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

Becca Powers is a USA TODAY best-selling author, renowned keynote speaker, Fortune 500 sales executive, and visionary behind The Dragonfly Effect, which she leads as a transformative movement inspiring positive change and resilience. Through The Dragonfly Effect, Becca empowers high performers to embrace adaptability, growth, and impactful purpose. She has shared her inspiring journey from minimum-wage worker to award-winning Fortune 500 leader with organizations like Cisco, Dell, Carrier Global, and Royal Caribbean. Her insights have been featured in Business Insider, Newsweek, Forbes, USA TODAY, and more. Her books, A Return to Radiance and Harness Your Inner CEO, and her podcast, The emPOWERed Half Hour, deliver practical tools for personal and professional growth. Becca's proprietary POWER Method teaches individuals the skills and tools to integrate career success with creative fulfillment, cultivating happier, healthier, and more impactful lives. Certified in Kundalini Yoga and trauma-awareness, Becca incorporates these healing practices to help clients overcome limiting beliefs and achieve new heights. Dedicated to philanthropy, she supports causes like the Alzheimer's Association, Believe Ranch, and Feeding America. As a sought-after speaker, Becca's transformative insights inspire audiences to join The Dragonfly Effect movement, to embrace and share qualities like resilience, adaptability, and purpose to elevate impact around the globe . She resides in South Florida with her firefighter husband, their blended family of four young adult children, two french bulldogs, and a pitbull mix. In this episode: The inspiration behind her book, A Return to Radiance [3:24] The underlying spiritual component of success [4:50] How witnessing her family member's disconnect shaped her understanding of radiance. [6:13] Becca's proprietary Power Method and how she used it as an acronym to structure the book. [9:41] Challenges Becca faced on when to go into teacher mode, and when to go into personal storytelling [12:29] Making each theme in her book digestible to the reader [16:46] Adding stories of transformation from Becca's coaching clients into the book for another layer of expertise [19:08] What Becca means when she writes "bear hugging the uncomfortable." [23:49] How Becca's book melds the spiritual and the practical into an accessible package. [25:24] Connect with Becca Powers Website: https://www.beccapowers.com/ Connect with Estelle Erasmus Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle's help with. ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social

Alyson Shelton writes about women across mediums + genres. In the film To Hold The Night she tackles a psychological thriller through fractured realities and self-invention. In her comic Reburn she centers a superpowered and mutli-faceted heroine, and in Eve of Understanding, the award winning feature she wrote and directed, the narrative delves into childhood secrets and their ongoing repercussions. She hosts a weekly Instagram Live series inspired by George Ella Lyon's poem, Where I'm From, where she's welcomed over 160 writers and creatives. And her own Where I'm From poem provides the spine for her memoir in essays, currently in revision. Her writing has been published widely at outlets including The New York Times, Ms., The Rumpus and more. She is thrilled to be a contributor to the essay collections, Broken Free: Writers on Estrangement (Forthcoming from Catapult in 2026) and Comics Lit Vol. 1 , to host her podcast, Fine Cut for Femme On Collective and to be co-founding a Sibling Loss community and co-editing an anthology entitled, The Loss of a Lifetime: Advice from Grieving Siblings on Loss, Love and Hope. You can learn more about her through her website, www.alysonshelton.com and her Instagram @byalysonshelton In this episode: The genesis of her Where I'm From poetry series, inspired by George Ella Lyon's poem [1:18] The importance of specificity when storytelling [8:05] How storytelling through poetry and fiction can clarify complex relationships and help heal and process childhood trauma [12:32] The difference between writing from the "scar" versus writing from the "wound" [16:19] A discussion of anticipatory grief when it comes to estrangement [13:01] Tips for writers on channeling difficult emotions into creative works [15:54] Alyson's personal experience towards growth and self-acceptance [17:27] Advice for writers on how to have give themselves self-care while writing memoir [26:17] Connect with Alyson Shelton Website: https://www.alysonshelton.com Where I'm From Poems https://www.alysonshelton.com/where-im-from.html#/ Jeannine Ouellette's episode referenced #103 Launching into New Dimensions with Embodied Writing https://estelleserasmus.com/103-launching-into-new-dimensions-with-embodied-writing/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwAksUboWwYOEM785ZQMpRw/videos Estelle's Episode of Where I'm From #163 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiHBtSDWEpI Instagram https://instagram.com/byalysonshelton Connect with Estelle Erasmus Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle's help with. ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social

