Episodes

  • #113 Writing with Ambition Featuring Kristi Coulter

    #113 Writing with Ambition Featuring Kristi Coulter
    Nov 14 2024

    Kristi Coulter is the author of EXIT INTERVIEW: THE LIFE & DEATH OF MY AMBITIOUS CAREER, out now in paperback. Her previous book, the memoir-in-essays NOTHING GOOD CAN COME FROM THIS, was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. Kristi's work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Paris Review, Elle, Longreads, and many other publications. Her Substack newsletter, Loose Canon, offers personal and irreverent commentary on film and music. She is a former resident at Ragdale and the Mineral School and has taught writing at the University of Washington, University of Michigan, Hugo House, and the Work Room. Kristi lives in Seattle and Los Angeles.

    In this episode:

    • Picking the perfect title and a trick on how to do it [2:48]

    • Why Kristi wrote her book using the present tense and the challenges that imposed [6:27]

    • Deciding what to leave in and what to take out [12:42]

    • How Kristi incorporated historical context into her book to make a point without preaching to the reader [13:41]

    • Incorporating humor in memoir writing and playing with forms [18:34]

    • Finding the perfect equation between scene and summary [21:42]

    • Making the narrator relatable, not likable [23:29]

    • Kristi’s advice for aspiring Memoir Writers [27:52]

    • The benefits of writing chapters out of sequence [28:05]

    • Understanding the meaning of that first “Discovery Draft” [28:28]

    • Selling a book on proposal. What you need to know [30:56]

    • The art of writing a synopsis [32:36]

    • The impact Kristi’s book is having on women at Amazon and beyond [33:59]

    Connect with Kristi

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/kristi.c.coulter

    Threads: @kristiccoulter;

    Facebook:

    https://facebook.com/kristicoulter

    Podcast Guests Mentioned in This Episode

    #52 Claire Dederer

    https://estelleserasmus.com/a-conversation-with-claire-dederer-about-monsters/

    #101 Elissa Bassist

    https://estelleserasmus.com/101-the-makings-of-a-hysterical-story-featuring-elissa-bassist/



    Connect with Estelle Erasmus

    ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at

    https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter.

    Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest

    https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals

    Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes

    https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html

    Get Her Book

    Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0

    Order Her Audiobook:

    https://shorturl.at/4uG2P

    Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests

    Follow Estelle:

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

    TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus

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    38 mins
  • #112 On Being Jewish Now Featuring Caroline Leavitt and Annabelle Gurwitch

