Episodit
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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/shrvCs3ijylnpcTnH
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 [email protected] 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
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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 [email protected] 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
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Puuttuva jakso?
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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 [email protected] 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
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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 [email protected] 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
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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
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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: https://instagram.com/kristi.c.coulter
Threads: @kristiccoulter;
Facebook:
https://facebook.com/kristicoulter
Podcast Guests Mentioned in This Episode
#52 Claire Dederer
https://estelleserasmus.com/a-conversation-with-claire-dederer-about-monsters/
#101 Elissa Bassist
https://estelleserasmus.com/101-the-makings-of-a-hysterical-story-featuring-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
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
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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.
Annabelle Gurwitch is a New York Times Bestselling author, actress and activist whose most recent collection of essays "You're Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility" is a 2021 New York Times Favorite Book for Healthy Living, a Good Morning America Must Read and a finalist for The Thurber Prize for American Humor Writing 2022. She's written for The New Yorker, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, and Hadassah amongst other publications. Her five books include the New York Times bestseller and Thurber Prize finalist "I See You Made an Effort." She's written and developed adaptations of her books for HBO, F/X, NBC, Lifetime networks. She's currently writing a film for the Hallmark Channel with Emmy winning tv producer Neena Beber based on "You're Leaving When?" for Andi MacDowell to star in.
Annabelle has been chronicling living with stage iv lung cancer and inequities in healthcare in the New York Times and Washington Post since her out-of-the-blue diagnosis during covid.
In this episode:
Caroline Leavitt and Annabelle Gurwitch’s essays for the anthology [3:20]
Caroline and Annabelle’s experiences with anti-Semitism [4:27]
The impact of a children’s storyteller on Caroline’s understanding of what it means to be Jewish [8:16]
The importance of art and storytelling in fostering empathy and understanding [12:41]
The call of our ancestral DNA during this fraught moment [22:24]
Advice for jewish writers navigating this challenging and important time in Jewish history [24:36]
The power of three little words [29:09]
Connect with Caroline Leavitt
Twitter. @leavittnovelist
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/carolineleavitt/
Threads https://www.threads.net/@carolineleavitt?hl=en
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/carolineleavitt
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@carowriter99
Website: Https://www.carolineleavitt.com
Connect with Annabelle Gurwitch
photo credit jeff vespa
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/annabellegurwitchauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annabellegurwitch1/
X: https://x.com/lagurwitch?lang=en
Website: https://www.annabellegurwitch.com/
About On Being Jewish Now
Zibby Owens has edited a new anthology, which Zibby Books is publishing, called On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates. Profits will be donated to Artists Against Antisemitism, a 501(c)(3) founded by Alison Hammer that Zibby joined as a Founding Member after the attacks on October 7th, 2023.On Being Jewish Now (coming 10/1) is a collection of essays about what it means to be Jewish and how Jewish life has changed since October 7th. Zibby came up with the idea for this anthology in response to feeling powerless against the spread of antisemitism. “Writing — and reading — is how so many of us process and make sense of the world,” she said. And so Zibby thought, I’ll ask writers to reflect on what it means to be Jewish now.
Seventy-five contributors came together in four weeks to share their stories of love, family, joy, fear, and pain, and the common threads that course through the Jewish people: resilience and humor. Contributors include Mark Feuerstein, Jill Zarin, Steve Leder, Joanna Rakoff, Amy Ephron, Lisa Barr, Annabelle Gurwitch, Daphne Merkin, Bradley Tusk, Sharon Brous, Jenny Mollen, Nicola Kraus, Caroline Leavitt, and many others.
Among them: descendants of Holocaust survivors, several Israelis, and one author who lost a cousin in the war. There are men and women, multiple bookstore owners, several celebrities, and some female founders. One African American contributor shares his thoughts on being a Jewish Black man.
The e-book and audiobook, narrated by the contributors, was published on October 1st, the trade paperback on November 1st.
“This is about healing,” says Zibby. “About coping and connecting. In the only way I know how.”Zibby Owen’s episode #36 on Freelance Writing Direct
https://estelleserasmus.com/36-zibby-owens-is-upending-the-publishing-world/
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
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Lisa Cooper Ellison is an author, speaker, trauma-informed writing coach, and host of the Writing Your Resilience podcast. She works and writes at the intersection of storytelling and healing, and combines her personal experiences with suicide loss and CPTSD with her clinical training to help writers turn tough experiences into art. Her essays and stories have appeared on Risk! and in The New York Times, HuffPost, Hippocampus Literary Magazine, and Kenyon Review Online, among others.
In this episode:
How Lisa became a trauma-informed writing coach after she dealt with a debilitating health issue [3:54]
The emotional impacts of writing about tough topics [10:21]
How the nervous system is impacted when writing about trauma [11:27]
The meaning making process; owning our meltdowns and moments [12:13]
Estelle’s experience with writing about her ectopic pregnancy and how it required emotional distance and time [12:47]
How writers can protect themselves and practice self-care while writing difficult stories about themselves or loved ones [14:06]
Lisa’s experience with writing her own memoir and being a volcano writer [20:34]
Lisa’s article in HuffPost Personal on emotional flashbacks and defining them [21:00]
How Lisa protects her own mental health through somatic processing [29:56]
Why a beat sheet is your BFF for structuring your memoir, and understanding your book’s essential questions [37:59]
Connect with Lisa
Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacooperellison/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-cooper-ellison-b5483840/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisacooperellison/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lisacooperellison
Lisa’s article on HuffPost Personal
Making the Smallest Little Mistake Filled Me With Terror: Then 2 Little Words Changed My Life
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/emotional-flashback-dread-doom-therapy_n_66cb7ae8e4b0f0ded8061ba6
Estelle’s episode Writing That Gets Noticed on Lisa’s podcast Writing Your Resilience
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU-Wpm27PhU
Connect with Estelle
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
People mentioned who had episodes on Estelle’s podcast
Linda Lowen, episode #31 Getting Your Writing Career in Gear When on a Tight Deadline
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freelance-writing-direct-conversations-with-authors/id1647429472?i=1000610817037
Jane Friedman, episode #105 A Look Inside Publishing: Hybrid, Audiobooks, AI & More
https://estelleserasmus.com/105-a-look-inside-publishing-hybrid-audiobooks-ai-more-featuring-jane-friedman/
Minna Dubin, episode #61 All About Mom Rage
https://estelleserasmus.com/61-all-about-mom-rage-with-minna-dubin/
Estelle’s article in Brevity
Don’t Blow Up Your Life for a Byline
https://brevity.wordpress.com/2020/05/19/dont-blow-up-your-life-for-a-byline/
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Carinn Jade is a lawyer, writer, and cohost of the Pop Fiction Women podcast. Her essays have been published in the New York Times, Daily Worth, and Motherwell. She has attended the GrubStreet Novel Generator, Yale Writers' Conference, and the Northern California Writers' Retreat. Carinn grew up on the North Fork of Long Island and lives with her family in New York City. The Astrology House is her first novel.
In this episode:
The origin of this thriller based around an astrology-themed retreat [3:21]
Her use of time constraints as a plot device to build dramatic tension [8:36]
Books Carinn read that informed her idea of the book’s structure and premise [8:48
Carinn’s process of writing multiple POVS in short chapters [11:00]
How her literary go-to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and other realityTV was one of many touchstones and guided her in writing dramatic scenes[11:43]
How she dropped clues to characters throughout the book [12:54]
Why she included astrology cheat sheets as a plot device and touchstone [15:28]
How much of Carinn is in her novel [18:21]
Building tension and twists into each page [19:44]
The art of writing authentic dialogue [22:01]
The process of revision and what that required [23:11]
Carinn’s querying journey and how she found her agent [26:16]
The synchronicities between being a lawyer and a writer [31:09]
Photo credit: Erin Schiffman
Connect with Carinn
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carinnjade/
X: https://x.com/carinnjade?lang=en
Pop Fiction Women website: https://popfictionwomen.com/about-us/
Buy Her Book on Estelle’s Bookshop
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-astrology-house-carinn-jade/20704948?aid=98827&ean=9781668045961&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct&
Connect with Estelle
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
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Priscilla Gilman is the author of two memoirs, The Anti-Romantic Child (Harper, 2011) and The Critic’s Daughter (Norton, 2023) and a former professor of English literature at Yale University and Vassar College. The Critic's Daughter was a Washington Post Best Book of 2023, a New York Times Book Critics' Favorite Book of 2023, a Good Morning America Must-Read, one of the Los Angeles Times' book critic and Book Maven Bethanne Patrick's Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2023, one of the "18 Books Lilith magazine Loved in 2023," and 3rd on Bookreporter's Harvey Freedenburg's Favorite Books of 2023. Nick Hornby called The Critic’s Daughter “beautiful: honest, raw, careful, soulful, brave and incredibly readable," and Kiese Laymon declared: “The Critic’s Daughter is an exquisite and rare example of how the memoir needs as much inventiveness in scope and form as our most lush fiction and poetry…I’ve read few books in my life as skillfully executed and willfully conceived as The Critic’s Daughter.” Gilman’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, O, the Oprah Magazine, and elsewhere. She lives in New York City.