Athena Dixon is the author of essay collections The Incredible Shrinking Woman and The Loneliness Files and her work appears in publications such as Harper's Bazaar, Shenandoah, Grub Street, Narratively, and Lit Hub among others. She is a Consulting Editor for Fourth Genre and the Nonfiction/Hybrid Editor for Split/Lip Press. In this episode: How the Pandemic pushed Athena into writing essays [3:26] The extreme loneliness epidemic in our country [5:35] How Athena explored loneliness in throughlines of grief, the concept of a "split self", and journals [7:57] Why she used a multi-tiered braided essay in the collection [10:15] How she used the vessel of the body to play with the fear of the heart [11:09] The influence of her fanfiction fixation on Athena's writing and ability to daydream a new reality [14:11] Her use of intention and ritual as a roadmap for bringing romance to fruition [16:51] Athena's editorial work with Fourth Genre and Split Lip Press [24:44] Why Athena now values her loneliness and moments of isolation as a tool in her tool kit [25:47] Advice for identifying a strong throughline in your essay collection [32:45] Keys to figuring out the right format for your stories, when deciding between memoir or a memoir in essays [35:42] Buy The Loneliness Files on Estelle's Bookshop https://bookshop.org/p/books/loneliness-files-cl-athena-dixon/19712061?aid=98827&ean=9781959030126&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct Connect with Athena Website: www.athenadixon.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_muse_paper/?hl=en TikTok https://tiktok.com/@AthenaDIxon BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/athenadixon.bsky.social Split Lip Press https://www.splitlippress.com/ Fourth Genre Magazine https://fourthgenre.org/ Episode mentioned with Jeannine Ouellette #103 Launching into New Dimensions with Embodied Writing https://estelleserasmus.com/103-launching-into-new-dimensions-with-embodied-writing/ Connect with Estelle Erasmus Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle's help with. ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social

Christie Tate is an essayist and author who writes creative nonfiction and memoir. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Group, which was a Reese's Book Club selection and has been translated into 19 languages. She is also the author of B.F.F.-- A Memoir of Friendship Lost & Found. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and elsewhere. Her essays have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes, and Kiese Laymon selected her essay, Promised Lands, as the winner of the New Ohio Review's 2019 nonfiction contest. She writes about addiction, eating disorders, friendship, alienation, recovery, and her Grandma's farm in Forreston, Texas. She grew up in Dallas and now lives in Chicago with her family. She has finally stopped telling people that she graduated first in her law school class. Please don't hate her because she has no pets. In This Episode: The inspiration behind Christie's memoir, Group, and its impact on readers worldwide [3:08] The inciting incident that drove the rest of her book [4:24] How she initially started with a prologue that became her ending and why she made that choice [5:41] Why vulnerability and honesty are crucial in her storytelling [6:02] The ticking time bomb that informed her memoir and why that's key to building dramatic tension [7:37] How group therapy transformed her life and how 'prescriptions' offered a structure for her writing [8:54] The key to using detail and specificity to bring readers into the story [11:33] Her advice for aspiring writers: go where the "heat" is, and how to do that [28:13] How Christie found her throughline and worked it into the memoir [29:27] The power of images in writing [32:36] What to do when you get stuck and how being a reader before a writer, helps [33:54] Connect with Christie Tate Website: https://www.christietate.com/ Books: https://www.christietate.com/writetogetherworkshops-1 Buy Group on Estelle's Bookshop https://bookshop.org/p/books/group-how-one-therapist-and-a-circle-of-strangers-saved-my-life-christie-tate/15065918?ean=9781982154622 Connect with Estelle Erasmus Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle's help with. ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social

Hannah Sward, daughter of the late poet Robert Sward, is the IAN awarding-winning author of Strip: A Memoir. Strip, Swards first book, has received the attention of authors such as Nobel Prize winner, J.M. Coetzee, Melissa Broder, and NYT Bestselling novelist Caroline Leavitt who called Sward, "One of the most moving and honest memoir writers. So eloquent, so brave." Sward has spoken on dozens of podcasts and panels with special appearances on NBC CA Live and C-SPAN BookTV. Published in literary journals for the past twenty years, she was a regular contributor at The Fix and Erotic Review. Her most recent work can be read in the LA Times, NY Times (TLS), Huff Post, The Rumpus and others. Sward is on the board at Right to Write Press, a nonprofit that supports emerging incarcerated writers. She lives in Los Angeles where she is working on a short story collection about love and jealousy. In this episode: Hannah Sward's life story and the inspiration behind her memoir, Strip. [2:33] The impact of loneliness and addiction on childhood and young adulthood [3:35] Refusing to center in shame, despite fraught scenarios [6:30] How Hannah started writing her memoir, and traversed the path of sobriety [6:50] The benefits of mentorship [7:49] Structuring a book in short chapters [8:33] Her 2 page a day process for putting down her truth [8:48] Excavating childhood memories [10:36] Distilling scenes and setting from her dad's poetry [11:50] The scene she had to rewrite till she got it right [13:39] Navigating family reactions, especially with difficult topics [16:02] Looking at older work and readying it for publication [22:18] Hannah's next project [25:12] Get Strip on Estelle's Bookshop https://bookshop.org/p/books/strip-a-memoir-hannah-sward/18101649?ean=9781948954679 Episodes Mentioned Episode #120 Writing Days of Wonder Featuring Caroline Leavitt https://estelleserasmus.com/120-writing-days-of-wonder-featuring-caroline-leavitt/ Episode #87 Writing Memoir that Reads Like a Novel and Captivates on Every Page with Joanna Rakoff https://estelleserasmus.com/87-writing-memoir-that-reads-like-a-novel-and-captivates-on-every-page-featuring-joanna-rakoff/ Connect with Hannah Sward Website https://www.hannahsward.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hannahswardauthor Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hannahswardauthor Threads https://www.threads.net/@hannahswardauthor Connect with Estelle Erasmus Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle's help with. ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social

