Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle

Before we begin, an announcement: I'm so excited to be speaking with celebrity makeup artist Ramy Gafni today in the next episode of my Substack Live series, Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story. Join us today, 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. I've known Ramy for more than 30 years, and I can't wait to introduce him to you. You'll find all the details, including how to tune in, here. https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/musings-on-magazines-the-story-behind-039

Now to today's episode.

The publishing world is changing rapidly, but one thing remains constant: readers are still looking for compelling stories and authentic voices.

In this Summer Short episode, I share my biggest takeaways from the U.S. Book Show in New York, where publishing executives, authors, agents, and industry leaders discussed artificial intelligence, discoverability, podcast publicity, publishing data, and the growing opportunities for film and television adaptations. Along the way, I offer my own "Estelle's Edge" on what these trends mean for freelance writers and authors today.

In this episode: • How publishers are approaching AI while keeping creativity firmly in human hands. • Why discoverability, not content, is publishing's biggest challenge. • The importance of metadata, articles, interviews, and building a digital footprint. • Why podcasts have become the new virtual book tour and how to pitch them successfully. • What publishers are learning from data without sacrificing editorial judgment. • How film and television adaptations really happen, and why sales aren't the only factor. • My biggest takeaway from the conference about building a lasting writing career.

Whether you're traditionally published, independently published, freelancing, or simply dreaming about writing your first book, these insights can help you better understand where publishing is headed and how to position your work for long-term success.

Get More From Estelle Erasmus

My latest craft substack post is The Echo Effect (Part 2): Make Your Writing Linger Longer. Sign up to get all my craft, pitching and publishing posts. I was notified by Substack that my page is #43 and rising in education https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/the-echo-effect-part-2-make-your

My next Editor-on-Call event with NYU is on Wednesday, September 16, with Electric Literature Executive Editor and Publisher Denne Michele Norris. Sign up here: https://events.nyu.edu/event/400238-light-up-your-literary-life-with-electric-literatures

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.

WatchEstelle's TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond

BookWriting That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers."

Listen/WatchFreelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2026 Podcast of the Year, Business (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast

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.

Follow Estelle

Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus Twitter/X: @EstelleSErasmus Bluesky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Freelance Writing Direct, and share it with the writers in your life.

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

Get More From Estelle Erasmus

My latest substack post is The Echo Effect (Part 2): Make Your Writing Linger Longer. Sign up to get all my craft, pitching and publishing posts. I was notified by Substack that my page is #43 and rising in education https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/the-echo-effect-part-2-make-your

My next Editor-on-Call event with NYU is on Wednesday, September 16, with Electric Literature Executive Editor and Publisher Denne Michele Norris. Sign up here: https://events.nyu.edu/event/400238-light-up-your-literary-life-with-electric-literatures

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.

WatchEstelle's TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond

BookWriting That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers."

Listen/WatchFreelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2026 Podcast of the Year, Business (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast

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.

Follow Estelle

Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus Twitter/X: @EstelleSErasmus Bluesky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Freelance Writing Direct, and share it with the writers in your life.

Welcome to the 200th episode of Freelance Writing Direct! I'm incredibly grateful to every guest who has generously shared their wisdom over the years, and to all of you who listen, watch, subscribe, review, and support the show. Reaching this milestone has been a joy, and I'm excited to continue bringing you conversations that help you grow as a writer.

To celebrate this special episode, I'm joined by acclaimed author and teacher Brenda Miller, whose work has shaped generations of creative nonfiction writers. Brenda coined the now widely used term Hermit Crab essay, and together we explore how borrowed forms can help writers discover emotional truths, deepen their stories, and find unexpected creative freedom.

In this episode:

• What a Hermit Crab essay is and why borrowed forms are so powerful
• How braided essays weave together memory, research, metaphor, and reflection
• Why play and experimentation belong in every writer's practice
• The importance of echoes, resonance, and connective tissue
• Brenda's classroom exercises that unlock creativity
• Revision as the place where an essay discovers what it's really about
• Finding the deeper question beneath every personal essay

Brenda also reads from A Braided Heart, talks about her latest hybrid memoir, shares the story behind her beloved essay "We Regret to Inform You," and offers practical advice that memoirists, essayists, journalists, and fiction writers can put to work immediately.