In this episode:
Priscilla’s search for her father as the genesis for 'The Critic's Daughter'
Outlining the ways she lost her father throughout her life
Her hypervigilance as a result of a childhood spent with famous and powerful parents
Crafting an elegy for a lost New York
“Streaks of love” and loss as throughlines of her book
Setting up the book as a series of acts straight from the theater
Reflecting on the brilliance of her father's writing and power as a critic while writing her own story
The challenges of navigating a personal and public persona
Priscilla’s journey to processing grief and healing as she “brought her father back” and gained clarity on his life through research and writing his story
Connect with Priscilla
Website: www.priscillagilman.com
Episode #52 Mentioned in this podcast
A Conversation with Claire Dederer About Monsters
https://estelleserasmus.com/a-conversation-with-claire-dederer-about-monsters/
Connect with Estelle
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
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Robin Finn, MPH, MA, is an award-winning writer, teacher, and coach, and the founder of Heart. Soul. Pen.® women’s writing workshops and Hot Writing™ where midlife and menopause inspire the desire to say what you mean without apologizing. She is the author of the new book, Heart. Soul. Pen.: Find Your Voice on the Page and in Your Life and the novel, Restless in L.A. Robin’s writing has appeared in national and international press, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the L.A. Times. A cum laude graduate of UCLA, she holds master’s degrees in public health from Columbia University and in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Robin teaches workshops across the U.S. and beyond to help women unleash their radical self-expression and grow, heal, and connect through writing. She lives in Los Angeles with her family and is a longtime advocate for children with ADHD and learning differences.
In this episode:
The importance of spiritual psychology in writing [2:37]
How beliefs impact our writing and revealing ourselves [5:39]
Designing a writing ritual that works for you [9:42]
Finding talismans for your creative work [13:00]
Anchoring to your intention when putting words on paper [13:29]
Diving into the promise of “trigger lines” [16:04]
Art School Trauma and how to avoid it [17:59]
At what point should writers get critical feedback? [19:57]
Advice for memoirists on telling your stories and radical self expression [21:46]
How to find inspiration through story prompts [23:48]
Connect with Robin
Website: https://www.robinfinn.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/robinfinnauthor
Facebook: https://facebook.com/robinfinnauthor
Connect with Estelle:
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
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
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ALIZA LICHT is an award-winning marketer, bestselling author, podcaster, personal branding expert, and the founder of LEAVE YOUR MARK, a multimedia brand and consultancy. She advises businesses and mentors individuals on brand building and career development. Licht leverages over two decades of expertise in marketing, communications, and digital strategy in the fashion industry. She was named one of "America's Next Top Mentors" by The New York Times and Business Insider's "Top 20 Most Innovative Career Coaches." As a social media pioneer and one of the first fashion influencers, Licht created and was the voice of the anonymous social media phenomenon DKNY PR GIRL. Licht is a sought-after keynote speaker and sits on several industry boards. Her first book, Leave Your Mark, was published in 2015. Her new book, On Brand: Shape Your Narrative. Share Your Vision. Shift Their Perception is a comprehensive roadmap to building your personal brand. She lives in New York City with her husband, two children, and two dogs. Find her online at alizalicht.com and @alizalichtxo.
In this episode:
The importance of personal branding in a chaotic publishing terrain
The evolution of Aliza’s “DKNY PR Girl” brand on old-school Twitter
Being the first fashion influencer
Creating a micro brand and brand guardrails
Finding permission to play
Addressing Founder and last name syndrome
Navigating the complex algorithms of social media
Advice on platform building for aspiring authors
Creative branding social media strategies to hook your audience
Does controversy sell?
