Dec 4, 2025
Leslie B. Blanchard joins Freelance Writing Direct for a conversation about developing her Modern Love essay, finding the line that anchored the piece, writing honestly about anticipatory grief, discovering structure through revision, clarifying metaphor, understanding what makes a submission stand out, and learning what the story truly wanted to say.Modern Love essays aren’t accidents, they’re built from a bold hook, clear structure, and often, the courage to write through grief.
In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus talks with her student, writer Leslie B. Blanchard, about the journey of her New York Times Modern Love essay, “Negotiating the End of Us,” from a quick in-class prompt to publication.
Leslie shares how the opening line “He always said he would die young” became the spine of the piece, and how focusing on the negotiation around death made her grief story stand out in an inbox flooded with loss. As Estelle often teaches her students, the right entry point can transform a personal story into one an editor cannot ignore, and Leslie’s piece is a powerful example of that.
This episode is for writers who want to turn deeply personal material into publishable essays—and need to see exactly how community, revision, and coaching make that possible.
Leslie described our workshop process this way, and her words capture the heart of how this essay developed:
“I truly believe there is a story in all of us that wants to be told. Sometimes it’s just a matter of finding your authentic voice. I recently had the honor of being published in The New York Times Modern Love, which was a life goal. The piece started with a prompt from Estelle Erasmus in her writing class and developed from there as we workshopped every angle together.
What makes this process work is that Estelle gets to know her
students in a way that allows her to guide them and help unlock
their strongest work. This is the key to crafting an essay that
gets noticed in this highly competitive field.”
— Leslie B.
Blanchard
In This Episode:
How a 10-minute classroom exercise grew into a Modern Love essay [2:50]
Why a specific, original hook is essential when writing about grief [6:21]
How Leslie found the structure and emotional center of her piece [10:29]
Craft choices that tightened the piece: cutting digressions, choosing one central metaphor, and having “bargaining” in the final line. [20:07]
How workshops, careful line edits, community, and supportive coaching can turn a private story into a publishable essay and help a writer trust their voice. [27:47]
About Leslie B. Blanchard
Leslie tackles the complexities of marriage and child-rearing with a transparency that will leave you simultaneously laughing as you brush away tears. She began writing about marriage to her high school sweetheart and life raising 5 children. She’s since added the grief of widowhood, joy of grandchildren and comfort of remarriage to her cache of insights. She’s been interviewed on NPR, spoken at “Listen To Your Mother” and been published in The New York Times’ Modern Love, Next Avenue, Huffington Post, BonBon Break, Today Parenting, Your Teen Magazine and Scary Mommy. She also a collaborated on, “Lose The Cape - It’s a Teen Thing!”
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bxezcEqnWK4
Connect with Leslie
Her Modern Love essay: Negotiating the End of Us: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/style/modern-love-negotiating-the-end-of-us.html
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leslieblanchard0408
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/agingersnapped
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Yayamom43Leslie
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/AGingersnapped
Get More from Estelle
🎓 Learn with Estelle:
• NYU Zoom Course: Writing About Your Life Through Memoir & Essays
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Learn more
• Private Small-Group Memoir Class — JANUARY AND
MARCH SOLD OUT. Next 6-week session begins May 2026. Email
freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for details and to get on the
waiting list.
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🎤 Watch: Estelle’s TEDx Talk — How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond
📘 Book: Writing That Gets Noticed — named a Poets & Writers “Best Book for Writers.” Audiobook here
🎧 Listen: Freelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2025 Podcast of the Year (American Writing Awards)
About Estelle
Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist,TEDx Speaker,
author of Writing That Gets Noticed, and host of Freelance Writing
Direct. A contributing editor for Writer’s Digest and adjunct
professor at NYU, her work has appeared in 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
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• Twitter: @EstelleSErasmus
• BlueSky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social