Watch on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u6NYMuL06o

About Brenda Miller

Brenda Miller's new hybrid collection, Love You, Bye: A Daughter's Journey in Essays and Poems, is just out from Skinner House Books (April 2026). She is the author of six additional essay collections, including A Braided Heart: Essays on Writing and Form, and An Earlier Life, winner of the Washington State Book Award for Memoir. Her work has received seven Pushcart Prizes. She co-authored, with Holly J. Hughes, The Pen and the Bell: Mindful Writing in a Busy World, and, with Suzanne Paola, Tell It Slant: Creating, Refining, and Publishing Creative Nonfiction, now in its third edition. She coined the term "Hermit Crab Essay." Her website is www.brendamillerwriter.com.

Get More From Estelle Erasmus

My latest substack post is The Echo Effect (Part 2): Make Your Writing Linger Longer. Sign up to get all my craft, pitching and publishing posts. I was notified by Substack that my page is #43 and rising in education https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/the-echo-effect-part-2-make-your

My next Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story substack live will be on July 30 at 4 pm ET. I can't wait to share my guest with you. Sign up for my substack and don't miss a post.

My next Editor-on-Call event with NYU is on Wednesday, September 16, with Electric Literature Executive Editor and Publisher Denne Michele Norris. Sign up here: https://events.nyu.edu/event/400238-light-up-your-literary-life-with-electric-literatures

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.

WatchEstelle's TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond

BookWriting That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers."

Listen/WatchFreelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2026 Podcast of the Year, Business (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast

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.

Follow Estelle

Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus Twitter/X: @EstelleSErasmus Bluesky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Freelance Writing Direct, and share it with the writers in your life.

Welcome to new subscribers.

First, an announcement:

My first Substack Live in my new series Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story was with former Chatelaine Editor-in-Chief Rona Maynard. Here is the link to the video of our fun and fearless discussion:of our lives in magazines in the 90s and early aughts. https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/live-with-estelle-erasmus-and-rona

Sign up for my substack at https://estelleserasmus.substack.com to get notified of my upcoming guests and dive with us into the magazine archives to hear behind-the-scenes stories you won't hear anywhere else.

And Check out my TikTok where I share special clips from episodes and other fun dives into publishing. https://tiktok.com/@estelleserasmus

Now for today's episode

What does it take to turn a messy, complicated life into a memoir readers can't put down?

Courtney Kocak joins me on Freelance Writing Direct to discuss her debut memoir in essays, Girl Gone Wild, and the creative decisions behind telling stories about Hollywood, ambition, addiction, difficult relationships, and finding her voice. We talk about writing with radical honesty, experimenting with poetry and other hybrid forms, deciding what belongs in a memoir, and why some of the hardest cuts made the book stronger.

Courtney also shares the surprising publishing journey that led her to the perfect independent press after an early rejection, proving that sometimes the right "no" is exactly what your book needs.

In this episode:

• How personal essays evolved into a cohesive memoir
• Why hybrid storytelling can deepen emotional impact
• How to decide what belongs in your book and what doesn't
• What rejection taught Courtney about finding the right publisher
• Why building your own platform gives writers more opportunities

Watch on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWotQxwOl54

About Courtney Kocak

Courtney Kocak is a writer, podcaster, and comedian who splits time between Austin and Los Angeles. She wrote for Amazon's Emmy-winning animated series Danger & Eggs and Netflix's Know It All. She's produced a slew of highly-ranked podcasts and currently hosts three of her own with over two million downloads to date. Her bylines include The New York Times, The Cut, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Cosmopolitan, Slate, Business Insider, and more. Her debut memoir, Girl Gone Wild, with Trio House Press, is out now.

Links

Website: courtneykocak.com

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

Twitter: https://x.com/courtneykocak

Order Girl Gone Wild: https://bookshop.org/p/books/girl-gone-wild-courtney-kocak/22941682?ean=9781949487541&affiliate=85623

Follow on Substack: https://substack.com/@courtneykocak

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

Get More From Estelle Erasmus

My next Editor-on-Call event with NYU is on Wednesday, September 16, with Electric Literature Executive Editor and Publisher Denne Michele Norris. Sign up here: https://events.nyu.edu/event/400238-light-up-your-literary-life-with-electric-literatures

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.