The way Aliza worked branding and a signature look into her social media posting
How Aliza became an accidental activist when it comes to addressing the scourge of anti-semitism
Measuring each step you take against your own personal values.
Connect with Aliza
Website: https://alizalicht.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/alizalichtxo
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@alizalichtxo
X: https://twitter.com/alizalicht
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@alizalichtxo
Mentioned On the Podcast
Liz Elting’s episode #68 on Freelance Writing Direct
Dream Big and Win with Liz Elting
https://estelleserasmus.com/68-dream-big-and-win-with-liz-elting/
Aliza’s Linkedin Post that she references
Being a Jewish Activist Wasn’t On Brand for Me
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/being-jewish-activist-wasnt-brand-me-aliza-licht-jjpse/
Estelle’s article on Shondaland
I’m Learning to Listen in New Ways
https://www.shondaland.com/live/family/a46102451/im-learning-to-listen-in-new-ways/
Connect with Estelle:
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
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
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Ruth Bonapace’s surrealistic comic novel The Bulgarian Training Manual is an Elle Magazine 2024 top summer read. Publisher’s Weekly called it a “whimsical delight.” Her work has appeared in The Southampton Review, The Saturday Evening Post, Hippocampus, The New York Times and elsewhere. A former women's magazine editor and sports writer, Ruth has an MFA from Stony Brook University.
In this episode:
The concept of The Bulgarian Training Manual, and how it morphed from a short story to a full length book
Putting local angle, sites, personalities and pop culture into a novel
Imbuing research into a fictional story
Advice from a popular novelist that gave Ruth the freedom to write without worry
Incorporating magic, fairy tales, myth and archetypes into story
Ambiguity and shape shifting as a throughline and plot device
Focusing on characters’ organic transformations
Working speculative elements and whimsy into a story
The historical genesis of the fad diet from the book
The power of going down rabbit holes while writing
How Ruth found her publisher, Clash Books
Other episodes referred to:
Episode #89 Level Up Your Novel By Mastering Visual Imagery and Research Featuring Amanda Churchill
https://estelleserasmus.com/89-level-up-your-novel-by-mastering-visual-imagery-and-research/
Episode #95 The Catalysts and Craft for Charting and Plotting Novels Featuring Ann Hood
https://estelleserasmus.com/95-the-catalysts-and-craft-for-charting-and-plotting-novels-featuring-ann-hood/
Episode #35 Flying High with Storyteller Ann Hood
https://estelleserasmus.com/35-flying-high-with-storyteller-ann-hood/
Connect with Ruth
Website: https://www.ruthbonapace.com
X: https://x.com/ruthbonapace
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthbonapace/
Connect with Estelle
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
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.
Her latest post is on How to Pitch The Cut
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/how-to-pitch-the-cut-advice-ideas?r=aydx
Take Estelle’s Tantalizing Titles Craft Talk Webinar on October 2nd and learn to write compelling headlines for your essays and articles
https://craft-talks.com/event/tantalizing-titles/
Read her article A Good Title Is Vital: Getting The Hang of Writing Headlines on the Brevity Blog
https://brevity.wordpress.com/2024/09/19/a-good-title/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFY9uJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHdGEWO7rDBO8DFsPsPtmbO6xCZnqHdgQQ36iq_vNZP3xdgRjdz2AkPoHeg_aem_mBJph-U49oW2NCRDpG4aQg
Follow Her on Social Media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus
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Jane Friedman has spent nearly 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023. Her latest book is THE BUSINESS OF BEING A WRITER (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.
