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

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

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

Di: Estelle Erasmus
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 Want to get published or land a book deal? Join TEDx speaker and author Estelle Erasmus for smart writing tips, publishing insights, and behind-the-scenes advice for fiction writers, memoirists, and authors at every stage. Winner of the 2025 Podcast of the Year (Education) from the American Writing Awards, Freelance Writing Direct is your go-to podcast for writing tips, publishing advice, and insider strategies to help you get published—whether in essays, memoir, fiction, books, or journalism. Hosted by Estelle Erasmus—award-winning journalist, TEDx speaker, NYU writing professor, and author of Writing That Gets Noticed (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers)—this show blends writing craft, career strategy, and behind-the-scenes publishing insight. Each week, Estelle shares short, practical episodes full of: Writing tips for essays, memoir, and books Pitch strategies that get editors' attention Publishing advice from agents and bestselling authors Solo episodes, coaching episodes and candid conversations with industry insiders Whether you're just starting your freelance writing journey or aiming for your next book deal, you'll find actionable tools, story prompts, and the momentum you need to grow your writing career. Listeners often ask: *How do I get published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, or WIRED? *What writing tips will make my voice stand out? *How do I find an agent or land a book deal? *What do editors actually want? *How do I shape my personal story for publication? You're in the right place. It's time to elevate your writing—with Freelance Writing Direct. 🎙️ About Estelle Erasmus Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, TEDx speaker, and author of Writing That Gets Noticed. She's a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, an adjunct writing professor at NYU, and the former editor-in-chief of five national magazines. Estelle's work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, AARP, Next Avenue, and The Independent, among 150+ other outlets. She is also the host of Freelance Writing Direct, named the 2025 Podcast of the Year in the Education category by the American Writing Awards. Learn more: estelleserasmus.com Newsletter: estelleserasmus.substack.com Social: @EstelleSErasmus on Instagram, X, Threads, and LinkedIn2022 Economia Gestione e leadership Leadership Successo personale Sviluppo personale
Episodi
  • #176 The Domino Effect of Plot: Writing Emotionally Complex Characters with Tova Mirvis

    #176 The Domino Effect of Plot: Writing Emotionally Complex Characters with Tova Mirvis
    Jan 29 2026
    Family loyalty can push ordinary people toward unimaginable choices. Estelle Erasmus chats with novelist and memoirist Tova Mirvis about her latest book, We Would Never, a gripping murder mystery inspired by a true crime case. While real events sparked the novel, the plot ultimately emerged from the emotional choices her characters make, with each decision setting off the next. Tova reveals that the real work happened on the inside, as she burrowed into the emotional lives of her characters: the anger, loyalty, fear, and love that drive people to extremes. In this episode: How a true crime case inspired We Would Never while leaving room for invention [3:02] Lessons from memoir writing applied to fiction [4:02] Crafting morally complex characters readers can still empathize with [6:38] Writing fiction as a mystery the reader wants to solve [7:05] The back-and-forth between character development and plot creation [8:59] Writing dialogue that escalates tension and reveals moral fault lines [16:24] Using empathy to explore difficult or morally ambiguous actions [19:45] The painstaking revision process and knowing when a novel is truly finished [20:49] Techniques for building suspense and pacing in emotionally charged narratives [29:22] Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/U0RPCcdmIVI About Tova: Tova Mirvis is the author, most recently, of the novel We Would Never which was published by Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Her memoir The Book of Separation was a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice and excerpted in the New York Times Modern Love Column. She is also the author of three prior novels, Visible City, The Outside World and The Ladies Auxiliary which was a national bestseller. Her essays have appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe Magazine, Real Simple and Psychology Today, and her fiction has been broadcast on NPR. Connect with Tova: We Would Never: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214151513-we-would-never Website: https://www.tovamirvis.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tovamirvis/ Get More from Estelle Upcoming Webinar with Writer's Digest: Amplifying the Echo Effect in Memoir and Essays, February 26th, 1:00-2:30 pm ET If you want to understand how patterns, callbacks, and emotional echoes can deepen your work, join me for this brand new interactive craft webinar. Learn more and register here. https://writersdigestuniversity.mykajabi.com/amplifying-the-echo-effect-in-memoir-and-essays Learn with Estelle: • NYU Zoom Course: Writing About Your Life Through Memoir & Essays — Discover how to beat writer's block, shape a powerful narrative, pitch editors, and walk away with a ready-to-publish essay or memoir pages. https://www.sps.nyu.edu/courses/WRIT1-CE9800-writing-about-your-life-through-memoir-essays-and-articles.html Private Small-Group Memoir Class — January and March are sold out. Next 6-week session begins May 2026. Email me at freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for details and to get on the waiting list. Read & Subscribe • Substack:— NEW POST: On Craft, Revision, and the Paragraph You Almost Cut https://estelleserasmus.substack.com Newsletter: Sign up at estelleserasmus.com for show updates + a free Pitching Guide. Watch: Estelle's TEDx Talk — How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpcWmjpzSIQ Book: Writing That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers." https://www.amazon.com/Writing-That-Gets-Noticed-Storyteller/dp/1608688364 Listen: Freelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2025 Podcast of the Year (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast/ About Estelle Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist,TEDx Speaker, author of Writing That Gets Noticed, and host of Freelance Writing Direct. An 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 has served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines. Follow Estelle: • Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus • TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus • Twitter: @EstelleSErasmus • BlueSky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social
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    32 min
  • #175 From Mews(es) to Manuscript: How Inspired by Cats Became an Illustrated Literary Book

