#114 Spotlighting Sibling Friction in Fiction Featuring Betsy Lerner

Betsy Lerner is the author of the recently released novel, Shred Sisters (Grove Press, October 2024). She is also the author The Bridge Ladies, The Forest for the Trees and Food and Loathing. With Temple Grandin, she is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns and Abstractions. She received an MFA from Columbia University in Poetry where she was selected as one of PEN’s Emerging Writers. She also received the Tony Godwin Publishing Prize for Editors. After working as an editor for 15 years, she became an agent and is currently a partner with Dunow, Carlson and Lerner Literary Agency.   The surprising origin of the Shred Sisters and the reason a temporary title became so much more [3:51] How Betsy’s life informed the book’s backstory and is reflected in multiple characters [7:16] Writing a coming of age story with a twist [7:22] The difference between writing fiction and nonfiction, and why Betsy enjoys this latest genre so much [7:57] The value of good transitions to move the reader along and hook them into the story  [10:46] Betsy’s ‘acorn’ theory and how she dropped seeds throughout her book [15:22] The key to structure and why many writers struggle with it [21:51] What Betsy really thinks about the process of revision and why slowing down is essential [24:06] The other side of her work, acting as a literary agent [25:01] How Betsy ended up going viral on TikTok and becoming a book influencer [26:28] Betsy’s dream for her book, and who she would cast in the movie [32:50] Why a writer should never write for an audience [36:32]   Connect with Betsy Photo Credit: Maryana Karayim  Website: https://betsylerner.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betsylerner The New York Times Book Review of Shred Sisters https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/30/books/review/shred-sisters-betsy-lerner.html   Connect with Estelle Erasmus ​​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.   Sign up for Estelle’s Personal Essay Class for Writer’s Digest  https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/writing-the-personal-essay-101-fundamentals   Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html   Get Her Book  Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0   Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P   Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests   Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus