Afleveringen
-
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: https://amywilson.com
Podcast https://whatfreshhellpodcast.com
TikTok https://tiktok.com/@amywilsonauthor
Buy Happy to Help on Estelle’s Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/happy-to-help-adventures-of-a-people-pleaser-amy-wilson/cd2aa83f8af88dfc?ean=9781958506783&next=t&aid=98827&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct
Estelle’s Listen to Your Mother episode (Amy Wilson as director)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmV4abTKy8Q&list=PL1159293EC380EFD1&index=5
Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of WRITING THAT GETS NOTICED (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast Freelance Writing Direct. 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 estelleserasmus.com
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 https://estelleserasmus.substack.com
Mentioned in the episode: Estelle’s substack post Why Taping My Podcast Reminds Me of Working in Magazines
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/why-taping-my-podcast-reminds-me
Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an editing offer for paid subscribers): 5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/5-hard-truths-about-essay-writing
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
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 https://americanwritingawards.com/
-
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 NicoleWebsite https://nicolegraevlipson.com
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nglipson/
Subscribe to Nicole’s newsletter https://nicolegraevlipson.com/contact
Buy her book on Estelle’s Bookshop
https://bookshop.org/p/books/mothers-and-other-fictional-characters-a-memoir-in-essays-nicole-graev-lipson/21565078?aid=98827&ean=9781797228563&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct
Other Episodes Mentioned
Maggie Smith
Episode #81 The Art of Shaping a Compelling Story
https://estelleserasmus.com/81-the-art-of-shaping-a-compelling-story-featuring-maggie-smith/
Joanna Rakoff: Episode #87 Writing Memoir that Reads Like a Novel and Captivates on Every Page
https://estelleserasmus.com/87-writing-memoir-that-reads-like-a-novel-and-captivates-on-every-page-featuring-joanna-rakoff/
Kelly McMasters: Episode #39 The Literary Gifts of The Leaving Season
https://estelleserasmus.com/39-the-literary-gifts-of-the-leaving-season/
Christie Tate: Episode #123 Writing About Trauma Using Timelines, Throughlines, and Imagery
https://estelleserasmus.com/123-writing-about-trauma-using-timelines-throughlines-and-imagery-with-christie-tate/
Nicole’s Pushcart- Prize winning essay “Tikkun Olam Ted” that was in River Teeth Journal
https://zibbymag.com/blog/pushcart-prize-essay-tikkun-olam
Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of WRITING THAT GETS NOTICED (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast Freelance Writing Direct. 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 estelleserasmus.com
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 https://estelleserasmus.substack.com
Mentioned in the episode: Estelle’s substack post Why Taping My Podcast Reminds Me of Working in Magazines
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/why-taping-my-podcast-reminds-me
Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an editing offer for paid subscribers): 5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/5-hard-truths-about-essay-writing
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
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 https://americanwritingawards.com/
-
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
-
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
http://www.bonnyreichert.comSubscribe to my newsletter:
bonnyreichert.substack.com
Find How to Share an Egg: A True Story of Hunger, Love and Plenty on Estelle’s Bookshop
https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-share-an-egg-a-true-story-of-hunger-love-and-plenty-bonny-reichert/21415607?aid=98827&ean=9780593599167&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct
Bonny and her Father on NPR with Scott Simon
https://www.npr.org/2025/01/25/nx-s1-5185933/bonny-reicherts-how-to-share-an-egg-is-a-memoir-about-food-and-family
Bonny’s article on Jane Friedman’s Site
How to Find Your Memoir’s Narrative Arc (There May Be More Than One)
https://janefriedman.com/finding-your-narrative-arc/
Episode Mentioned in This EpisodeEpisode #87 Writing Memoir that Reads Like a Novel and Captivates on Every Page Featuring Joanna Rakoff
https://estelleserasmus.com/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 WRITING THAT GETS NOTICED (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast Freelance Writing Direct. 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 estelleserasmus.com
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 https://estelleserasmus.substack.com
Mentioned in the episode: Estelle’s substack post Why Taping My Podcast Reminds Me of Working in Magazines
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/why-taping-my-podcast-reminds-me
Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an editing offer for paid subscribers): 5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/5-hard-truths-about-essay-writing
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
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 https://americanwritingawards.com/
-
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
https://ninabadzin.com/
Substack
https://dearnina.substack.com
The Podcast
https://ninabadzin.com/podcasts/
TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@dearninafriendship
Facebook: Dear Nina: The Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/855246118403712
Estelle’s episode on Nina’s Podcast
#97 Disclosing my Invisible Disability Increased the Intimacy in My Friendships
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dear-nina-conversations-about-friendship/id1576473592?i=1000656069611
Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of WRITING THAT GETS NOTICED (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast Freelance Writing Direct. 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 estelleserasmus.com
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 https://estelleserasmus.substack.com