    #175 From Mews(es) to Manuscript: How Inspired by Cats Became an Illustrated Literary Book
    Jan 22 2026
    Did you know that cats have, in their feline way, shaped some of the greatest writing careers in literary history? Bob Eckstein and Nava Atlas join Estelle Erasmus to talk about their collaboration on Inspired by Cats: Writers and Their Mews(es), a visually rich book exploring the creative bond between writers and their feline companions. The conversation traces how the idea evolved from a shareable literary roundup into a full-scale book published by Norton. Bob and Nava unpack their creative process, from cleanly dividing roles between writing and illustration to navigating permissions, estates, and revisions. This episode is especially valuable for writers curious about collaboration, research-driven books, illustration partnerships, and finding inspiration beyond the page. In this episode: How Inspired by Cats: Writers and Their Mews(es) grew from a literary roundup into a full book [1:10] Why cats consistently emerge as ideal creative companions for writers [3:01] What Bob and Nava learned about collaboration, trust, and dividing creative roles [9:40] What working with estates, living authors, and editors really involves [12:30] Surprising discoveries about famous writers and their feline companions [20:15] The importance of curation and surprise when shaping a narrative-driven book [24:19] How tight word limits can sharpen writing instead of limiting it [30:46] What the project revealed about inspiration, discipline, and the writing life [32:20] Bob Eckstein previously appeared on Freelance Writing Direct to talk about his work and career, and listeners may enjoy revisiting that episode alongside this conversation. #86 The Way of an Author and Illustrator: Finding Inspiration in Art. https://estelleserasmus.com/86-the-way-of-an-author-and-illustrator-finding-inspiration-in-art-featuring-bob-eckstein/ Watch on YouTube:https://youtu.be/PDRCFOiCLn4 Inspired by Cats Writers and Their Mews(es): https://wwnorton.com/books/9781682689493 Bob Eckstein is a NY Times bestseller, award-winning illustrator, New Yorker cartoonist, and world's leading snowman expert. His newest books are Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums and Inspired by Cat: Writers & Their Mews(es). Connect with Bob Website Bob's Latest Book on Estelle's Bookshop Instagram Twitter TikTok Facebook Substack Podcast: The Cartoon Pad Nava Atlas has some twenty books to her credit. She's known for her many vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, most recently the 5th edition of Vegan Soups and Stews for All Seasons. Nava is also the author of visual nonfiction, notably Literary Ladies Guide to the Writing Life, which spun off to the web archive LiteraryLadiesGuide.com, dedicated to women's classic literature, with millions of views logged. Her latest book is Inspired by Cats: Writers and Their Mews(es), illustrated by Bob Eckstein. She's working on Women Writing Dangerously, a visual history of banning, censorship, and silencing of women's literature. She lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York state. You can find her at LiteraryLadiesGuide.com and TheVeganAtlas.com. Connect with Nava https://literaryladiesguide.substack.com https://theveganatlas.substack.com Get More from Estelle Upcoming Webinar with Writer's Digest: Amplifying the Echo Effect in Memoir and Essays, February 26th, 1:00-2:30 pm ET If you want to understand how patterns, callbacks, and emotional echoes can deepen your work, join me for this brand new interactive craft webinar. Learn more and register here. https://writersdigestuniversity.mykajabi.com/amplifying-the-echo-effect-in-memoir-and-essays 🎓 Learn with Estelle: • NYU Zoom Course: Writing About Your Life Through Memoir & Essays — Discover how to beat writer's block, shape a powerful narrative, pitch editors, and walk away with a ready-to-publish essay or memoir pages. https://www.sps.nyu.edu/courses/WRIT1-CE9800-writing-about-your-life-through-memoir-essays-and-articles.html Private Small-Group Memoir Class — January and March are sold out. Next 6-week session begins May 2026. Email me at freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for details and to get on the waiting list. 📰 Read & Subscribe • Substack:— NEW POST: On Craft, Revision, and the Paragraph You Almost Cut https://estelleserasmus.substack.com • Newsletter: Sign up at estelleserasmus.com for show updates + a free Pitching Guide. 🎤 Watch: Estelle's TEDx Talk — How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpcWmjpzSIQ 📘 Book: Writing That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers." https://www.amazon.com/Writing-That-Gets-Noticed-Storyteller/dp/1608688364 🎧 Listen: Freelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2025 Podcast of the Year (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast/ About Estelle Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist,TEDx Speaker, author of Writing That Gets Noticed, and host of Freelance Writing Direct. ...
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    37 min
  • #174 Forgiveness Without Apologies. Writing a Mother-Daughter Memoir