    #112 On Being Jewish Now Featuring Caroline Leavitt and Annabelle Gurwitch
    Nov 7 2024
    Caroline Leavitt is the New York Times bestselling author of 13 novels, most recently Days of Wonder, which was a CBS/Mary Calvi bookclub pick, the recipient of a MidAtlantic Arts Foundation grant, and which was translated into Russia and has a shopping agreement for film. The co-founder of A Mighty Blaze, the book program begun the day of lockdown, she writes a column blog "Runs in the Family" for Psychology Today, and is a book critic for people and the recipient of a New York Foundation of the Arts Fellowship. She teaches story structure for the novel at UCLA Writers Program Extension and works with private clients. Her work has appeared in the New York Times "Modern Love," New York Magazine, Salon, Lit Hub, The Millions and many anthologies. Annabelle Gurwitch is a New York Times Bestselling author, actress and activist whose most recent collection of essays "You're Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility" is a 2021 New York Times Favorite Book for Healthy Living, a Good Morning America Must Read and a finalist for The Thurber Prize for American Humor Writing 2022. She's written for The New Yorker, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, and Hadassah amongst other publications. Her five books include the New York Times bestseller and Thurber Prize finalist "I See You Made an Effort." She's written and developed adaptations of her books for HBO, F/X, NBC, Lifetime networks. She's currently writing a film for the Hallmark Channel with Emmy winning tv producer Neena Beber based on "You're Leaving When?" for Andi MacDowell to star in. Annabelle has been chronicling living with stage iv lung cancer and inequities in healthcare in the New York Times and Washington Post since her out-of-the-blue diagnosis during covid. In this episode: Caroline Leavitt and Annabelle Gurwitch’s essays for the anthology [3:20] Caroline and Annabelle’s experiences with anti-Semitism [4:27] The impact of a children’s storyteller on Caroline’s understanding of what it means to be Jewish [8:16] The importance of art and storytelling in fostering empathy and understanding [12:41] The call of our ancestral DNA during this fraught moment [22:24] Advice for jewish writers navigating this challenging and important time in Jewish history [24:36] The power of three little words [29:09] Connect with Caroline Leavitt Twitter. @leavittnovelist Instagram carolineleavitt Threads https://www.instagram.com/carolineleavitt/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/carolineleavitt TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@carowriter99 Website: www.carolineleavitt.com Annabelle Gurwitch photo credit jeff vespa Connect with Annabelle Gurwitch Facebook https://www.facebook.com/annabellegurwitchauthor/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annabellegurwitch1/ X: https://x.com/lagurwitch?lang=en Website: https://www.annabellegurwitch.com/ About On Being Jewish Now Zibby Owens has edited a new anthology, which Zibby Books is publishing, called On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates. Profits will be donated to Artists Against Antisemitism, a 501(c)(3) founded by Alison Hammer that Zibby joined as a Founding Member after the attacks on October 7th, 2023. On Being Jewish Now (coming 10/1) is a collection of essays about what it means to be Jewish and how Jewish life has changed since October 7th. Zibby came up with the idea for this anthology in response to feeling powerless against the spread of antisemitism. “Writing — and reading — is how so many of us process and make sense of the world,” she said. And so Zibby thought, I’ll ask writers to reflect on what it means to be Jewish now. Seventy-five contributors came together in four weeks to share their stories of love, family, joy, fear, and pain, and the common threads that course through the Jewish people: resilience and humor. Contributors include Mark Feuerstein, Jill Zarin, Steve Leder, Joanna Rakoff, Amy Ephron, Lisa Barr, Annabelle Gurwitch, Daphne Merkin, Bradley Tusk, Sharon Brous, Jenny Mollen, Nicola Kraus, Caroline Leavitt, and many others. Among them: descendants of Holocaust survivors, several Israelis, and one author who lost a cousin in the war. There are men and women, multiple bookstore owners, several celebrities, and some female founders. One African American contributor shares his thoughts on being a Jewish Black man. The e-book and audiobook, narrated by the contributors, was published on October 1st, the trade paperback on November 1st. “This is about healing,” says Zibby. “About coping and connecting. In the only way I know how.” Zibby Owen’s episode #36 on Freelance Writing Direct https://estelleserasmus.com/36-zibby-owens-is-upending-the-publishing-world/ Connect with Estelle Erasmus ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also ...
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    30 mins
  • #111 Making Meaning While Writing Traumatic Stories As Catalysts for Change Featuring Lisa Cooper Ellison

    #111 Making Meaning While Writing Traumatic Stories As Catalysts for Change Featuring Lisa Cooper Ellison
    Oct 31 2024
    Lisa Cooper Ellison is an author, speaker, trauma-informed writing coach, and host of the Writing Your Resilience podcast. She works and writes at the intersection of storytelling and healing, and combines her personal experiences with suicide loss and CPTSD with her clinical training to help writers turn tough experiences into art. Her essays and stories have appeared on Risk! and in The New York Times, HuffPost, Hippocampus Literary Magazine, and Kenyon Review Online, among others. In this episode: How Lisa became a trauma-informed writing coach after she dealt with a debilitating health issue [3:54] The emotional impacts of writing about tough topics [10:21] How the nervous system is impacted when writing about trauma [11:27] The meaning making process; owning our meltdowns and moments [12:13] Estelle’s experience with writing about her ectopic pregnancy and how it required emotional distance and time [12:47] How writers can protect themselves and practice self-care while writing difficult stories about themselves or loved ones [14:06] Lisa’s experience with writing her own memoir and being a volcano writer [20:34] Lisa’s article in HuffPost Personal on emotional flashbacks and defining them [21:00] How Lisa protects her own mental health through somatic processing [29:56] Why a beat sheet is your BFF for structuring your memoir, and understanding your book’s essential questions [37:59] Connect with Lisa Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacooperellison/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-cooper-ellison-b5483840/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisacooperellison/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lisacooperellison Lisa’s article on HuffPost Personal Making the Smallest Little Mistake Filled Me With Terror: Then 2 Little Words Changed My Life https://www.huffpost.com/entry/emotional-flashback-dread-doom-therapy_n_66cb7ae8e4b0f0ded8061ba6 Estelle’s episode Writing That Gets Noticed on Lisa’s podcast Writing Your Resilience https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU-Wpm27PhU Connect with Estelle ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus People mentioned who had episodes on Estelle’s podcast Linda Lowen, episode #31 Getting Your Writing Career in Gear When on a Tight Deadline https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freelance-writing-direct-conversations-with-authors/id1647429472?i=1000610817037 Jane Friedman, episode #105 A Look Inside Publishing: Hybrid, Audiobooks, AI & More https://estelleserasmus.com/105-a-look-inside-publishing-hybrid-audiobooks-ai-more-featuring-jane-friedman/ Minna Dubin, episode #61 All About Mom Rage https://estelleserasmus.com/61-all-about-mom-rage-with-minna-dubin/ Estelle’s article in Brevity Don’t Blow Up Your Life for a Byline https://brevity.wordpress.com/2020/05/19/dont-blow-up-your-life-for-a-byline/
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    42 mins
  • #110 The Astrology House and Other Novel Touchstones with Carinn Jade