In this episode:
The ever changing publishing climate [3:52]
How not to be a supplicant with agents or gatekeepers [5:14]
Deciding on University or small presses and what they offer [13:33]
What does hybrid publishing really mean and how to vet a company [14:27]
The truth behind the costs of publishing [17:46]
The rapid ascendance of audiobooks and what it means for authors [27:35]
How AI is transforming the industry of audiobook production [30:39]
The dark side of AI generated materials on Amazon and Jane’s role in the fight against it [33:47]
The potential struggles of selling a memoir and how to navigate them [20:02]
What platform means for a writer and how to creatively work it [44:42]
How to thrive as an entrepreneur in the new creator economy [44:03]
Connect with Jane
Website: http://janefriedman.com
Pieces from Jane’s Site Mentioned in the Episode
Writing Lessons from Jane Austen
https://janefriedman.com/writing-lessons-from-austen-story-questions-and-northanger-abbey/
How to Write a Hybrid Memoir
https://janefriedman.com/how-to-write-a-hybrid-memoir/
Crafting Memoir with a Message
https://janefriedman.com/crafting-memoir-with-a-message-blending-story-with-self-help/
Connect with Estelle:
Watch Estelle’s solo episode #90 on the U.S. Book Show (mentioned in this episode).
https://estelleserasmus.com/90-bonus-episode-estelles-edge-on-the-u-s-book-show-2024/
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
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
Sign up for Her Class at NYU
Writing About Your Life Through Memoir, Essays and Articles
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Sign up for Estelle’s Tantalizing Titles Craft Talk Webinar October 2 https://craft-talks.com/event/tantalizing-titles/
Estelle will be doing the closing session of the ASJA virtual conference on September 26th with renowned memoirist Abigail Thomas. Read 8 Things You Didn’t Know about Abigail Thomas and Estelle Erasmus https://www.asja.org/abigail-thomas-and-estelle-erasmus/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus
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Wade Rouse is the USA TODAY, Publishers Weekly and #1 internationally bestselling author of 17 books, including five memoirs and 12 novels. His new novel, The Page Turner, will publish next spring from HarperCollins.
Wade’s books have been translated into nearly 25 languages and have been bestsellers across the world. His novel, The Secret of Snow, was recently optioned for a TV movie by the producers of the popular Netflix series, Ginny & Georgia.
He chose his grandmother’s name, Viola Shipman, as a pen name to honor the working poor Ozarks seamstress whose sacrifices changed his family’s life and whose memory inspires his fiction.
Wade’s books have been selected multiple times as Must-Reads by NBC’s Today Show as well as Michigan Notable Books of the Year. His memoirs and novels have been featured in the Washington Post, USA Today and on Chelsea Lately and chosen three times as Indie Next Picks by the nation’s independent booksellers. Wade was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards in Humor (he lost to Tina Fey) and was named by Writer’s Digest as “The #2 Writer, Dead or Alive, We’d Like to Have Drinks With” (Wade was sandwiched between Ernest Hemingway and Hunter Thompson).
Wade’s most recent novels were The Wishing Bridge and Famous in A Small Town, both instant national bestsellers as well as summer and winter book picks by Good Morning America, Reader’s Digest and Katie Couric. His most recent memoir, Magic Season, which detailed how the love of baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals was the only thing to bond him and his Ozarks father, was a Michigan Notable Book of the Year, a Barnes & Noble Father’s Day selection, a USA Today summer reading selection, and a Best Book of Summer by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Wade is a noted humorist, whose nonfiction has been selected as part of the American Library Association’s inaugural “Rainbow List” recognizing outstanding books with significant and authentic LGBTQIA+ content for readers.
A former journalist, magazine writer and People reporter, his writing has appeared in a diverse range of publications and media, including Coastal Living, Time, All Things Considered, Good Housekeeping, Parade, Salon, Forbes, Writer’s Digest and Publisher’s Weekly.
Wade earned his B.A. from Drury University and his master’s in journalism from Northwestern University. He divides his time between Saugatuck, Michigan, and Palm Springs, California, and is also an acclaimed writing teacher who has mentored numerous students to become published authors.
Wade hosts the popular Facebook Live literary happy hour, “Wine & Words with Wade,” every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. EST on the Viola Shipman author page where he talks writing, inspiration and hope, takes readers on tours of the places that inspire his novels, throws costumed monthly office parties, and welcomes bestselling authors and publishing insiders.