Krishan Trotman is the co-author of the Queens of the Resistance series and Vice President, Publisher of Legacy Lit, an imprint at Hachette Book Group in New York. She was recently profiled in the New York Times and Essence magazine as one of the few African American publishing executives. She has committed over fifteen years to publishing books by and about multicultural voices and social justice. Throughout her career, she has proudly worked with leaders and trailblazers on this frontier such as John Lewis, Stephanie Land, Malcolm Nance, Zerlina Maxwell, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Al Roker, Ed Gordon, Lindy West, and other dynamic celebrity and bestselling authors. She is the self-described Beyoncé of Books, and mom to her son Bleu. In this episode: The importance of partnership in publishing and how to make it work [2:41] How to navigate your book's cover design conundrums [3:50] The benefits of acting proactively [9:45] Legacy Lit's mission and the true meaning of diversity in publishing [13:22] How Krishan sources writers for Legacy Lit and what to do to get on her radar [15:55] How publishers support their authors and uplift voices that might not be heard [16:01] How Krishan uses her spidey sense to make deals [17:58] An big announcement about Legacy Lit the types of books they are acquiring [19:53] How Audiobooks can make a difference [26:30] What will make you a writer that will get a publishing contract? [35:08] Connect with Krishan and Legacy Lit Website https://www.krishantrotman.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KrishanTrotmanInks Instagram https://www.instagram.com/krishantrotman LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishan-trotman-14936934/ Threads https://www.threads.net/@krishantrotman Legacy Lit Website https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/landing-page/about-legacy-lit/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legacylitbooks/?hl=en Facebook https://www.facebook.com/legacylithbg/ Twitter https://x.com/legacylitbooks/status/1794073420914913357 Connect with Estelle Erasmus Estelle's episode #119 analyzing the publishing landscape Estelle's Edge on Steering Through the Publishing Gauntlet https://estelleserasmus.com/119-solo-episode-estelles-edge-on-steering-through-the-publishing-gauntlet/ Estelle's substack post on getting her audio book dea If You Are Thinking About Doing an Audiobook: https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/if-you-are-thinking-of-doing-an-audiobook Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle's help with. ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social

Caroline Leavitt is the New York Times bestselling author of 13 novels, most recently Days of Wonder, which was a CBS/Mary Calvi bookclub pick, the recipient of a MidAtlantic Arts Foundation grant, and which was translated into Russia and has a shopping agreement for film. The co-founder of A Mighty Blaze, the book program begun the day of lockdown, she writes a column blog "Runs in the Family" for Psychology Today, and is a book critic for people and the recipient of a New York Foundation of the Arts Fellowship. She teaches story structure for the novel at UCLA Writers Program Extension and works with private clients. Her work has appeared in the New York Times "Modern Love," New York Magazine, Salon, Lit Hub, The Millions and many anthologies. Caroline is longlisted for the 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize. In this episode: The Inspiration Behind 'Days of Wonder' Caroline's process for crafting her story with themes and structures Turning trauma into art Navigating dual timelines The art of multiple POVs in her writing Writing with themes of change, redemption, and societal perception The importance of perseverance in the writing industry Caroline's advice for aspiring writers Connect with Caroline Instagram https://www.instagram.com/carolineleavitt/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/carolineleavitt TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@carowriter99 Website: www.carolineleavitt.com Connect with Estelle Erasmus Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle's help with. ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social

