#115 Coaching Episode: Estelle's Edge on Crafting Notable Narratives

Deborah Copperud is a freelance writer, independent podcast producer, and former reference librarian. Her writing has been published in Glamour, Racket, Defenestration, Great River Review, Potomac Review, Door Is A Jar, Another Chicago Magazine, and Blue Earth Review, and her Substack newsletter Deborah Copperud Shops at Target. Her work is forthcoming in The Rumpus and Good Tape. She co-hosts the It's My Screen Time Too and Spock Talk podcasts and teaches podcasting for Minneapolis Community Education. Copperud is currently at work on an essay collection about volunteering, a subject she's uniquely qualified to cover, having volunteered as a preschool choir accompanist, Democratic party activist, elementary school library book shelver, rock band cellist, potluck block party organizer, and Chess Club scorekeeper. Copperud holds a B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota and a master's in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She enjoys jogging and biking around the Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis, where she lives with her husband and three children.

In This Episode:

• What lane to choose when there are so many?

• An exercise that Estelle suggests to do for clarity

• Why information is power and how to accrue it

• Building an information network

• Finding agents by thinking outside the box

• Changing your mindset to a positive one

• Finding the hook in your writing

• Framing a story in a timely way

• Adding in layers to create depth in an essay

• Using mind mapping to find your focus

• Getting the SEO juice in your title

Connect with Deborah

Substack: 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