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

Laura Carney is a writer and copy editor in New York. She's been published by the Washington Post, the Associated Press, The Hill, Runner's World, People magazine, Guideposts, Good Housekeeping, The Fix, Upworthy, Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper and other places, and her book My Father's List: How Living My Dad's Dreams Set Me Free is being published by Post Hill Press in June 2023. Her work as a copy editor has been primarily in magazines, for 20 years, including Good Housekeeping, People, Guideposts, Vanity Fair, and GQ. In this episode: The genesis of Laura's book about fulfilling her father's bucket list The art of detailing an emotional journey in a book Finding the spiritual throughline in a story Building a publicity machine Giving yourself grace during the writing process Laura's actionable tips for new authors Connect with Laura: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myfatherslist/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lac30 Website: http://www.bylauracarney.com Connect with Estelle: Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Available wherever books are sold at https://estelleserasmus.com/books/writing-that-gets-noticed/ Adjunct Instructor, NYU https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/1068-estelle-erasmus.html (Sign up for my latest classes) Recipient 2023 NYU SPS Teaching Excellence Award Sign up for my newsletter: https://estelleserasmus.com Sign up for my substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSErasmus Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@estelleserasmus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estelle.sobel.erasmus/ Estelle's Classes: https://estelleserasmus.com/teaching-speaking/ Email Estelle: freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for Sponsorship opportunities.

Kelly McMasters is a professor, mother, and former bookshop owner living in New York. Along with The Leaving Season: A Memoir in Essays, she is the author of Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir of an Atomic Town, an Orion Book Award finalist and inspiration for the documentary "The Atomic States of America," which premiered at Sundance. She is co-editor with Margot Kahn of This is the Place: Women Writing about Home and the national bestseller Wanting: Women Writing About Desire. She teaches at Hofstra University. In this episode: Advice for writing a literary memoir How Kelly structured her book: a memoir in essays. Kelly's reason for loving the essay form, and how she uses it to tell a compelling story The art of making a choice on what to show in the work Braiding different themes into your book How writers can build a supportive network with other writers. Connect with Kelly: Website: kellymcmasters.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelly_mc_masters/ Order The Leaving Season: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393541053 Connect with Estelle: Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Available wherever books are sold at https://estelleserasmus.com/books/writing-that-gets-noticed/ Adjunct Instructor, NYU https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/1068-estelle-erasmus.html (Sign up for my latest classes) Recipient 2023 NYU SPS Teaching Excellence Award Sign up for my newsletter: https://estelleserasmus.com Sign up for my substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSErasmus Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@estelleserasmus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estelle.sobel.erasmus/ Estelle's Classes: https://estelleserasmus.com/teaching-speaking/ Email Estelle: freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for Sponsorship opportunities.

Cheryl Strayed is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, which was made into an Oscar-nominated film. Her bestselling collection of Dear Sugar columns, Tiny Beautiful Things, was adapted for a Hulu television show and as a play that continues to be staged in theaters nationwide. Strayed's other books are the critically acclaimed novel, Torch, and the bestselling collection Brave Enough, which brings together more than one hundred of her inspiring quotes. Her books have sold more than 5 million copies around the world and have been translated into forty languages. Her award-winning essays and short stories have been published in The Best American Essays, the New York Times, the Washington Post Magazine, Vogue, and elsewhere. Strayed has also made two hit podcasts, Dear Sugars, which she co-hosted with Steve Almond, and Sugar Calling. She lives in Portland, Oregon. In this episode: How Cheryl started writing the Dear Sugar column Writing anonymously vs not anonymously Covering the truth when writing When a book turns into a series Her philosophy on life and literature Cheryl's writing craft tips Connect with Cheryl: Website: https://www.cherylstrayed.com Substack: https://cherylstrayed.substack.com Connect with Estelle: Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Available wherever books are sold at https://estelleserasmus.com/books/writing-that-gets-noticed/ Adjunct Instructor, NYU https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/1068-estelle-erasmus.html (Sign up for my latest classes) Recipient 2023 NYU SPS Teaching Excellence Award Sign up for my newsletter: https://estelleserasmus.com Sign up for my substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSErasmus Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@estelleserasmus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estelle.sobel.erasmus/ Estelle's Classes: https://estelleserasmus.com/teaching-speaking/ Email Estelle: freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for Sponsorship opportunities.