    #110 The Astrology House and Other Novel Touchstones with Carinn Jade
    Oct 24 2024

    Carinn Jade is a lawyer, writer, and cohost of the Pop Fiction Women podcast. Her essays have been published in the New York Times, Daily Worth, and Motherwell. She has attended the GrubStreet Novel Generator, Yale Writers' Conference, and the Northern California Writers' Retreat. Carinn grew up on the North Fork of Long Island and lives with her family in New York City. The Astrology House is her first novel.

    In this episode:

    • The origin of this thriller based around an astrology-themed retreat [3:21]

    • Her use of time constraints as a plot device to build dramatic tension [8:36]

    • Books Carinn read that informed her idea of the book’s structure and premise [8:48

    • Carinn’s process of writing multiple POVS in short chapters [11:00]

    • How her literary go-to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and other realityTV was one of many touchstones and guided her in writing dramatic scenes[11:43]

    • How she dropped clues to characters throughout the book [12:54]

    • Why she included astrology cheat sheets as a plot device and touchstone [15:28]

    • How much of Carinn is in her novel [18:21]

    • Building tension and twists into each page [19:44]

    • The art of writing authentic dialogue [22:01]

    • The process of revision and what that required [23:11]

    • Carinn’s querying journey and how she found her agent [26:16]

    • The synchronicities between being a lawyer and a writer [31:09]



    Photo credit: Erin Schiffman



    Connect with Carinn

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

    X: https://x.com/carinnjade?lang=en

    Pop Fiction Women website: https://popfictionwomen.com/about-us/

    Buy Her Book on Estelle’s Bookshop

    https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-astrology-house-carinn-jade/20704948?aid=98827&ean=9781668045961&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct&

    Connect with Estelle

    ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at

    https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter.

    Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest

    https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals

    Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes

    https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html

    Get Her Book

    Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0

    Order Her Audiobook:

    https://shorturl.at/4uG2P

    Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests

    Follow Estelle:

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

    TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus
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    34 mins
  • #109 The Critic's Daughter: Deploying Power Through Prose with Priscilla Gilman

    #109 The Critic's Daughter: Deploying Power Through Prose with Priscilla Gilman
    Oct 17 2024

    Priscilla Gilman is the author of two memoirs, The Anti-Romantic Child (Harper, 2011) and The Critic’s Daughter (Norton, 2023) and a former professor of English literature at Yale University and Vassar College. The Critic's Daughter was a Washington Post Best Book of 2023, a New York Times Book Critics' Favorite Book of 2023, a Good Morning America Must-Read, one of the Los Angeles Times' book critic and Book Maven Bethanne Patrick's Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2023, one of the "18 Books Lilith magazine Loved in 2023," and 3rd on Bookreporter's Harvey Freedenburg's Favorite Books of 2023. Nick Hornby called The Critic’s Daughter “beautiful: honest, raw, careful, soulful, brave and incredibly readable," and Kiese Laymon declared: “The Critic’s Daughter is an exquisite and rare example of how the memoir needs as much inventiveness in scope and form as our most lush fiction and poetry…I’ve read few books in my life as skillfully executed and willfully conceived as The Critic’s Daughter.” Gilman’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, O, the Oprah Magazine, and elsewhere. She lives in New York City.

