Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle

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: [email protected]

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 [email protected].

Kim Foley MacKinnon is a Boston-based editor, journalist, and travel writer. She is the executive editor of Girl Camper Magazine, and is currently serving as the president of the Society of American Travel Writers, the country's most esteemed travel writing organization. Over the past 15 years, her work has appeared in the Boston Globe, AAA Horizons, Daily Candy, Global Traveler, Business Traveller, Lola, Boston Herald, Parents magazine, Bay State Parent, and many other publications. She has also written four guidebooks and contributed to several others. Her latest book is 100 Things to Do on Cape Cod & the Islands.

In this episode:

• How Kim started writing about travel.

• Advice for getting started writing in the travel industry.

• Finding your niche in travel writing.

• Details on joining Society of American Travel Writers

Connect with Kim:

Website: https://www.escapewithkim.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-foley-mackinnon-160b996/

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

Girl Camper: https://girlcamper.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

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 [email protected].

Sheryl Ziegler, Psy.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Play Therapist in private practice. She is the author of Mommy Burnout: how to reclaim your life and raise healthier children in the process. She is a regular national and local news contributor on topics related to parenting and mental health and did a Tedx talk on "Why Moms are Miserable" which is all about the power of connection. She is the host of Dr. Sheryl's PodCouch and the founder of the parent-child puberty course, Start with the Talk. She is a frequent speaker on chronic stress, parenting and burnout both in the workplace and at home. Dr. Ziegler is Colorado's NBC affiliate (9News) Parenting Expert for the franchise series Mental Health & Me.

In this episode:

• Tips and tricks on getting great sound bites from the people you are interviewing.

• Examples of effective sound bites — and why they work.

• The benefits of working with a ghostwriter.

Connect with Sheryl:

Website: https://drsherylziegler.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrSherylZiegler

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsherylziegler/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mommyburnout

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 [email protected].

Shelby Leigh is a bestselling poet who writes about mental health, self love, healing, and more. She is a mental health advocate and a book marketing strategist. She has been writing on internet for more than 7 years, amassing a following of more than 500,000 readers.

She is the author of the #1 best selling book Changing with the Tides, and just released the book Girl Made of Glass. Shelby empowers writers to show up on social media and promote their books through courses and guides.

In this episode:

• How Shelby started sharing her poems online.

• The marketing aspect of writing a book.

• "BookTok" and advice for creating content on TikTok.

Connect with Shelby:

Website: https://shelbyleigh.co/

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shelbyleighpoetry

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shelbyleighpoet

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@shelbyleighpoetry

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/classes

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.

Stacey is a former senior editor at Remodeling Magazine, and today she writes mostly about the Build World from her home in Pittsford, New York. You can find her by-lines in publications like Better Homes and Gardens and USA Today Special Interest Publications, AARP online; Forbes.com; REALTOR magazine; Professional Builder; Products; Professional Remodeler; Custom Builder; Timber Home Living, Country's Best Cabins, Remodeling, Window & Door Magazine, Rochester Magazine, Canandaigua Magazine, Net Assets; AKC's Family Dog; Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Washington Post, Baltimore Jewish Times.

She is also the co-author of Hiking the Catskills: A Guide to the Area's Greatest Hikes. Stacey holds an MFA from George Mason University and has taught writing at George Mason, George Washington, Marymount and Georgetown University. She also teaches at the writers center in Washington D.C. and Writers and Books in Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York.

Her essay, Tourist No More, which is her contribution to the book She Can Find Her Way: Women Travelers at Their Best was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is currently working on a novel. When not writing, Stacey loves to hike, read and bake – but, of course, not all at once.

In this episode:

• The importance of creating relationships with editors.

• Tips Stacey learned through her journey in freelancing.

• How Stacey balanced writing a book, while still writing and publishing articles.

• Stacey's advice on productivity.

Connect with Stacey:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-freed-0099573/

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/classes

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 [email protected].

In this episode, Estelle Erasmus and Sherry Paprocki speak with Allison K. Williams.

Allison has edited and coached writers to deals with Penguin Random House, Knopf, Mantle, Spencer Hill, St. Martin's, and independent presses. She has guided essayists to publication in the New Yorker, Time, the Guardian, the New York Times, McSweeney's, and TED Talks. As Social Media Editor for Brevity, she inspires thousands of writers with blogs on craft and the writing life. She's also the author of Get Published in Literary Magazines.