Jane L. Rosen is an author, screenwriter, and Huffington Post contributor. She lives in New York City and Fire Island with her husband and three daughters. She is the author of Nine Women, One Dress, Eliza Starts a Rumor, A Shoe Story and On Fire Island. In this episode: Writing to heal Creating characters based on personal life experiences Writing a book about grief and infusing humor into the story Finding a way to write during a busy life Jane's background as a screenwriter Connect with Jane: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janelrosen/ Get On Fire Island: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593546105?ref_=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_EPVQ6B5Q9RPGGNCG2WNY Connect with Estelle: Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Available for pre-order. https://lnkd.in/eyxFTpcA Adjunct Instructor, NYU https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/1068-estelle-erasmus.html (Sign up for my latest classes) Recipient 2023 NYU SPS Teaching Excellence Award Sign up for my newsletter: https://estelleserasmus.com Sign up for my substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSErasmus Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@estelleserasmus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estelle.sobel.erasmus/ Estelle's Classes: https://estelleserasmus.com/teaching-speaking/ Email Estelle: freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for Sponsorship opportunities.

Zibby Owens is an author, award-winning podcaster, entrepreneur and CEO. Owens founded Zibby Media, a privately held media company in 2018 with her award-winning podcast Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books. The company has since grown to include the publishing house Zibby Books, the magazine, Zibby Mag, the podcast Network, Zibby Audio, the education platform, Zibby Classes and community events like retreats, a book club, and a writing community. She was celebrated as New York's most powerful book-fluencer by New York Magazine. Owens is a regular contributor to Good Morning America and other broadcast outlets. She's the author of the memoir Bookends, a memoir of love loss in literature, the children's book, Princess Charming, and the editor of Two Anthologies. Owens is a graduate of Yale University in Harvard Business School. She lives in New York with her husband, Kyle Owens of Morning Moon Productions, and her four children. In this episode: How Zibby started her publishing company. Tips for telling an interesting story. What types of books Zibby is looking to publish through Zibby Books. How Zibby manages multiple business ventures. Finding community in the publishing world. Connect with Zibby: Website: https://www.zibbyowens.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zibbyowens/ Zibby Media: https://www.zibbyowens.com/zibby-media-overview BLANK: A NOVEL: https://www.zibbyowens.com/blank Zibby's Books: https://www.zibbyowens.com/writing Connect with Estelle: Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Available for pre-order. https://lnkd.in/eyxFTpcA Adjunct Instructor, NYU https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/1068-estelle-erasmus.html (Sign up for my latest classes) Recipient 2023 NYU SPS Teaching Excellence Award Sign up for my newsletter: https://estelleserasmus.com Sign up for my substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSErasmus Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@estelleserasmus

