Typewriter

March 13, 2024

Although published last year, I only picked up journalist Estelle Erasmus’ book, “Writing That Gets Noticed,” after listening to a podcast interview with her. I wouldn’t say there’s a lot I found that was new, but I do have a few dozen books on writing so that’s not so surprising.

Still, it’s a well-written primer on how to write strong, marketable articles & essays. She covers the basics (generating & selling story ideas, identifying the right sources, developing craftsmanship as a writer, the writer-editor relationship) & is especially good at addressing the mental aspects (writer’s block, dealing with rejection, etc).

She has correctly described getting published as a “confidence game,” especially for writers who aren’t known to editors and don’t have impressive clips from established publications. At one point she offers this sensible advice: “It’s about consistently showing up after everyone else has given up.”

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