    In this episode:

    • Priscilla’s search for her father as the genesis for 'The Critic's Daughter'

    • Outlining the ways she lost her father throughout her life

    • Her hypervigilance as a result of a childhood spent with famous and powerful parents

    • Crafting an elegy for a lost New York

    • “Streaks of love” and loss as throughlines of her book

    • Setting up the book as a series of acts straight from the theater

    • Reflecting on the brilliance of her father's writing and power as a critic while writing her own story

    • The challenges of navigating a personal and public persona

    • Priscilla’s journey to processing grief and healing as she “brought her father back” and gained clarity on his life through research and writing his story

    Connect with Priscilla

    Website: www.priscillagilman.com

    Episode #52 Mentioned in this podcast

    A Conversation with Claire Dederer About Monsters

    https://estelleserasmus.com/a-conversation-with-claire-dederer-about-monsters/

    Connect with Estelle

    ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at

    https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter.

    Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest

    https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals

    Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes

    https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html

    Get Her Book

    Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0

    Order Her Audiobook:

    https://shorturl.at/4uG2P

    Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests

    Follow Estelle:

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

    TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus

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    42 mins
  • #108 Anchoring Creativity While Writing with Heart, Soul & Pen Featuring Robin Finn

    #108 Anchoring Creativity While Writing with Heart, Soul & Pen Featuring Robin Finn
    Oct 10 2024

    Robin Finn, MPH, MA, is an award-winning writer, teacher, and coach, and the founder of Heart. Soul. Pen.® women’s writing workshops and Hot Writing™ where midlife and menopause inspire the desire to say what you mean without apologizing. She is the author of the new book, Heart. Soul. Pen.: Find Your Voice on the Page and in Your Life and the novel, Restless in L.A. Robin’s writing has appeared in national and international press, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the L.A. Times. A cum laude graduate of UCLA, she holds master’s degrees in public health from Columbia University and in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Robin teaches workshops across the U.S. and beyond to help women unleash their radical self-expression and grow, heal, and connect through writing. She lives in Los Angeles with her family and is a longtime advocate for children with ADHD and learning differences.

    In this episode:

    • The importance of spiritual psychology in writing [2:37]

    • How beliefs impact our writing and revealing ourselves [5:39]

    • Designing a writing ritual that works for you [9:42]

    • Finding talismans for your creative work [13:00]

    • Anchoring to your intention when putting words on paper [13:29]

    • Diving into the promise of “trigger lines” [16:04]

    • Art School Trauma and how to avoid it [17:59]

    • At what point should writers get critical feedback? [19:57]

    • Advice for memoirists on telling your stories and radical self expression [21:46]

    • How to find inspiration through story prompts [23:48]



    Connect with Robin

    Website: https://www.robinfinn.com

    Instagram: https://instagram.com/robinfinnauthor

    Facebook: https://facebook.com/robinfinnauthor

    Connect with Estelle:

    ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at

    https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter.

    Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest

    https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals

    Get Her Book

    Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0

    Order Her Audiobook:

    https://shorturl.at/4uG2P

    Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests

    Follow Estelle:

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

    TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus
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    27 mins
  • #107 Staying On Brand While Shaping, Shifting, and Sharing Your Story Featuring Aliza Licht