    #174 Forgiveness Without Apologies. Writing a Mother-Daughter Memoir
    Jan 15 2026
    Forgiveness doesn't erase the past. It changes who gets to control your present. In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus talks with filmmaker, writer, and coach Gayle Kirschenbaum and her 102-year-old mother, Mildred Kirschenbaum, about their volatile, funny, and hard-won evolution from conflict to connection. Gayle shares the story behind her debut memoir, Bullied to Besties: A Daughter's Journey to Forgiveness, including the relentless criticism she grew up with, the physical toll it took, and the moment she realized the only way forward was to stop living as a victim. The conversation also explores generational silence around feelings, antisemitism and identity, and the surprising way Mildred became Gayle's most rigorous story consultant, even when she appears as the "villain" in the narrative. It's a candid look at what forgiveness can mean when the other person doesn't change, but you do. In this episode: How childhood dynamics quietly shape identity, health, and self-trust [5:17] Why Gayle decided forgiveness was the only way forward [7:55] Generational silence, emotional truth, and the limits of understanding [10:05] Structuring a memoir through therapy, flashbacks, and confrontation [15:54] Mildred's perspective on her parenting and how intention & impact don't always align [17:54] Using journals, letters, and family archives as memoir source material [24:47] Seeing a parent as a wounded child and how that reframed everything [29:29] What it looks like to reclaim agency while staying in relationship [30:00] Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xQcs4nOjODM Connect with Gayle and Mildred: Website: https://www.gaylekirschenbaum.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glkirschenbaum/?hl=en Bullied to Besties: A Daughter's Journey To Forgiveness: https://www.gaylekirschenbaum.com/bullied-to-besties Look At Us Now, Mother!: https://www.gaylekirschenbaum.com/look-at-us-now-mother Get More from Estelle Upcoming Webinar with Writer's Digest: Amplifying the Echo Effect in Memoir and Essays, February 26th, 1:00-2:30 pm ET If you want to understand how patterns, callbacks, and emotional echoes can deepen your work, join me for this brand new interactive craft webinar. Learn more and register here. https://writersdigestuniversity.mykajabi.com/amplifying-the-echo-effect-in-memoir-and-essays 🎓 Learn with Estelle: • NYU Zoom Course: Writing About Your Life Through Memoir & Essays — Discover how to beat writer's block, shape a powerful narrative, pitch editors, and walk away with a ready-to-publish essay or memoir pages. https://www.sps.nyu.edu/courses/WRIT1-CE9800-writing-about-your-life-through-memoir-essays-and-articles.html Private Small-Group Memoir Class — January and March are sold out. Next 6-week session begins May 2026. Email me at freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for details and to get on the waiting list. 📰 Read & Subscribe • Substack:— NEW POST: On Craft, Revision, and the Paragraph You Almost Cut https://estelleserasmus.substack.com • Newsletter: Sign up at estelleserasmus.com for show updates + a free Pitching Guide. 🎤 Watch: Estelle's TEDx Talk — How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpcWmjpzSIQ 📘 Book: Writing That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers." https://www.amazon.com/Writing-That-Gets-Noticed-Storyteller/dp/1608688364 🎧 Listen: Freelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2025 Podcast of the Year (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast/ About Estelle Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist,TEDx Speaker, author of Writing That Gets Noticed, and host of Freelance Writing Direct. An 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 has served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines. Follow Estelle: • Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus • TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus • Twitter: @EstelleSErasmus • BlueSky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social
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    43 min
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