WatchEstelle's TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond

BookWriting That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers."

Listen/WatchFreelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2026 Podcast of the Year, Business (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast

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.

Follow Estelle

Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus Twitter/X: @EstelleSErasmus Bluesky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Freelance Writing Direct, and share it with the writers in your life.

Welcome to new subscribers.

First, an announcement:

My first Substack Live in my new series Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story was with former Chatelaine Editor-in-Chief Rona Maynard. Here is the link to the video of our fun and fearless discussion:of our lives in magazines in the 90s and early aughts. https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/live-with-estelle-erasmus-and-rona

Sign up for my substack to get notified of my upcoming guests and dive with us into the magazine archives to hear behind-the-scenes stories you won't hear anywhere else.

Now for today's episode:

How do you distill an entire life into just seventy 70-word stories?

In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus talks with writer, editor, psychotherapist, and GrubStreet instructor Deborah Sosin about her innovative memoir, Escape Velocity. Inspired by her 70th birthday, Deborah challenged herself to write seventy stories of exactly 70 words each, transforming a creative constraint into a deeply moving exploration of family, identity, generational trauma, aging, and self-discovery.

Together, they discuss how tiny stories can carry enormous emotional weight, creating a narrative arc through recurring themes, deciding what to leave on the page and what to leave out, and why limitations can spark creativity. Deborah also shares her path to self-publishing, collaborating with illustrator Anna Hall, and finding the freedom to tell her story on her own terms.

Whether you write memoir, personal essays, or flash nonfiction, this conversation offers inspiration and practical insights into making every word count.

In this episode:

• Why Deborah wrote seventy stories of exactly 70 words each
• How constraints can strengthen your writing
• Techniques for building a larger narrative from small moments
• The role of recurring themes and emotional throughlines in memoir
• Deborah's journey from concept to self-published book

Watch on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrYMaSJvVGY

About Deborah Sosin

Deborah Sosin, LICSW, is a writer, editor, psychotherapist, and GrubStreet instructor. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Boston Globe Magazine, Salon, Cognoscenti, Brevity Blog, Oldster Magazine, Short Reads, The Manifest-Station, two anthologies, and numerous other publications. She is a volunteer reader for In Short: A Journal of Flash Nonfiction. Debbie also authored the award-winning picture book Charlotte and the Quiet Place (Gold INDIEFAB and Silver IPPY); and a clinical workbook, Sober Starting Today. Debbie has an MFA from Lesley University and an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work. Her new memoir, Escape Velocity: How One 70-Year-Old Push-Pulled Her Way Out of Her Too-Much-Not-Enough Family (70 Micro-Memoirs, 70 Words Each), with illustrations by Anna Hall, released in February 2026. Deborah lives outside of Boston.

Links

Website

Substack: Write it Like It Is

Get More From Estelle Erasmus

My next Editor-on-Call event with NYU is on Wednesday, September 16, with Electric Literature Executive Editor and Publisher Denne Michele Norris. Sign up here: https://events.nyu.edu/event/400238-light-up-your-literary-life-with-electric-literatures

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.

WatchEstelle's TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond

BookWriting That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers."

Listen/WatchFreelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2026 Podcast of the Year, Business (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast

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.

Follow Estelle

Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus Twitter/X: @EstelleSErasmus Bluesky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Freelance Writing Direct, and share it with the writers in your life.

Welcome to new subscribers.

First, an announcement:

My first Substack Live will be with former Chatelaine Editor-in-Chief Rona Maynard on June 25 at 4 p.m. ET. Here is the link to the post: Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story. https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/musings-on-magazines-the-story-behind Sign up and dive into the magazine archives with us to hear behind-the-scenes stories you won't hear anywhere else.

I hope to see you there.

Now for today's episode:

Tiffany Graham Charkosky joins Estelle Erasmus to discuss her debut memoir, Living Proof: How Love Defied Genetic Legacy. Tiffany shares how she transformed a deeply personal story about genetic testing, inherited cancer risk, and the loss of her mother into a compelling narrative that balances medical realities with emotional resonance. They discuss dual timelines, scene building, revision, metaphor, dialogue, and the challenges of writing about illness without overwhelming readers. Tiffany also reflects on legacy, family history, motherhood, and what it means to tell the story she needed to read herself.

They discuss:

• Writing a memoir about genetic testing and inherited cancer risk • Using dual timelines to create narrative momentum • Balancing medical information with storytelling • The role of metaphor, dialogue, and scene in memoir • Revision strategies and cutting material that doesn't serve the story • Family legacy, motherhood, grief, and healing • The relationship between advocacy and creative work • Craft lessons for memoir writers

Watch on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEp_G4vC25M

About Tiffany Tiffany Graham Charkosky's work explores human relationships, medicine, and women's health. Her debut memoir, Living Proof: How Love Defied Genetic Legacy, was published in 2025. Her writing has appeared in outlets including Oprah Daily, Lit Hub, Electric Literature, Gordon Square Review, and MUTHA Magazine. Tiffany studied English and creative writing at Kenyon College and holds a master's degree in urban planning, design, and development from Cleveland State University. She serves as Director of Arts & Culture at Cleveland Public Library and lives with her family in Northeast Ohio.

LinksWebsite: https://tiffanygrahamcharkosky.comInstagram: @tiffanygrahamcharkosky

Get More From Estelle Erasmus

My next Editor-on-Call event with NYU is on Wednesday, September 16, with Electric Literature Executive Editor and Publisher Denne Michele Norris. Sign up here: https://events.nyu.edu/event/400238-light-up-your-literary-life-with-electric-literatures

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.

WatchEstelle's TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond

BookWriting That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers."

Listen/WatchFreelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2026 Podcast of the Year, Business (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast

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.

Follow Estelle

Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus Twitter/X: @EstelleSErasmus Bluesky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Freelance Writing Direct, and share it with the writers in your life.

In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus talks with acclaimed author Dionne Ford about her memoir Go Back and Get It, a powerful exploration of family history, ancestry, and identity. Dionne shares how journalistic research, personal reflection, and historical investigation came together to help her uncover the stories of her enslaved ancestors while examining themes that continue to resonate in her own life. She also discusses the craft of blending memoir with history, navigating difficult family truths, and the importance of preserving stories for future generations.

They discuss

• The inspiration behind Go Back and Get It
• Researching family history and ancestral stories
• Blending memoir, journalism, and historical narrative
• Writing about difficult personal experiences
• The concept of Sankofa and "going back to get it"
• Craft techniques for weaving multiple narrative threads
• Resources for historical and genealogical research
• Advice for writers exploring family stories

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/JhmE6CD5D8Y

About Dionne Ford Dionne Ford is author of Go Back and Get It, a 2024 finalist for the Hurston Wright Foundation Legacy Award and co-editor of the anthology Slavery's Descendants. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Virginia Quarterly Review, LitHub, The Boston Globe, and Ebony among other publications and won awards from the the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Association of Black Journalists and the Newswomen's Club of New York. She teaches creative writing as an adjunct at Fordham University and is editor of Lynchings in the North, an initiative of NYU's journalism program.

Website: https://www.dionneford.com Instagram X

Get More From Estelle Erasmus

• My first Substack Live will be with the former Editor-in-Chief of Chatelaine, Rona Maynard on June 25 at 4 pm ET. Here is the link to the post: Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story. Sign up here https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/musings-on-magazines-the-story-behind. I hope to see you there.
• My next editor-on-call event with NYU is on Wednesday, September 16 with the executive editor and publisher of Electric Literature, Denne Michele Norris. Here is the link to that event. https://events.nyu.edu/event/400238-light-up-your-literary-life-with-electric-literatures
• Private Small-Group Memoir/Essay ClassMy Next 6-week session that begins September 2026 has one more spot left. Email [email protected] for details.
• WatchEstelle's TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond
• BookWriting That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers."
• Listen/WatchFreelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2026 Podcast of the Year, Business (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast

About Estelle

Estelle 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 and an adjunct professor at NYU.

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. She has served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines.

Follow Estelle

Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus Twitter/X: @EstelleSErasmus Bluesky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Freelance Writing Direct, and share it with the writers in your life.

What happens when you wake up one day dizzy and it never stops?

