Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle

Sometimes the smallest moments carry the biggest stories. For Brenda Miller, one such moment was clipping her father's fingernails, an intimate act of caregiving that opened the door to a much larger story about family, love, and loss. In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct , Brenda Miller returns to discuss her book Love You, Bye: A Daughter's Journey in Essays and Poems . We explore how ord...

When William Dameron's memoir, The Lie , was optioned for a feature film, he expected to step back. Then he and the producer started talking about what drove the people in his story. Those conversations turned into a writing partnership, and Bill found himself adapting his own memoir for the screen. Bill returns to Freelance Writing Direct to talk about that collaboration and how he found his way...

Last chance to sign up! Join me for exercises, a quiz, and plenty of examples. Today's  Writer's Digest Webinar Join me today, October 29, for The First Five Pages: Making Your Memoir Impossible to Put Down , a live interactiveWriter's Digest webinar about creating an opening that captures readers, agents, and editors from the start. Even if you can't make it, all registrants will receive a video...

What makes a literary agent see potential in a book idea? And how do you turn that idea into a proposal that gets an editor's attention? In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct , I speak with literary agent and former editor Matthew Carnicelli about developing nonfiction books, writing effective queries, and finding the right publishing home for your work. Matthew shares why he loves working w...

Two Quick Announcements! Last Chance to Vote! Freelance Writing Direct is a finalist for the 2026 Signal Awards in Education! Voting closes October 15, and I'd be so grateful for your support. If you've enjoyed the podcast, please take a moment to vote for us. Vote Here . Join Me in NYC on October 21! I'm moderating a Women's Media Group panel, Memoir Plus: When Personal Stories Contain Multitudes...

What are publishing leaders talking about, and what can writers learn from those conversations? In this solo episode of Freelance Writing Direct, I share my takeaways from the 2026 AALA People of Publishing Conference in New York City, co-founded by Regina Brooks and Lynn Johnston. This event is sponsored and planned by the Association of American Literary Agents. From women's leadership to publis...

Before we get to the episode, I have news: Freelance Writing Direct is a Signal Awards finalist in Education! If the podcast has helped you with your writing, I'd love your vote for the Listener's Choice Award. Vote here by October 15. Thank you for cheering me on! Now for today's episode: What happens when the person selling the story starts questioning the story she's been sold? In this episode...

In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct , I talk with bestselling author, podcaster, and Zibby Media founder Zibby Owens about her new memoir in essays, Between Chapters: How I Started Over, Took Some Chances, and Found the Plot . Zibby shares how she sorted through approximately 500 pages of essays and found the structure that could hold stories about divorce, remarriage, motherhood, friendsh...

In this solo episode from the Freelance Writing Direct archives, Estelle Erasmus breaks down real pitches to show what works, what doesn't, and how to make your ideas more compelling to editors.  You'll learn how to sharpen your hook, add the right details and research, show editors your access and expertise, and structure a pitch so they can immediately see how the story will come together. Estel...

In this episode of  Freelance Writing Direct , award-winning author and memoirist Cinelle Barnes joins me to talk about how  A Way Home evolved from a Philippines travel memoir into a layered story of travel, family, identity, recovery, and finding home after she suffered, and recovered from a brain aneurysm. We discuss how she braided different threads and timelines together, found connections be...

What makes humor work on the page? And how do you write about love after the meet-cute, when a relationship has lasted for decades? In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct , I talk with New York Times bestselling author Steven Rowley about his new novel, Take Me With You , a love story with a touch of science fiction that asks a fascinating question: If you had the chance to leave everything b...

What does it take to build a career in journalism when the media landscape keeps shifting? In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct , Estelle Erasmus talks with her former NYU High School Academy student Abigail Meyers, a digital and multimedia storyteller whose work spans journalism, creative services, social media, advocacy, and political communications. Abigail shares how an early interest i...

Estelle Erasmus speaks with Hyeseung Song, author of  Docile: Memoirs of a Not-So-Perfect Asian Girl , about shaping nearly 40 years of life into a memoir, finding the right structure, and writing honestly about family, identity, and mental health. They also talked about how Hyeseung's life as an artist and painter informs the way she sees and writes the self. In this episode: Structuring a memoir...

Award-winning screenwriter, storytelling coach, and developmental editor Michelle Tamara Cutler joins Estelle Erasmus to discuss the evolution of her forthcoming reported memoir, I Won't Let You Die Alone , and how she sold the book to Bloomsbury without an agent. Michelle shares how a project that began with the death of her aunt transformed when caring for her aging mother gave the story a new u...

What happens when a personal challenge becomes a path back to yourself? In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct , Estelle Erasmus talks with Kate Washington, author of Midstream: A Life Remade in 50 Swims , about how a challenge to swim in 50 natural bodies of water before turning 50 became a memoir about midlife, change, and self-rediscovery. Kate shares how she blended personal narrative wit...

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 ye...

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 mag...

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 joi...

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 u...

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 u...

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 stori...

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 co...

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 yea...

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...

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,...