A former circus performer, Allison has written for NPR, CBC-Canada, the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, Creative Nonfiction, McSweeney's, Kenyon Review Online and Travelers' Tales.

In this episode:

• Allison's journey from circus performer to writer and editor

• Tips for self-editing your work

• The benefit of writing retreats

Connect with Allison:

Website: https://allisonkwilliams.com

Get Seven Drafts: http://sevendrafts.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/guerillamemoir

Facebook: awilliamscdn

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

Allison's upcoming class: Project Memoir April 20 - June 8, 2023 https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1Pmsc4NUcGaf3lXpvt2NbqQfMRaSBAgBX

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/classes

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 [email protected].

In this episode, Estelle Erasmus and Sherry Paprocki speak with Noah Michelson.

Noah is the Editorial Director of HuffPost Personal and the host of "D Is For Desire," HuffPost's love and sex podcast. He joined HuffPost in 2011 to launch and oversee the site's first vertical dedicated to queer issues, Queer Voices, and went on to oversee all of HuffPost's community sections before pivoting to create and run HuffPost Personal in 2018. He received his MFA in Poetry from New York University and has served as a commentator for the BBC, MSNBC, Entertainment Tonight, Current TV, Fuse, Sirius XM and HuffPost Live.

In this episode:

• Noah's unlikely start to his career in journalism.

• The emotional impact of telling stories that resonate.

• What Noah looks for in a story from a writer.

Connect with Noah:

HuffPost Profile: https://www.huffpost.com/author/noah-michelson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoahMichelson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noahmichelson1/

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

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/classes

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 [email protected].

In this episode, Estelle Erasmus and Sherry Paprocki spoke with editor/author, Alan Henry.

Alan Henry is the author of Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized. He is a service journalist and editor who writes and commissions stories that help readers make better use of technology and embrace a healthier relationship with it in their lives. He is currently the special projects editor at WIRED. He was previously the Smarter Living editor at the New York Times, and before that the editor in chief of the productivity and lifestyle blog Lifehacker.

In this episode:

• Connecting with editors and understanding what they want to publish.

• How to be seen in the workplace.

• Henry's tips for freelancers on writing and self-editing.

• Advice on working with a publishing company.

Connect with Alan:

Email: [email protected]

Personal Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.alan-henry.net

Twitter: https://twitter.com/halophoenix

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/classes

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 [email protected].

In this episode, Estelle Erasmus speaks with News Anchor, Jen Maxfield.

Jen Maxfield is an Emmy-award-winning reporter and anchor for NBC New York in 2013. Prior to joining the station, she worked for Eyewitness news as a reporter and substitute anchor for 10 years. She started her broadcasting career in 2000 in upstate New York and moved to the city in 2002. She has reported live from 1000s of news events over her 22-year career and estimates that she has interviewed more than 10,000 people.

In addition to being a journalist, she is an adjunct professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, teaching courses in broadcast journalism including Video 1 and On-Air skills. Maxfield's first book, More After the Break: A Reporter Returns to Ten Unforgettable News Stories, the book was published in July 2022 and was an instant Amazon bestseller. She loves coming back to her alma mater to educate a new generation of journalists.

In this episode:

• Writing a book that elicits strong emotions and navigating those feelings.

• The value of community.

• Jen's tips for 'writing for the ear' aka television, radio, and video.

• Interviewing techniques for broadcast journalism.

• Advice on facing rejection and not allowing the word "no" to get in your way.

Connect with Jen:

Website: https://www.jenmaxfield.com

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

Purchase More After the Break: https://www.jenmaxfield.com/author/

Send us an email: [email protected]

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/classes

Estelle's Editor-on-Call event March 2nd in collaboration with NYU: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/editor-on-call-tips-from-a-new-york-times-editor-to-get-you-published-tickets-478568911497

Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: Available for pre-order. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1608688364?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_MF3W8GPJA1AN4R0CDR69&fbclid=IwAR04EFtFpEblIwFS1odm8ERpr5feWjEzgGrs5apqzTn3GaI8s_vzpIXEGlc

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 [email protected].