#150 Coaching Episode: From Reported to Personal—Crafting and Pitching Essays That Sell

Have you spent your writing career telling other people’s stories—and now you’re ready to tell your own? In this live coaching session, Estelle Erasmus works with award-winning freelance writer Pamela M. McBride to explore how seasoned journalists and content writers can make the shift into personal essay writing—without losing sight of strategy, clarity, or publishing goals. 

Pamela M. McBride is an award-winning freelance writer with hundreds of published articles on career management, leadership development, Diversity & Inclusion, military life, health and wellness, culture, and lifestyle topics. She is a contributing author to Sisters from AARP and her work has appeared in Essence Magazine, Black Enterprise Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Military Families Magazine, and Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps Times. Pamela co-authored The Mocha Manual to Military Life: A Savvy Guide for Wives, Girlfriends and Female Service Members and Work It Girl: The Black Woman’s Guide to Professional Success. She is an honoree at the 2025 Black Authors Festival, and serves on the Armed Services Arts Partnership Alumni Board. 

In this episode:

• How to strategically submit personal essays while preserving memoir material [4:15]

• Why most essays need a strong throughline—and how to find yours [8:56]

• How to build a submission system and stay current with editors [9:46]

• Tips for pitching personal essays with compelling titles and angles [23:49]

• Building a pitching system that works [21:46]

• The real expectations around editor feedback and revision today [32:44]

• The benefits of writing micro memoirs like Tiny Love Stories [34:35]

 

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7hP5giZSe2M

 

Connect with Pamela

Website: http://PamelaMcBrideOnline.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelammcbride

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamelamcbride1/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@pamelamcbride1

Order Her Book: https://www.amazon.com/Mocha-Manual-Military-Life-Girlfriends/dp/0061690481/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-2oztME1qMuqxU9lpJ4Zmw.yY_DLMRAGMPGLAxNr9YJ6Rpk7xYSh8gKit5Cg-EKXLs&qid=1750043754&sr=8-1

 

Connect with Estelle:

 

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#87 https://estelleserasmus.com/87-writing-memoir-that-reads-like-a-novel-and-captivates-on-every-page-featuring-joanna-rakoff/

#116 Abigail Thomas

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Pitching to Editors

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