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Freelance Writing Direct: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts.


May 23, 2024

Joanna Rakoff is the author of the international bestselling memoir My Salinger Year and the bestselling novel A Fortunate Age, winner of the Goldberg Prize for Fiction and the Elle Readers’ Prize. Rakoff’s books have been translated into twenty languages, and the film adaptation of My Salinger Year opened in theaters worldwide in 2021 and is now streaming. She has been the recipient of fellowships and residencies from MacDowell, Sewanee, Bread Loaf, Jerome Foundation, Authors’ Guild, PEN, Ragdale Foundation, Art OMI/Ledig House, and Saltonstall; and has taught at Columbia University, Brooklyn College, and Aspen Words. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, O: The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, Elle, Porter, and elsewhere, and her new memoir, The Fifth Passenger, is forthcoming from Little, Brown in 2024.

 

The film adaptation of My Salinger Year stars Margaret Qualley as Joanna and Sigourney Weaver as her boss. Directed by Oscar-nominee Philippe Falardeau, the film opened in sixty-five countries in 2021, and is available for streaming wherever you rent movies.

 

In this episode:

  • Discovering the real theme of your memoir 

  • The game Joanna plays with herself to make her stories come alive

  • How to build out every character in your memoir so they are not one dimensional

  • The experience of having your writing adapted into a movie

  • Why it’s essential to add research into your memoir 

  • The fine art of excavating memories 

  • The power of fear to bring out creativity when writing

  • Tips for writers on how to write without distraction 

 

Connect with Joanna:

Instagram: @Joanna Rakoff  https://www.instagram.com/JoannaRakoff

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoannaRakoffAuthor/ 

 

Order My Salinger Year on Estelle’s Bookshop

https://bookshop.org/p/books/my-salinger-year-joanna-rakoff/9799872?ean=9780307947987

 

Other Episodes Mentioned 

Episode #39 Kelly McMasters: The Literary Gifts of the Leaving Season

https://estelleserasmus.com/39-the-literary-gifts-of-the-leaving-season/

Episode #81 The Art of Shaping a Compelling Story Featuring  Maggie Smith

https://estelleserasmus.com/81-the-art-of-shaping-a-compelling-story-featuring-maggie-smith/

 

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.

 

Get on the Waiting List for Estelle’s online Editor-on-Call Event in Partnership with NYU on June 13

“Making the Cut” with editor for The Cut, Jen Ortiz

https://events.nyu.edu/event/327843-editor-on-call-making-the-cut-with-your-writing

 

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

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

 

See Estelle’s latest blog post with news

https://estelleserasmus.com/a-few-pieces-of-exciting-news/



Get Her Book 

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

 

Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities)

 

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

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

 

Estelle’s Latest Articles

I’m Learning to Listen in New Ways (Shondaland)

https://www.shondaland.com/live/family/a46102451/im-learning-to-listen-in-new-ways/



What to Do PreLaunch to Get Your Book Noticed (Writer’s Digest)

https://www.writersdigest.com/getting-published/what-to-do-pre-launch-to-get-your-book-noticed

 

How to Resist the Temptation of AI When Writing (Wired)

https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-resist-ai-temptation-writing/