In this episode:
Why he decided to use his grandmother’s name as his pen name [2:01]
The key differences between writing memoir and fiction [5:46]
Honing the art of structuring memoir and fiction [12:23]
Writing with different POV’s and how it changes with his books [10:23]
How his friendships and relationships with women impact his writing as a gay man [10:35]
The way Wade made writing memoir less of an overwhelming process [15:45]
How Wade’s background as a journalist informs his writing [16:17]
Creating throughlines for his books [21:07]
The #1 question that he asks himself when it comes to writing [25:38]
Wade’s personal creative process for memoir and fiction [30:35]
Dealing with imposter syndrome early in the process [31:57]
The deeper reason behind why he writes books with positivity in a dystopian-focused publishing world [38:28]
Advice for writers at any stage of their career [42:22]
Connect with Wade:
Website: Wade Rouse https://waderouse.com:
Website: ViolaShipman.com (https://violashipman.com)
FB: Viola Shipman (https://www.facebook.com/authorviolashipman/)
FB: Author Wade Rouse (https://www.facebook.com/authorwaderouse/)
Instagram: Viola_Shipman (https://www.instagram.com/viola_shipman/)
IG: AuthorWadeRouse (https://www.instagram.com/authorwaderouse/)
Bookbub: @violashipman (https://www.bookbub.com/authors/viola-shipman)
Connect with Estelle:
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
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
Sign up for Her Class at NYU
Writing About Your Life Through Memoir, Essays and Articles
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Join her event at NYU on September 16th with Liz Elting, philanthropist and author of Dream Big and Win: Imbuing Memoir into Your Non-Fiction Book: When How-To Advice Just Isn’t Enough for An Author
https://events.nyu.edu/event/327539-imbuing-memoir-into-your-non-fiction-book-when
Take her Tantalizing Titles Craft Talk Webinar on October 2nd
https://craft-talks.com/event/tantalizing-titles/
Estelle will be doing the closing session of the ASJA virtual conference on September 26th with renowned memoirist Abigail Thomas. Read 8 Things You Didn’t Know about Abigail Thomas and Estelle Erasmus
https://www.asja.org/abigail-thomas-and-estelle-erasmus/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus
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Jeannine Ouellette’s lyric memoir, The Part That Burns, was a 2021 Kirkus Best Indie Book and a finalist for the Next Generation Indie Book Award in Women’s Literature. She is also the author of the picture book, Mama Moon. Her literary essays and short fiction have appeared widely in anthologies and journals, including Narrative, North American Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, Masters Review, Calyx, and many others. She holds an MFA in fiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a Millay Colony for the Arts fellow and past juror. Her bestselling Substack, Writing in the Dark, is a passionate creative community for people who “do language,” where writing is part of a deeper, vaster conversation about how attention, curiosity, playfulness, and surprise provide a portal to the profound on the path to becoming, because talking about “how to write better” without that larger context is kind of boring. Ouellette teaches writing at the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop and the University of Minnesota, where she also facilitates narrative health writing workshops for healthcare professionals and the public. She is working on a novel.
In this episode:
Finding her way into literary writing later in life [4:15]
Creating art that blurs boundaries [7:20]
Making magic with metaphor and the language of nature [9:34]
Dealing with difficult childhood experiences through writing [9:51]
Traversing the intersection of fiction and memoir [8:18]
Using writing rules and constraints to build a world on the page [12:15]
The workshop that broke Jeannine wide open [15:50]
The risk of writing from the perspective of a child narrator [22:52]
Writing about motherhood and being in one’s body [27:22]
Jeannine’s story of the growth of her substack and advice for building a profitable digital newsletter [41:13]
Connect with Jeannine:
Substack
Facebook
Instagram
X/Twitter
Connect with Estelle:
Watch Estelle’s episode #81 with Maggie Smith (mentioned in this episode). The Art of Shaping a Compelling Story
https://estelleserasmus.com/81-the-art-of-shaping-a-compelling-story-featuring-maggie-smith/
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
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
Sign up for Her Class at NYU
Writing About Your Life Through Memoir, Essays and Articles
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/1068-estelle-erasmus.html
Join her event at NYU on September 16th with Liz Elting, philanthropist and author of Dream Big and Win: Imbuing Memoir into Your Non-Fiction Book: When How-To Advice Just Isn’t Enough for An Author
https://events.nyu.edu/event/327539-imbuing-memoir-into-your-non-fiction-book-when?fbclid=IwY2xjawFEnWNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHayZ7DcHV5hE1dWDKx_7mxrzKunkeCmOLP5ncv5leyBYaYgN9nVARmaKGQ_aem_rc1K8aXMTNaDPdJ8t-QjCA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus
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Rona Maynard found happiness at 65—a story she tells in her new memoir Starter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging and Loving This World. She first broke into print at 14 with a short story about bullying and still receives fan mail from teens who are reading it in class. Rona capped a stellar career in magazines with a decade at the helm of Chatelaine, Canada’s leading magazine for women. Her editor’s column won a loyal following. When she disclosed a struggle with depression, she helped kickstart a national conversation about mental health. After Chatelaine, Rona had to learn to unwind—and found that her best teacher was a rescue mutt who had received his basic training in a prison. She has been married more than 50 years and is a firm believer that road trips go better with a dog in the back seat.