In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus talks with acclaimed author Rachel Weaver about her powerful new memoir, Dizzy. Rachel shares how she navigated nearly two decades of chronic illness before finding relief, and how she transformed that experience into a compelling braided memoir that weaves together her years working in the Alaskan wilderness, her medical journey, motherhood, marriage, and questions of power, resilience, and identity.

Rachel discusses:

• Why she chose to open Dizzy with the dramatic scene of falling through the ice in Alaska

• How nature became a source of metaphor throughout the memoir

• The surprising parallels between encounters with bears and encounters with doctors

• Writing through brain fog, screen sensitivity, and chronic illness

• How she developed the book's braided structure

• Avoiding repetition in an illness narrative

• Finding an ending for a memoir when the story is still unfolding

• The five-year process of writing and revising Dizzy

• Why writers should focus on process before product

• The path to publication for both Dizzy and her forthcoming novel, The Last Run

Watch on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU7-lLHkHEM

About Rachel Weaver

Rachel Weaver is the author of the memoir Dizzy and the novel Point of Direction, which was named a Top 10 Book to Pick Up Now by O, The Oprah Magazine and won the Willa Cather Award for Fiction. Her forthcoming novel, The Last Run, publishes in June 2026.

Before earning her MFA in Writing and Poetics from Naropa University, Rachel worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska studying bears, raptors, and songbirds. She teaches at Wilkes University and Lighthouse Writers Workshop and holds a Certification of Professional Achievement in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University.

Learn more at: Rachel Weaver's website

Get More From Estelle Erasmus

• Check out My Latest Substack Post: Step Into My Time Capsule: Back When Print Magazines Ruled https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/step-into-my-time-capsule-back-when
• Estelle on My First Byline (a walk down memory lane as a former beauty editor at Woman's World) https://yourfirstbyline.substack.com/p/my-first-byline-estelle-erasmus
• Private Small-Group Memoir/Essay ClassMy Next 6-week session that begins September 2026 has one more spot left. Email [email protected] for details.
• Read & SubscribeSubstack: NEW post: A Recap of the Editor-on-Call Event with Susan Dabbar of PROVOKEDmagazine. My next Editor-on-Call event is September 16. Sign up for my substack to get notified early.
• WatchEstelle's TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond
• BookWriting That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers."
• Listen/WatchFreelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2026 Podcast of the Year, Business (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast

About Estelle

Estelle 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 and an adjunct professor at NYU.

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. She has served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines.

Follow Estelle

Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus Twitter/X: @EstelleSErasmus Bluesky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Freelance Writing Direct, and share it with the writers in your life.

Just in time for Pride month, in this heartfelt and often hilarious conversation, Estelle Erasmus talks with USA Today bestselling author Wade Rouse and his husband, Gary Edwards, about Wade's deeply personal new novel, That's What Friends Are For.

After publishing bestselling novels under the pen name Viola Shipman, Wade shares why he felt compelled to write this story under his own name and how The Golden Girls, grief, aging, friendship, and his experience growing up gay in the Missouri Ozarks inspired the book.

Wade and Gary discuss:

• Why Wade chose to step away from an established brand and publish under his own name

• How The Golden Girls helped him connect with his mother and grandmother after a family tragedy

• Creating four unforgettable characters inspired by the spirit, not the stereotypes, of television's most beloved sitcom

• The importance of found family and community

• Writing about aging, mortality, second chances, and late-life love

• The role Gary plays as Wade's husband, business partner, and self-described "Kim Kardashian stage mom"

• Building a sustainable writing career and the realities of the publishing business

• Why readers connect so deeply with authenticity

• The value of humor, pop culture references, and trusting your creative instincts

This conversation is filled with wisdom about storytelling, reinvention, resilience, and what it means to finally become comfortable in your own skin.

Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUzg0GrzXLQ About My Guests

Wade Rouse is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of five memoirs and twelve novels. His novels, written under the pen name Viola Shipman in honor of his grandmother, have been selected as must-reads by NBC's Today Show and named Michigan Notable Books. His latest novel, That's What Friends Are For, is published under his own name. It was a national bestseller, a BookBub Best New Fiction and Most Uplifting Book of the Year, a Zibby Media Most Anticipated Book of 2026, and featured on CBS-NY/Club Calvi Book Club. Wade's next book, The Bluff, will publish October 13. It is a Christmas novel and family drama inspired by the holiday classic, The Family Stone, and romance classic, Somewhere in Time, and set on Mackinac Island.

Gary Edwards left a successful sales career to help Wade build and sustain his writing career. He manages social media, events, book tours, reader engagement, and the thriving Wine, Words & Wade community, while serving as Wade's biggest champion and creative partner.

Connect with Wade Rouse Website: ViolaShipman.com (https://violashipman.com) Website: WadeRouse.com (https://waderouse.com) FB: Viola Shipman (https://www.facebook.com/authorviolashipman/) FB: Author Wade Rouse (https://www.facebook.com/authorwaderouse/) Instagram: Viola_Shipman (https://www.instagram.com/viola_shipman/) IG: AuthorWadeRouse (https://www.instagram.com/authorwaderouse/) Bookbub: @violashipman (https://www.bookbub.com/authors/viola-shipman) Get More From Estelle Erasmus

• Estelle on My First Byline (a walk down memory lane as a former beauty editor at Woman's World) https://yourfirstbyline.substack.com/p/my-first-byline-estelle-erasmus
• Private Small-Group Memoir/Essay ClassMy Next 6-week session that begins September 2026 has two more spots left. Email [email protected] for details.
• Read & SubscribeSubstack: NEW post: A Recap of the Editor-on-Call Event with Susan Dabbar of PROVOKEDmagazine. My next Editor-on-Call event is September 16. Sign up for my substack to get notified early.
• WatchEstelle's TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond
• BookWriting That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers "Best Book for Writers."
• Listen/WatchFreelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2026 Podcast of the Year, Business (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast

About Estelle

Estelle 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 and an adjunct professor at NYU.

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. She has served as editor-in-chief of five national magazines.

Follow Estelle

Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus Twitter/X: @EstelleSErasmus Bluesky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Freelance Writing Direct, and share it with the writers in your life.

In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus speaks with Carolyn Roy-Bornstein about restorative writing, burnout, and healing through storytelling.

Carolyn shares how writing became a lifeline after her son survived a devastating car accident that left him with a traumatic brain injury. She explains how journaling and narrative writing helped her process ambiguous grief, anger, and emotional isolation, ultimately inspiring her new book, A Prescription for Burnout: Restorative Writing for Healthcare Professionals. The book offers practical advice for anyone struggling with burnout or emotional exhaustion, whether they work in medicine or simply feel overwhelmed by modern life.

Together, Estelle and Carolyn discuss: • Why expressive writing has been linked to improved emotional and physical health • How writing can help healthcare professionals manage burnout and secondary trauma • The science behind writing and stress reduction • Narrative medicine and the importance of bearing witness • Using prompts to unlock scene, dialogue, and emotional truth • The role of writing in building resilience, self-awareness, and professional identity • Why even 15 minutes of writing can make a difference • How to structure a prescriptive nonfiction book around reader transformation • Carolyn's experience publishing with Johns Hopkins University Press and navigating peer review

Watch on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I360StNGvQ

About Carolyn Roy-Bornstein Carolyn Roy-Bornstein is a board-certified pediatrician, former registered nurse, and writer-in-residence at the Lawrence Family Medicine Residency, where she teaches narrative medicine. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, JAMA, Poets & Writers, and many other publications. She lives and writes in Maine and Massachusetts.

LinksCarolyn's website: www.carolynroybornstein.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolyn.roybornstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-roy-bornstein-8a329636/

Follow Estelle Website: https://estelleserasmus.com Watch Estelle's TEDx Talk How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpcWmjpzSIQ Find her on Instagram/TikTok/X/BlueSky/Threads: @estelleserasmus NEW Substack post: A Recap of the Editor-on-Call Event with Susan Dabbar of PROVOKEDmagazine. https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/how-to-pitch-provokedmagazine-inside Subscribe for exclusive info and podcast clips: https://estelleserasmus.substack.com

About Estelle Erasmus Estelle Erasmus is an NYU writing professor, former magazine editor-in-chief, TEDx speaker, and the author of Writing That Gets Noticed, named a Best Book for Writers by Poets & Writers. She is also the host of the award-winning podcast Freelance Writing Direct, where she shares insider strategies on craft, publishing, and building a writing career.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Freelance Writing Direct, and share it with the writers in your life.