE & DEATH OF MY AMBITIOUS CAREER, out now in paperback. Her previous book, the memoir-in-essays NOTHING GOOD CAN COME FROM THIS, was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. Kristi's work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Paris Review, Elle, Longreads, and many other publications. Her Substack newsletter, Loose Canon, offers personal and irreverent commentary on film and music. She is a former resident at Ragdale and the Mineral School and has taught writing at the University of Washington, University of Michigan, Hugo House, and the Work Room. Kristi lives in Seattle and Los Angeles. In this episode: Picking the perfect title and a trick on how to do it [2:48] Why Kristi wrote her book using the present tense and the challenges that imposed [6:27] Deciding what to leave in and what to take out [12:42] How Kristi incorporated historical context into her book to make a point without preaching to the reader [13:41] Incorporating humor in memoir writing and playing with forms [18:34] Finding the perfect equation between scene and summary [21:42] Making the narrator relatable, not likable [23:29] Kristi’s advice for aspiring Memoir Writers [27:52] The benefits of writing chapters out of sequence [28:05] Understanding the meaning of that first “Discovery Draft” [28:28] Selling a book on proposal. What you need to know [30:56] The art of writing a synopsis [32:36] The impact Kristi’s book is having on women at Amazon and beyond [33:59] Connect with Kristi Instagram: Threads: @kristiccoulter; Facebook: Podcast Guests Mentioned in This Episode #52 Claire Dederer #101 Elissa Bassist Connect with Estelle Erasmus FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Order Her Audiobook: Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus /episode/index/show/f21b6cee-ab4f-4d68-b567-2e438ae5a7c8/id/33923332

Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.

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