Mentioned in the episode: Estelle’s substack post Why Taping My Podcast Reminds Me of Working in Magazines
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/why-taping-my-podcast-reminds-me
Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an editing offer for paid subscribers): 5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/5-hard-truths-about-essay-writing
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
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 https://americanwritingawards.com/
-
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: https://jessicastrawser.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/Jessicastrawserauthor
Instagram: https://instagram.com/Jessicastrawserauthor
Catch You Later on Estelle’s Bookshop
https://bookshop.org/p/books/catch-you-later-jessica-strawser/21194221?aid=98827&ean=9781662510236&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct
Jessica’s prior appearance on the podcast
#96 Writing and Elevating a Suspense Novel
https://estelleserasmus.com/96-writing-and-elevating-a-suspense-novel-featuring-jessica-strawser/
Connect with Estelle Erasmus
Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of WRITING THAT GETS NOTICED (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast Freelance Writing Direct. 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 estelleserasmus.com and follow her on Substack at https://estelleserasmus.substack.com
Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an offer to paid subscribers)
5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/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 https://americanwritingawards.com/
-
Rachel Kramer Bussel (rachelkramerbussel.com) 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: https://rachelkramerbussel.com
Open Secrets Magazine: https://opensecretsmagazine.com
Registration Link for Open Secrets Magazine Live One Day Summit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-secrets-live-a-personal-storytelling-summit-tickets-1140713949129?discount=OS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opensecretsmag/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@opensecretsmag
Rachel’s piece on bankruptcy/debt for The New York Times referenced in this episode
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/09/business/bankruptcy-debt-chapter-7.html
Estelle’s episode focused on Publishing Trends in 2025
#119 Solo Episode: Estelle’s Edge on Steering Through the Publishing Gauntlet
https://estelleserasmus.com/119-solo-episode-estelles-edge-on-steering-through-the-publishing-gauntlet/
Connect with Estelle Erasmus
Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of WRITING THAT GETS NOTICED (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast Freelance Writing Direct. 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 estelleserasmus.com and follow her on Substack at https://estelleserasmus.substack.com
Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
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
https://www.theopennotebook.com
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/theopennotebook
Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-open-notebook/
BlueSky
https://bsky.app/profile/theopennotebook.bsky.social
Sign up for Newsletter and free courses
https://mailchi.mp/1b27e142c25a/theopennotebook
Editor, The Craft of Science Writing
SECOND, EXPANDED EDITION AVAILABLE NOW!
Connect with Estelle Erasmus
Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of WRITING THAT GETS NOTICED (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast Freelance Writing Direct. 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 estelleserasmus.com and follow her on Substack at https://estelleserasmus.substack.com
Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
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:
https://www.beccapowers.com/
Connect with Estelle Erasmus
Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
Alyson Shelton writes about women across mediums + genres. In the film To Hold The Night she tackles a psychological thriller through fractured realities and self-invention. In her comic Reburn she centers a superpowered and mutli-faceted heroine, and in Eve of Understanding, 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 George Ella Lyon’s poem, Where I’m From, where she’s welcomed over 160 writers and creatives. And her own Where I’m From poem provides the spine for her memoir in essays, currently in revision. Her writing has been published widely at outlets including The New York Times, Ms., The Rumpus and more. She is thrilled to be a contributor to the essay collections, Broken Free: Writers on Estrangement (Forthcoming from Catapult in 2026) and Comics Lit Vol. 1 , to host her podcast, Fine Cut for Femme On Collective and to be co-founding a Sibling Loss community and co-editing an anthology entitled, The Loss of a Lifetime: Advice from Grieving Siblings on Loss, Love and Hope. You can learn more about her through her website, www.alysonshelton.com and her Instagram @byalysonshelton
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:
https://www.alysonshelton.com
Where I’m From Poems
https://www.alysonshelton.com/where-im-from.html#/
Jeannine Ouellette’s episode referenced #103
Launching into New Dimensions with Embodied Writing
https://estelleserasmus.com/103-launching-into-new-dimensions-with-embodied-writing/
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwAksUboWwYOEM785ZQMpRw/videos
Estelle’s Episode of Where I’m From #163
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiHBtSDWEpI
Instagram
https://instagram.com/byalysonshelton
Connect with Estelle Erasmus
Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
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
https://bookshop.org/p/books/loneliness-files-cl-athena-dixon/19712061?aid=98827&ean=9781959030126&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct
Connect with Athena
Website:
www.athenadixon.com
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/the_muse_paper/?hl=en
TikTok
https://tiktok.com/@AthenaDIxon
BlueSky
https://bsky.app/profile/athenadixon.bsky.social
Split Lip Press
https://www.splitlippress.com/
Fourth Genre Magazine
https://fourthgenre.org/
Episode mentioned with Jeannine Ouellette
