#150 Coaching Episode: From Reported to Personal—Crafting and Pitching Essays That Sell

Have you spent your writing career telling other people's stories—and now you're ready to tell your own? In this live coaching session, Estelle Erasmus works with award-winning freelance writer Pamela M. McBride to explore how seasoned journalists and content writers can make the shift into personal essay writing—without losing sight of strategy, clarity, or publishing goals.

Pamela M. McBride is an award-winning freelance writer with hundreds of published articles on career management, leadership development, Diversity & Inclusion, military life, health and wellness, culture, and lifestyle topics. She is a contributing author to Sisters from AARP and her work has appeared in Essence Magazine, Black Enterprise Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Military Families Magazine, and Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps Times. Pamela co-authored The Mocha Manual to Military Life: A Savvy Guide for Wives, Girlfriends and Female Service Members and Work It Girl: The Black Woman's Guide to Professional Success. She is an honoree at the 2025 Black Authors Festival, and serves on the Armed Services Arts Partnership Alumni Board.

In this episode:

• How to strategically submit personal essays while preserving memoir material [4:15]

• Why most essays need a strong throughline—and how to find yours [8:56]

• How to build a submission system and stay current with editors [9:46]

• Tips for pitching personal essays with compelling titles and angles [23:49]

• Building a pitching system that works [21:46]

• The real expectations around editor feedback and revision today [32:44]

• The benefits of writing micro memoirs like Tiny Love Stories [34:35]

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7hP5giZSe2M

Connect with Pamela

Website: http://PamelaMcBrideOnline.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelammcbride

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamelamcbride1/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@pamelamcbride1

Order Her Book: https://www.amazon.com/Mocha-Manual-Military-Life-Girlfriends/dp/0061690481/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-2oztME1qMuqxU9lpJ4Zmw.yY_DLMRAGMPGLAxNr9YJ6Rpk7xYSh8gKit5Cg-EKXLs&qid=1750043754&sr=8-1

Connect with Estelle:

Related Episodes

#123 Christie Tate

https://estelleserasmus.com/123-writing-about-trauma-using-timelines-throughlines-and-imagery-with-christie-tate/

Joanna Rakoff

#87 https://estelleserasmus.com/87-writing-memoir-that-reads-like-a-novel-and-captivates-on-every-page-featuring-joanna-rakoff/

#116 Abigail Thomas

https://estelleserasmus.com/116-conversations-with-abby-ruminations-on-writing-featuring-abigail-thomas/ and

#83 https://estelleserasmus.com/83-writing-your-way-into-an-engaging-and-enthralling-story-featuring-abigail-thomas/

Solo Episode #141 on AI https://estelleserasmus.com/141-solo-episode-estelles-edge-on-how-ai-is-disrupting-content-marketing/

Pitching to Editors

https://estelleserasmus.com/72-pitching-to-editors-examples-and-advice/

Other Coaching Episodes

#115 Crafting Notable Narratives

https://estelleserasmus.com/115-coaching-episode-estelles-edge-on-crafting-notable-narratives/

#84 Getting Your Writing Noticed

https://estelleserasmus.com/84-estelles-edge-live-coaching-to-get-your-writing-noticed/

Get More from Estelle:

📬 Newsletter + FREE Pitching Guide Find out more about this episode and get Estelle's free pitching guide when you sign up for her newsletter: https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast

🎤 TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond Estelle blends personal storytelling with actionable strategies for standing out—starting with a chaotic moment involving Thomas the Tank Engine. 📺 Watch, comment, and share

About Estelle:

Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, author of Writing That Gets Noticed (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers), and host of Freelance Writing Direct—2025 Podcast of the Year (Education), American Writing Awards. A Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest and adjunct professor at NYU, her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, PBS/Next Avenue, The Independent, and AARP: The Magazine. She's served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines.

Explore More:

• 📘 Writing That Gets Noticed – Buy the book | Audiobook

• 📰 Subscribe on Substack: https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Latest posts: "Stop Counting Your Words. Start Shaping Your Story" and "How to Get Published in Cosmopolitan or Seventeen"

• 🎧 More episodes: Freelance Writing Direct Podcast

• Read Estelle's latest article How to Use the Internet to Become Your Own Private Investigator (Next Avenue/PBS)

Classes:

📝 Two spots left in Estelle's September/October 6-week Zoom fiction class. Email: freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for info.

Here is the link to Mapping Your Memoir: How to Find the Heart and Shape of Your Story, the webinar I am leading for Writer's Digest on October 9th.

https://writersdigestuniversity.mykajabi.com/mapping-your-memoir

Follow Estelle:

• Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus

• TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus

• Twitter: @EstelleSErasmus

• BlueSky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social