The publishing industry is going through a groundbreaking sea change, reminiscent of the early days of the Internet. In this episode, Estelle Erasmus speaks about the current state of the publishing landscape, changes she is seeing, how to traverse them, and what to expect going forward. Estelle discusses the significant challenges faced by editors and writers due to the rise of AI, ongoing layoffs with media companies, the diminishing presence of print magazines, and the increasing presence of the digital world. In this episode: Estelle's insights on the changes within the publishing industry. The decline of print magazines and the rise of social media, and what that means now The importance of good writing skills - and how to use it to break through the noise Exploring Substack and new publishing models What book publishers find valuable. Hint: it's not necessarily social media followers The future of legacy media How to keep an audience's/reader's attention Connect with Estelle Erasmus Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle's help with. ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social

Julie Pfitzinger has been with Next Avenue, a digital publication of Twin Cities PBS, for seven years and is the Managing Editor and Senior Editor for Features. She has worked as a writer and editor for more than 25 years; her work has appeared in publications including the Star Tribune and Minnesota Parent. For several years, she was a managing editor for the community lifestyle magazine group at Tiger Oak Media in Minneapolis, where she also served as writer and editor for Saint Paul Magazine and other Tiger Oak publications. In this episode: Julie's 25-year career in writing and editing [2:33] What types of articles Next Avenue publishes [3:47] The changing demographic of Next Avenue's readers [4:37] The topics the publication covers, including retirement, health, volunteering, money, caregiving, relationships and lifestyle [4:37] How and where to pitch observational personal essays and articles [6:49] The way that Next Avenue prefers to cover parenting in stories and why the holidays is such a key time [6:57] When humor pieces work [9:51] What makes an older story relevant? [10:23] The pandemic's impact on older generations and what kinds of pitches on COVID work [15:40] The specific (but easy) pitching portal, word count, pay and rights [20:41] Why Next Avenue doesn't do roundups [24:07] Criteria for writing about travel for the publication [24:14] Julie's joy at working with writers [37:22] Connect with Julie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julie.pfitzinger?mibextid=LQQJ4d Connect with Next Avenue Next Avenue Submission Guidelines https://www.nextavenue.org/submission-guidelines/ Pitching Portal for Next Avenue https://airtable.com/apppNGXCs7kzbdiJr/pago2SiOjXEVW7s7E/form Stories Mentioned in This Episode The Founding Mothers of NPR https://www.nextavenue.org/founding-mothers-of-npr/ My Parenting Strategy Was Too Effective https://www.nextavenue.org/it-turns-out-my-parenting-strategy-was-too-effective/ Sorry Nobody Wants Your Parents' Stuff https://www.nextavenue.org/nobody-wants-parents-stuff/ Lying for Love: The Psychology of Catfishing https://www.nextavenue.org/lying-for-love-the-psychology-of-catfishing/ Two Adoptions, One Family: A Story of Two Brothers https://www.nextavenue.org/two-adoptions-one-family-a-story-of-two-brothers/ Don't Tell Me To Stop Saying 'Don't' https://www.nextavenue.org/dont-tell-me-to-stop-saying-dont/ Estelle's new Essay on Next Avenue Lessons from a Babysitter with a Restless Spirit https://www.nextavenue.org/lessons-from-a-babysitter-with-a-restless-spirit/ Connect with Estelle Erasmus Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle's help with. ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social

Ann Garvin, Ph.D. is the USA Today Bestselling author, finalist for the Thomas Wolf Fiction Prize, and freelance contributor at the New York Times. Ann is a nurse, scientist, educator and author of six funny and sad novels. She writes about women who do too much in a world that asks too much from them. She currently teaches creative writing at Drexel University in their low residency MFA program and is the founder of the multiple award-winning Tall Poppy Writers. In this episode: The background of Bummer Camp [2:26] How Ann structured the transformation of each character in her novel [5:27] The way she built in conflict and roadblocks for each of her characters [8:34] How Ann equates structuring her book to painting a wall [13:09] What Ann does when she underwrites to fill in the gaps [17:58] Focusing on action and movement in the book [20:47] How Ann uses the endings of chapters to "open the door" to the next chapter [22:17] Ann's groundbreaking way of promoting the book [29:17] Connect with Ann https://anngarvin.com Twitter: https://x.com/AnnGarvin_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anngarvin_/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnWertzGarvin?ref=br_tf Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ann.w.garvin Ann's Modern Love essay He Wanted To Date Younger Women https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/07/style/modern-love-he-wanted-to-date-younger-women.html Buy Bummer Camp on Estelle's Bookshop https://bookshop.org/p/books/bummer-camp-ann-garvin/21144547?aid=98827&ean=9781662518560&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct& Connect with Estelle Erasmus Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle's help with. ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle's Personal Essay Class for Writer's Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle's NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social