When Ann was in seventh grade, she read a book called How To Become An Airline Stewardess that fueled her desire to see the world. In Ann's words: "And that's just what I did when I graduated from URI--I went to work for TWA as a flight attendant. Back then, I thought you needed adventures in order to be a writer. Of course, I know now that all you need, as Eudora Welty said, is to sit on your own front porch. But I did see a lot of the world with TWA, and I moved from Boston to St. Louis and finally to NYC, a place I'd dreamed of living ever since I watched Doris Day movies as a little girl. I wrote my first novel, Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine, on international flights and on the Train to the Plane, which was the subway out to JFK. It was published in 1987. Since then, I've published in The New York Times, The Paris Review, O, Bon Appetit, Tin House, The Atlantic Monthly, Real Simple, and other wonderful places; and I've won two Pushcart Prizes, two Best American Food Writing Awards, Best American Spiritual Writing and Travel Writing Awards, and a Boston Public Library Literary Light Award. In this episode: How Ann's flight attendant background inspired her writing Picking a time container to set your story in Writing about grief and loss after personal experiences Finding a writing process that works for each individual person Tips for getting figuring out the freelance market Advice on crafting your writing for the Modern Love column Connect with Ann: Website: https://www.annhood.us/ Connect with Estelle: Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Available for pre-order. https://lnkd.in/eyxFTpcA Adjunct Instructor, NYU https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/1068-estelle-erasmus.html (Sign up for my latest classes) Recipient 2023 NYU SPS Teaching Excellence Award Sign up for my newsletter: https://estelleserasmus.com Sign up for my substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSErasmus Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@estelleserasmus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estelle.sobel.erasmus/ Estelle's Classes: https://estelleserasmus.com/teaching-speaking/ Email Estelle: freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for Sponsorship opportunities.

Dawn Raffel's sixth book, Boundless as the Sky, is just out. In a starred advance review, Publishers Weekly wrote, "Raffel draws inspiration from Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities and the history of Chicago's 1933 World's Fair for this sublime collection.... This is one to savor." Her previous book, The Strange Case of Dr. Couney, was chosen as one of NPR's best books of 2018 and awarded a Christopher Award for books that affirm the highest values of the human spirit. Previous books include a memoir, a novel, and two story collections. Her writing has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, BOMB, New Philosopher, The San Francisco Chronicle, Conjunctions, Open City, The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories and numerous other periodicals and anthologies. Following a long run as a senior-level magazine editor, she is now the fiction editor of the Northwest Review and works as an independent editor for individuals and creative organizations. She teaches at the Center for Fiction and International Literary Seminars, and serves as a mentor at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs. In this episode: How to become a better writer when you have little time to focus on writing Tips on writing a big story with lots of resources. Putting together a system for researching stories for books Finding a structure in longer pieces Writing a Diptych Actionable tips about writing Dawn's best tips for self editing What writing teachers need to provide their students Connect with Dawn Website: https://www.dawnraffel.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dawnraffel/ Boundless as the Sky The Strange Case of Dr. Couney Dawn's photo credit for her headshot is Claire Holt. Connect with Estelle: Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Available for pre-order. https://lnkd.in/eyxFTpcA Adjunct Instructor, NYU https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/1068-estelle-erasmus.html (Sign up for my latest classes) Recipient 2023 NYU SPS Teaching Excellence Award Sign up for my newsletter: https://estelleserasmus.com Sign up for my substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSErasmus Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@estelleserasmus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estelle.sobel.erasmus/ Estelle's Classes: https://estelleserasmus.com/teaching-speaking/ Email Estelle: freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for Sponsorship opportunities.

Alisha Fernandez Miranda is the author of My What If Year, which was released in February 2023. Detailing her year of unpaid internships in the dream jobs of her childhood, the book follows Alisha on her quest to figure out what might have happened if her life had taken a different path. Alisha and her story have been featured on Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC and as one of People's Best New Books. She serves as former CEO and current Chair at I.G. Advisors, an award-winning social impact intelligence agency that consults with the world's biggest non-profits, companies and foundations on their philanthropy and social impact. Alisha is a proud graduate of Harvard University and the London School of Economics. Her writing has been published in Vogue, Romper, The Good Trade, Insider and more. She currently lives in Scotland with her husband and children. In this episode: How Alisha came up with the idea for her book, and brought it to life Working with Zibby Owen's publishing company How Alisha wrote a book based on her life experiences while building a company, traveling, and being a mom How she incorporates her family into her adventures What's next for Alisha? Connect with Alisha: Website: https://www.alishafmiranda.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alishafmiranda/ Connect with Estelle: Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Available for pre-order. https://lnkd.in/eyxFTpcA Adjunct Instructor, NYU https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/1068-estelle-erasmus.html (Sign up for my latest classes) https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Recipient 2023 NYU SPS Teaching Excellence Award YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreelanceWritingDirect Sign up for my substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Website: https://estelleserasmus.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSErasmus Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@estelleserasmus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estelle.sobel.erasmus/ Estelle's Classes: https://estelleserasmus.com/teaching-speaking/ Estelle's Substack: https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Email Estelle: freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com