In This Episode:
The important step Rona took while looking for her next chapter [3:19]
How she tests the waters by sharing mini stories on Facebook [5:36]
Giving your reader a reason to turn the page [7:48]
Why beautiful writing isn’t enough [8:07]
Living in the moment with a dog and how Rona applied that to her life [9:02]
Inviting readers into the book with your sense of mission [10:12]
Working as an editor-in-chief at Chatelaine and what that showed her about herself [11:20]
Discovering what makes her day glow and finding purpose [13:01]
Mining the conflict in your story [15:00]
Rona’s advice for organizing your writing and effectively using tools like Scrivener [16:15]
Writing your stories, even when the memories are hard [29:04]
Why she doesn’t do the “vomit” draft [31:49]
Connect with Rona
Substack: https://ronamaynard.substack.com/
Website:http://www.ronamaynard.com
Connect with Estelle:
Sign up for Estelle’s September 5th free Zoom AMA with journalist Aly Walansky from 4:30-5:30 PM ET, where they will discuss pitching, publishing, grabbing an editor’s attention, working with editors, and getting noticed by pr people, and so much more. Email Estelle at [email protected] with your question for the AMA and to secure your spot.
Watch Estelle’s episode #99 with Aly Walansky
https://estelleserasmus.com/99-notes-from-a-lifestyle-journalist-with-10k-substack-subscribers/
Watch Estelle’s episode #38 with Cheryl Strayed
https://estelleserasmus.com/38-cheryl-strayed-on-writing-and-tiny-beautiful-things/
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
See Estelle’s latest blog post with news
https://estelleserasmus.com/a-few-pieces-of-exciting-news/
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Pre-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
Estelle’s latest substack post on Micro Memoir
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/if-you-are-writing-a-micro-memoir
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus
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Elissa Bassist is the editor of the “Funny Women” column on The Rumpus and the author of the award-deserving memoir Hysterical. As a founding contributor to The Rumpus, she’s written cultural and personal criticism since the website launched in 2009. Most recently her writing appears in her newsletter, Tragedy Plus Time. Elissa teaches humor writing at The New School, 92NY, Lighthouse Writers Workshop, and elsewhere, and she is probably her therapist’s favorite. Her next book is INSIDE JOKES: A Comedy and Creativity Guide for All People, coming in 2026.
In This Episode:
Writing with humor on heavy topics aka “traumedy” [3:08]
Why Elissa wrote Hysterical [4:11]
The Importance of external validation [4:41]
The value of researching her book and how Elissa did it [6:28]
Cultivating an external world for your book in the midst of great interiority [8:30]
Why its essential to work with an agent and editor who understands you [12:01]
Standing up to your editor and agents and why you might need to break up with them [12:57]
The benefits of stalking (and writing about) your obsessions [18:16]
An unusual horror film that put her life in perspective [21:39]
Explaining why the footnote was the essay [23:24]
The life affirming advice she received from Cheryl Strayed [25:26]
Elissa’s role at The Rumpus [26:14]
Her next big project [31:45]
Connect with Elissa
Website | Classes | Newsletters
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Elissa’s viral piece on the Human Centipede for The Paris Review
https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2012/11/01/the-human-centipede-or-how-to-move-to-new-york/
Connect with Estelle:
Watch Estelle’s episode #38 with Cheryl Strayed (who gave the advice to Elissa she mentions in Episode #101)
https://estelleserasmus.com/38-cheryl-strayed-on-writing-and-tiny-beautiful-things/
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
See Estelle’s latest blog post with news
https://estelleserasmus.com/a-few-pieces-of-exciting-news/
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
Estelle’s latest substack post on Micro Memoir
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/if-you-are-writing-a-micro-memoir
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus
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Beth Ann Fennelly, Poet Laureate of Mississippi from 2016-2021, teaches in the MFA Program at the University of Mississippi where she is a four-time teaching award winner. She’s received grants from the N.E.A., the United States Artists, the Academy of American Poets, and a Fulbright to Brazil. Her work has won a Pushcart Prize and three times been included in The Best American Poetry Series. Fennelly has published three poetry books: Open House, Tender Hooks, and Unmentionables, and a book of nonfiction, Great with Child, all published with W. W. Norton. A novel she co-authored with her husband, Tom Franklin, called The Tilted World, was published by HarperCollins. Her sixth book, Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs (W. W. Norton), was named an Atlanta Journal Constitution Best Book, a Goodreaders Favorite for 2017, and the winner of the Housatonic Book Prize. Fennelly and Franklin live in Oxford with their three children.