    #107 Staying On Brand While Shaping, Shifting, and Sharing Your Story Featuring Aliza Licht
    Oct 3 2024
    ALIZA LICHT is an award-winning marketer, bestselling author, podcaster, personal branding expert, and the founder of LEAVE YOUR MARK, a multimedia brand and consultancy. She advises businesses and mentors individuals on brand building and career development. Licht leverages over two decades of expertise in marketing, communications, and digital strategy in the fashion industry. She was named one of "America's Next Top Mentors" by The New York Times and Business Insider's "Top 20 Most Innovative Career Coaches." As a social media pioneer and one of the first fashion influencers, Licht created and was the voice of the anonymous social media phenomenon DKNY PR GIRL. Licht is a sought-after keynote speaker and sits on several industry boards. Her first book, Leave Your Mark, was published in 2015. Her new book, On Brand: Shape Your Narrative. Share Your Vision. Shift Their Perception is a comprehensive roadmap to building your personal brand. She lives in New York City with her husband, two children, and two dogs. Find her online at alizalicht.com and @alizalichtxo. In this episode: The importance of personal branding in a chaotic publishing terrain The evolution of Aliza’s “DKNY PR Girl” brand on old-school Twitter Being the first fashion influencer Creating a micro brand and brand guardrails Finding permission to play Addressing Founder and last name syndrome Navigating the complex algorithms of social media Advice on platform building for aspiring authors Creative branding social media strategies to hook your audience Does controversy sell? The way Aliza worked branding and a signature look into her social media posting How Aliza became an accidental activist when it comes to addressing the scourge of anti-semitism Measuring each step you take against your own personal values. Connect with Aliza Website: https://alizalicht.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/alizalichtxo TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@alizalichtxo X: https://twitter.com/alizalicht Threads: https://www.threads.net/@alizalichtxo Mentioned On the Podcast Liz Elting’s episode #68 on Freelance Writing Direct Dream Big and Win with Liz Elting https://estelleserasmus.com/68-dream-big-and-win-with-liz-elting/ Aliza’s Linkedin Post that she references Being a Jewish Activist Wasn’t On Brand for Me https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/being-jewish-activist-wasnt-brand-me-aliza-licht-jjpse/ Estelle’s article on Shondaland I’m Learning to Listen in New Ways https://www.shondaland.com/live/family/a46102451/im-learning-to-listen-in-new-ways/ Connect with Estelle: ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus
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    43 mins
  • #106 Forays Into The Surreal Juxtaposition of Fiction and Fact in a Novel Featuring Ruth Bonapace

    #106 Forays Into The Surreal Juxtaposition of Fiction and Fact in a Novel Featuring Ruth Bonapace
    Sep 26 2024
    Ruth Bonapace’s surrealistic comic novel The Bulgarian Training Manual is an Elle Magazine 2024 top summer read. Publisher’s Weekly called it a “whimsical delight.” Her work has appeared in The Southampton Review, The Saturday Evening Post, Hippocampus, The New York Times and elsewhere. A former women's magazine editor and sports writer, Ruth has an MFA from Stony Brook University. In this episode: The concept of The Bulgarian Training Manual, and how it morphed from a short story to a full length book Putting local angle, sites, personalities and pop culture into a novel Imbuing research into a fictional story Advice from a popular novelist that gave Ruth the freedom to write without worry Incorporating magic, fairy tales, myth and archetypes into story Ambiguity and shape shifting as a throughline and plot device Focusing on characters’ organic transformations Working speculative elements and whimsy into a story The historical genesis of the fad diet from the book The power of going down rabbit holes while writing How Ruth found her publisher, Clash Books Other episodes referred to: Episode #89 Level Up Your Novel By Mastering Visual Imagery and Research Featuring Amanda Churchill https://estelleserasmus.com/89-level-up-your-novel-by-mastering-visual-imagery-and-research/ Episode #95 The Catalysts and Craft for Charting and Plotting Novels Featuring Ann Hood https://estelleserasmus.com/95-the-catalysts-and-craft-for-charting-and-plotting-novels-featuring-ann-hood/ Episode #35 Flying High with Storyteller Ann Hood https://estelleserasmus.com/35-flying-high-with-storyteller-ann-hood/ Connect with Ruth Website: https://www.ruthbonapace.com X: https://x.com/ruthbonapace Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthbonapace/ Connect with Estelle ​​FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode at https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for her newsletter. Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals Get Her Book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0 Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests. Her latest post is on How to Pitch The Cut https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/how-to-pitch-the-cut-advice-ideas?r=aydx Take Estelle’s Tantalizing Titles Craft Talk Webinar on October 2nd and learn to write compelling headlines for your essays and articles https://craft-talks.com/event/tantalizing-titles/ Read her article A Good Title Is Vital: Getting The Hang of Writing Headlines on the Brevity Blog https://brevity.wordpress.com/2024/09/19/a-good-title/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFY9uJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHdGEWO7rDBO8DFsPsPtmbO6xCZnqHdgQQ36iq_vNZP3xdgRjdz2AkPoHeg_aem_mBJph-U49oW2NCRDpG4aQg Follow Her on Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus
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    29 mins