#129 Intentional About Structure: Dual Timelines and POVs As a Bridge Featuring Jessica Strawser

Jessica Strawser is editor-at-large at Writer’s Digest and the USA Today bestselling author of suspenseful book club novels, including Almost Missed You; Not That I Could Tell (a Book of the Month pick); A Million Reasons Why; The Next Thing You Know (a People Magazine Pick), and her latest, Catch You Later, as well as The Last Caretaker, both instant USA Today bestsellers. She has written for The New York Times, Modern Love, Publishers Weekly and other fine venues, and is a popular writing instructor and freelance editor specializing in helping writers with their submission packages. She lives with her husband and children in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she was named 2019 Writer-in-Residence for the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County and awarded an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award for 2024.    In this episode: The inspiration behind the story [2:48] How Jessica structured the dual POV, dual timeline narrative in Catch You Later [6:41] The concept of a reliable or unreliable narrator [11:08] How she built tension by giving readers more information than the characters have [12:30] The importance of friendship and friendship rituals as a central theme [15:07] Jessica’s process for incorporating backstory [17:20] Throwing obstacles at her characters in an organic way [20:03] How she researched state troopers and highway travel stops for authenticity [22:15] The “murky middle” struggle and how she keeps her writing momentum going [25:58] Why she includes book club discussion questions [30:31] Why she overwrites [27:00] Jessica’s disciplined writing routine—1,500 words a day, five days a week [27:29] Jessica’s next book and plans for the near future [29:17]   Connect with Jessica   Website: https://jessicastrawser.com  Facebook: https://facebook.com/Jessicastrawserauthor Instagram: https://instagram.com/Jessicastrawserauthor    Catch You Later on Estelle’s Bookshop  https://bookshop.org/p/books/catch-you-later-jessica-strawser/21194221?aid=98827&ean=9781662510236&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct   Jessica’s prior appearance on the podcast  #96 Writing and Elevating a Suspense Novel https://estelleserasmus.com/96-writing-and-elevating-a-suspense-novel-featuring-jessica-strawser/ Connect with Estelle Erasmus    Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of WRITING THAT GETS NOTICED (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast Freelance Writing Direct. She is an adjunct instructor for NYU’s School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts, has written for over 150 publications, including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent,The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at estelleserasmus.com and follow her on Substack at https://estelleserasmus.substack.com   Her latest substack Post: My Predictions for Publishing in 2025 https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/my-predictions-for-publishing-for   Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with.   ​​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 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social   Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an offer to paid subscribers)  5 Hard Truths about Essay Writing https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/5-hard-truths-about-essay-writing   Freelance Writing Direct has been named a 2025 Podcast of the Year Winner in the Education category by the American Writing  Awards. For a list of winners go here https://americanwritingawards.com/