In this episode:
Beth Ann's writing journey [5:29]
Coining the concept of micro memoir [8:00]
Taking personal anecdotes and making them resonate [8:37]
The evolution of how Beth Ann structured her book [9:00]
Crafting through lines with purpose [15:28]
The art of collaborating with a partner on a novel and how Beth Ann made it work [15:28]
Why you can’t ignore the concept of fun when it comes to writing [19:43]
Why transitions need to be addressed carefully [24:42]
Establishing an effective writing practice [28:00]
Connect with Beth Ann Fennelly
Website: https://www.bethannfennelly.com/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/bethann.fennelly.9
Instagram: https://instagram.com/bethannfennelly
Listen to her TedX Talk
How Literature Can Help Us Develop Empathy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nJv8sxpUKU&t=334s
See Her Talk for The Moth
The Proper Time to Eat
https://themoth.org/stories/the-proper-time-to-eat
Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs and The Tilted World on Estelle’s Bookshop
https://bookshop.org/shop/EstelleSErasmus
Connect with Estelle:
Estelle’s New York Times Essay Singing My Dad Back to Me
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/well/family/singing-my-dad-back-to-me.html
Episodes Referenced Here
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/
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/
Ann Hood
Episode #95 The Catalysts and Craft for Charting and Plotting Novels https://estelleserasmus.com/95-the-catalysts-and-craft-for-charting-and-plotting-novels-featuring-ann-hood/
Episode #35 Flying High with Storyteller Ann Hood
https://estelleserasmus.com/35-flying-high-with-storyteller-ann-hood/
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
See Estelle’s latest blog post with news
https://estelleserasmus.com/a-few-pieces-of-exciting-news/
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Pre-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
Estelle’s latest substack post on Micro Memoir
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/if-you-are-writing-a-micro-memoir
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus
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Aly Walansky has been covering lifestyle topics, with a focus on food, travel, and cocktails, for two decades. She's done all of this living and working (and eating!) from a tiny New York City studio apartment — so she knows a thing or two about cooking and eating well on a budget, in small spaces -- and sharing it with her audience. Her daily Substack newsletter goes out to close to 10,000 people each day.
In this episode:
How Aly Walansky found her niche.[3:26]
Secrets of building sustainable relationships with editors [4:43]
The gift of Substack when it comes to time management [6:10]
How Aly created content during the pandemic [10:17]
Her experience writing for 10,000 substack subscribers and what she offers paid subscribers. [12:59]
How she structures her AMAs [14:26]
The new wave of AI in Journalism [15:55]
Adding yourself into the story [17:30]
The importance of a social media footprint for writers, even if you’re an introvert [20:52]
Connect with Aly
alywalansky.substack.com
Connect with Estelle:
Watch Estelle’s episode #88 with Former HARO Founder, Peter Shankman
https://estelleserasmus.com/88-the-founder-of-haro-peter-shankman-a-hero-to-journalists-on-deadline-launches-source-of-sources/
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
See Estelle’s latest blog post with news
https://estelleserasmus.com/a-few-pieces-of-exciting-news/
Get Her Book
Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0
Pre-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
Estelle’s latest substack post on Micro Memoir
https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/if-you-are-writing-a-micro-memoir
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus
- Näytä enemmän