#103 Launching into New Dimensions with Embodied Writing
https://estelleserasmus.com/103-launching-into-new-dimensions-with-embodied-writing/
Connect with Estelle Erasmus
Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
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: https://www.christietate.com/
Books: https://www.christietate.com/writetogetherworkshops-1
Buy Group on Estelle’s Bookshop
https://bookshop.org/p/books/group-how-one-therapist-and-a-circle-of-strangers-saved-my-life-christie-tate/15065918?ean=9781982154622
Connect with Estelle Erasmus
Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
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
https://bookshop.org/p/books/strip-a-memoir-hannah-sward/18101649?ean=9781948954679
Episodes Mentioned
Episode #120
Writing Days of Wonder Featuring Caroline Leavitt
https://estelleserasmus.com/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
https://estelleserasmus.com/87-writing-memoir-that-reads-like-a-novel-and-captivates-on-every-page-featuring-joanna-rakoff/
Connect with Hannah Sward
Website
https://www.hannahsward.com/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/hannahswardauthor
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/hannahswardauthor
Threads
https://www.threads.net/@hannahswardauthor
Connect with Estelle Erasmus
Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
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
https://www.krishantrotman.com/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/KrishanTrotmanInks
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/krishantrotman
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishan-trotman-14936934/
Threads
https://www.threads.net/@krishantrotman
Legacy Lit
Website
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/landing-page/about-legacy-lit/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/legacylitbooks/?hl=en
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/legacylithbg/
Twitter
https://x.com/legacylitbooks/status/1794073420914913357
Connect with Estelle Erasmus
Estelle’s episode #119 analyzing the publishing landscape
Estelle’s Edge on Steering Through the Publishing Gauntlet
https://estelleserasmus.com/119-solo-episode-estelles-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:
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/if-you-are-thinking-of-doing-an-audiobook
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
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 https://www.instagram.com/carolineleavitt/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/carolineleavitt
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@carowriter99
Website: www.carolineleavitt.com
Connect with Estelle Erasmus
Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
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 freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
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:
https://www.facebook.com/julie.pfitzinger?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Connect with Next Avenue
Next Avenue Submission Guidelines
https://www.nextavenue.org/submission-guidelines/
Pitching Portal for Next Avenue
https://airtable.com/apppNGXCs7kzbdiJr/pago2SiOjXEVW7s7E/form
Stories Mentioned in This Episode
The Founding Mothers of NPR
https://www.nextavenue.org/founding-mothers-of-npr/
My Parenting Strategy Was Too Effective
https://www.nextavenue.org/it-turns-out-my-parenting-strategy-was-too-effective/
Sorry Nobody Wants Your Parents’ Stuff
https://www.nextavenue.org/nobody-wants-parents-stuff/
Lying for Love: The Psychology of Catfishing
https://www.nextavenue.org/lying-for-love-the-psychology-of-catfishing/
Two Adoptions, One Family: A Story of Two Brothers
https://www.nextavenue.org/two-adoptions-one-family-a-story-of-two-brothers/
Don’t Tell Me To Stop Saying ‘Don’t’
https://www.nextavenue.org/dont-tell-me-to-stop-saying-dont/
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 freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
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
https://anngarvin.com
Twitter:
https://x.com/AnnGarvin_
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/anngarvin_/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AnnWertzGarvin?ref=br_tf
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ann.w.garvin
Ann’s Modern Love essay
He Wanted To Date Younger Women
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/07/style/modern-love-he-wanted-to-date-younger-women.html
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 freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
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?: https://abigailthomas.substack.com
Abigail on the Joe Donahue podcast
https://www.wamc.org/podcast/the-roundtable/2024-11-20/abigail-thomass-still-life-at-80
Estelle’s prior Episode #83 with Abby
https://estelleserasmus.com/83-writing-your-way-into-an-engaging-and-enthralling-story-featuring-abigail-thomas/
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 freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
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: https://deborahcopperud.substack.com/
Deborah’s piece for Glamour
Best Acne Podcasts: Treating Acne Through the Ears
https://www.glamour.com/story/best-acne-podcasts
Episode Mentioned
Coaching Episode #84
Estelle’s Edge: Coaching to Get Your Writing Noticed with Anna Medaris
https://estelleserasmus.com/84-estelles-edge-live-coaching-to-get-your-writing-noticed/
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 freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com 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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
-
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: https://betsylerner.com
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betsylerner
The New York Times Book Review of Shred Sisters
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/30/books/review/shred-sisters-betsy-lerner.html
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
https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals
Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Order Her Audiobook:
https://shorturl.at/4uG2P
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
- Laat meer zien