Vanessa Hua is the author of the national bestsellers A River of Stars and Forbidden City, as well as Deceit and Other Possibilities, a New York Times Editors Pick. A National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellow, she has also received a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, and a Steinbeck Fellowship in Creative Writing, as well as awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association, among others. A former longtime columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, her work has appeared in publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, and The Atlantic. She is a Visiting Writer at Saint Mary's College of California, and has taught at the Warren Wilson MFA Program, Sewanee Writers Conference, and elsewhere. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. In this episode: How Vanessa meshes her journalism background into her fiction writing Tips for building scenes in your writing Pantser or Plotter: Which is she? How Vanessa has shifted genres throughout her career Connect with Vanessa: Twitter: https://twitter.com/vanessa_hua Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mononoke97/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/vanessahuawriter Website: www.vanessahua.com Connect with Estelle: Website: https://estelleserasmus.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSErasmus Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@estelleserasmus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estelle.sobel.erasmus/ Estelle's Classes: https://estelleserasmus.com/teaching-speaking/ Estelle's Substack: https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Available for pre-order. https://lnkd.in/eyxFTpcA Email Estelle: freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com

Linda Lowen is a Syracuse, NY-based writer, editor, writing instructor, and freelance reviewer/critic. She is a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly covering Adult Memoir/Nonfiction, and Children's Fiction/Nonfiction including YA, middle grade, graphic novels and picture books. She's a theater critic at the Syracuse Post-Standard / syracuse.com, and she reviews for Blue Ink Review which focuses on the self-publishing industry. Linda's nonfiction has been published in the Sunday New York Times and in "Tiny Love Stories: True Tales of Love in 100 Words or Less" (Artisan Books 2020). She's the author of her hometown's first travel guidebook, "100 Things to Do in Syracuse Before You Die," (Reedy Press 2022) and her next book "Secret Syracuse: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure," will be published in Fall 2023. Both were written in a tight, condensed time frame under contract: 100 days for "100 Things," and less than 60 days for "Secret Syracuse." In her previous life, she was an award-winning radio/television producer and talk show host in upstate New York, and content creator for MSN.com and the New York Times Company-owned website About.com. She also works with New Bridge Educational Consulting as an Essay Specialist advising high school students applying to college on best practices in writing their admissions essays. She specializes in short-form creative nonfiction, and teaches online and at conferences and workshops throughout the Northeast. In this episode: The benefit of restricting yourself to a niche. How to tell a narrative with less words. Tips on bringing out the story behind the emotion. Practicing self-care while writing a book Connect with Linda: Website: https://lindalowen.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-lowen/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alwayswantedtowrite/ Connect with Estelle: Website: https://estelleserasmus.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSErasmus Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@estelleserasmus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estelle.sobel.erasmus/ Estelle's Classes: https://estelleserasmus.com/teaching-speaking/ Estelle's Substack: https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Available for pre-order. https://lnkd.in/eyxFTpcA Connect with Sherry: Website: https://sherrybeckpaprocki.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paprockisherry/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherry.paprocki Twitter: https://twitter.com/sherrypaprocki Book: www.freelancefancy.com If you've enjoyed our podcast, please leave us a review. Reviews help bring our podcast in front of more people. We want to hear from you. For questions, ideas for future episodes, and thoughts on our episodes, email us at freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com.