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First, an announcement:
My first Substack Live in my new series Musings on Magazines: The Story Behind the Story was with former Chatelaine Editor-in-Chief Rona Maynard. Here is the link to the video of our fun and fearless discussion:of our lives in magazines in the 90s and early aughts. https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/live-with-estelle-erasmus-and-rona
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Now for today’s episode:
How do you distill an entire life into just seventy 70-word stories?
In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, I talk with writer, editor, psychotherapist, and GrubStreet instructor Deborah Sosin about her innovative memoir, Escape Velocity. Inspired by her 70th birthday, Deborah challenged herself to write seventy stories of exactly 70 words each, transforming a creative constraint into a deeply moving exploration of family, identity, generational trauma, aging, and self-discovery.
We discuss how tiny stories can carry enormous emotional weight, creating a narrative arc through recurring themes, deciding what to leave on the page and what to leave out, and why limitations can spark creativity. Deborah also shares her path to self-publishing, collaborating with illustrator Anna Hall, and finding the freedom to tell her story on her own terms.
Whether you write memoir, personal essays, or flash nonfiction, this conversation offers inspiration and practical insights into making every word count.
In this episode:
- Why Deborah wrote seventy stories of exactly 70 words each
- How constraints can strengthen your writing
- Techniques for building a larger narrative from small moments
- The role of recurring themes and emotional throughlines in memoir
- Deborah’s journey from concept to self-published book
Watch on YouTube
About Deborah Sosin
Deborah Sosin, LICSW, is a writer, editor, psychotherapist, and GrubStreet instructor. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Boston Globe Magazine, Salon, Cognoscenti, Brevity Blog, Oldster Magazine, Short Reads, The Manifest-Station, two anthologies, and numerous other publications. She is a volunteer reader for In Short: A Journal of Flash Nonfiction. Debbie also authored the award-winning picture book Charlotte and the Quiet Place (Gold INDIEFAB and Silver IPPY); and a clinical workbook, Sober Starting Today. Debbie has an MFA from Lesley University and an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work. Her new memoir, Escape Velocity: How One 70-Year-Old Push-Pulled Her Way Out of Her Too-Much-Not-Enough Family (70 Micro-Memoirs, 70 Words Each), with illustrations by Anna Hall, released in February 2026. Deborah lives outside of Boston.
Links
Substack: Write it Like It Is
Don’t Forget to watch episode #197 How Dual Timelines Brought a Family Story to Life with Tiffany Graham Charkosky and #196 Going Back Through Time to Get the Story: Dionne Ford on Family History, Reporting, and Memoir
Click here to see the resources from the 2026 AWP Panel, Estelle moderated that Dionne was a panelist in.
Mentioned in this podcast: Sari Botton Beth Ann Fennelly
Get More from Estelle
- My next editor-on-call event with NYU is on Wednesday, September 16 with the executive editor and publisher of Electric Literature, Denne Michele Norris. Here is the link to that event. https://events.nyu.edu/event/400238-light-up-your-literary-life-with-electric-literatures
And here are my podcast episodes with Denne. - I’m on the Mom Coms hilarious comedy podcast reading and talking about so much, including a piece I wrote for Scary Mommy called Mom’s Life Hacks to Cut Through Other People’s Crap. Check it out here on YouTube and let me know what you think.
- Private Small-Group Memoir/Essay Class
My Next 6-week session that begins September 2026 is sold out.
Email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com to get on the waiting list for new classes. - 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.” Please leave a review. - Listen/Watch
Freelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2026 Podcast of the Year, Business (American Writing Awards)
Celebrating Student Successes
Linda Wolff’s poignant piece about her Mom’s Alzheimer’s, which she honed in my Zoom class/workshop, was published this week in Newsweek.
Read: The One Thing I Did to Help Ease the Pain of My Mom’s Alzheimer’s for Both of Us
About Estelle
Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, TEDx speaker, and author of Writing That Gets Noticed. She is the host, founder, and executive producer of Freelance Writing Direct, an adjunct professor at NYU, and the former editor-in-chief of five national magazines with a combined reach of 10 million readers.
Her work has appeared in more than 150 publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, The Independent, Slate, Shondaland, Marie Claire, Electric Literature, and AARP The Magazine.
Follow Estelle
Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus
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Twitter/X: @EstelleSErasmus
Bluesky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social
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