Before we begin an announcment: I'm so excited to be speaking with celebrity makeup artist Ramy Gafni in the next episode of my Substack Live series, Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story. Join us on Thursday, July 30, at 4 p.m. ET as we go behind the scenes of magazine makeovers, beauty photo shoots, and editorial life in the '90s and early 2000s, when print was king and I was a magazine editor. We'll share stories about what really happened behind the pages and how those iconic beauty features came together. I've known Ramy for more than 30 years, and I can't wait to introduce him to you in this conversation. More details, including how to tune in, are below. https://open.substack.com/live-stream/286869?utm_source=live-stream-scheduled-upsell
Now on to today's episode:
In this episode, I chat with bestselling author Bonnie Friedman about her debut novel Don't Stop and the fascinating shift from writing acclaimed nonfiction to crafting an immersive literary novel. Bonnie shares how she learned to relinquish some of the control that comes with essay writing, allowing characters to surprise her while creating a psychologically rich reading experience.
We explore obsession, hidden desires, secret lives, the role of psychology in fiction, writing compelling intimacy, sustaining suspense across chapters, and the technical differences between essays and novels. Bonnie also reveals how an unexpected dinner conversation led directly to her publishing deal and why writers benefit from building genuine literary friendships.
Bonnie has generously agreed to give away a copy of Don't Stop to one of my paid Substack subscribers. If you are interested please check out any of my recent substack posts, become a paid subscriber, and comment on it that you'd like to be considered for the giveaway. U.S. residents only. Look for it at https://estelleserasmus.substack.com The winner will be selected on August 6th.
In this episode:
- Why Bonnie wanted fiction to feel immersive rather than analytical
- The differences between writing essays and writing novels
- How psychology shapes believable characters
- Writing obsession without judging the character
- Why literary fiction isn't the same as erotica
- Keeping readers turning pages through unresolved endings
- How to transition from chapter to chapter
- Letting characters evolve naturally over a long narrative
- The surprising story behind Bonnie's publishing deal with Europa Editions
- Why writing communities and literary friendships matter
Watch on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX0CuxegAZE
About Bonnie
Bonnie Friedman's debut novel, Don't Stop, was recently published by Europa Editions. She is also the author of the bestselling, widely anthologized Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction, and Other Dilemmas in the Writer's Life, named one of the ten best books for writers by The Center for Fiction and Poets & Writers. She is also the author of two memoirs, The Thief of Happiness: The Story of an Extraordinary Psychotherapy and Surrendering Oz: A Life in Essays, which was long listed for the PEN Award in the Art of the Essay. Her essays have been selected for inclusion in The Best Writing on Writing, The Best American Movie Writing, The Best Buddhist Writing, and The Best Spiritual Writing. She has taught writing at Dartmouth College, NYU, and most recently The University of North Texas.
Links
Website: https://www.bonniefriedman.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bonnie.friedman.79
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Private Small-Group Memoir/Essay Class My next six-week session beginning in September 2026 is sold out. Please email me to be added to the waiting list for the next session. Contact [email protected] for details.
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BookWriting That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers."
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About EstelleEstelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, TEDx speaker, and author of Writing That Gets Noticed. She is the host, founder, and executive producer of Freelance Writing Direct, an adjunct professor at NYU, and the former editor-in-chief of five national magazines with a combined reach of 10 million readers.
Her work has appeared in more than 150 publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, PBS/Next Avenue, The Independent, and AARP The Magazine.
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