Q&A With Emily Esterson

Journalist, Writer, and Writing and Editing Coach Emily Esterson has twenty years’ experience behind her back. After starting out as a newsletter editor for a global oil company, Emily moved on to corporate writing and journalism, working for the Boulder Daily Camera, Natural Foods Merchandiser, Inc. magazine and New Mexico Business Weekly. Emily has also authored two books, Covering the Business Beat, and The Adult Longeing Guide, and is working on a third one. She is currently running her own freelance business, writing and editing for a variety of magazines, and is building up her coaching business. She hails from New Mexico.

As a writing coach and magazine editor, what are some of the most common problems that you see writers struggle with? How do you try to help your students overcome these problems?
Most of the writers I work with don’t really have a clear idea of what the story is. That hold true for those working on journalism pieces and those writing corporate reports as well. You really have to be very diligent about honing your idea and sticking with it, no matter what. Lots of times people want to put too much information into a piece of writing. The human brain can only absorb so much.

What is the most important piece of advice that you can offer to anyone who is trying to start a writing or editing career? Why do you feel that this is important to a beginner writer?
Write, write, write. Try to get as much experience as you can—volunteer to write the church newsletter if you have to, but write! Once you get that assignment, treat it with the utmost seriousness and professionalism. Turn it in on time, make sure you have every source verified and ask the editor what else he or she needs. As glamorous as the writing life may seem, editors and writers are creating a product and that product has to meet certain specifications.

Since you seem to be both business savvy and accomplished in the art of writing, what are some pieces advice that you can give freelance writers/editors on how to focus on their business? What do you think are some business skills that many writers lack?
This is essentially what my first book was about. I believe that you have to have a niche—define what you do best, and what you love to write about, and then focus in on those publications and websites that cover those topics. Read voraciously on those topics and become a subject matter expert. Then when it comes to writing or editing on that topic, you have tons of knowledge to draw from.

Writers…hmmm, well, believe it or not, there are very few “businesslike” writers out there. As an editor, I don’t have time to hear about how the dog ate the story and the computer crashed and so forth. If you say you are going to deliver, please do so. There are too many people missing deadlines.

What do you prefer, writing for magazines, editing, or writing a book? What do you think is the best (and worst) of each?
That’s a tough question. I very much like to coach writers, which is what most editing is really about. Plus I like to dig into a story and see it evolve into an improved version of its original self. On the other hand, magazine editing can be a tedious and money-driven business. Writing books gives you the kind of intense satisfaction that, say, running a marathon does. So much work, so many words, organized together. Unfortunately there’s no money in it all, Writing magazine articles always leave me feeling like I could have done more, or better, or something. I find that probably the least satisfying of the three.

To learn more about Emily, visit her website at www.emilyesterson.com.