What happens when a personal challenge becomes a path back to yourself?
In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus talks with Kate Washington, author of Midstream: A Life Remade in 50 Swims, about how a challenge to swim in 50 natural bodies of water before turning 50 became a memoir about midlife, change, and self-rediscovery.
Kate shares how she blended personal narrative with nature writing, history, science, feminist thought, and literary criticism. She also discusses cutting 20,000 words, maintaining chronological momentum, using sensory detail, and writing candidly about divorce, family, and the life of the body.
Book Giveaway
I'm giving away a copy of Midstream. Go to my Instagram (https://instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus) and leave the comment Midstream on the post for episode #203. Giveaway ends August 12. You must have an address in the Continental USA. Good luck!
In this episode:
- How Kate's 50 Dunks Challenge became the structure for Midstream
- How to weave research and cultural context into memoir without overwhelming the personal story
- How chronology, scene, and sensory detail can maintain narrative momentum
- How to decide what to cut when themes or events begin to repeat
- Why following your deepest curiosities can make a personal story more universal
Watch on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWsmXYYkjMQ&t=18s
About Kate
Kate Washington is the author of Midstream: A Life Remade in 50 Swims (Beacon Press, 2026) and Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America (Beacon Press, 2021). She is a frequent speaker on the systemic challenges facing family caregivers and a longtime freelance writer whose writing has appeared in The New York Times, TIME, HuffPost, Eater, and many other publications. Formerly the dining critic for the Sacramento Bee and associate food editor for Sunset Magazine, she holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and lives in Sacramento with her two daughters.
Links:
Website: https://kawashington.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/washingtonkate
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katewashington
Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/washingtonkate.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katewashington
Get More From Estelle Erasmus
My latest substack post is Musings on Magazines: The Behind-the-Scenes Tea From the Print Magazines You Loved to Read (and a Book Giveaway) https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/the-behind-the-scenes-tea-from-the
My next Editor-on-Call event with NYU is on Wednesday, September 16, with Electric Literature Executive Editor and Publisher Denne Michele Norris. Sign up here: https://events.nyu.edu/event/400238-light-up-your-literary-life-with-electric-literatures
Private Small-Group Memoir/Essay Class
My next six-week session beginning in September 2026 is sold out. Please email me to be added to the waiting list for the next session. Contact freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com for details.
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."
Listen/Watch
Freelance Writing Direct Podcast — 2026 Podcast of the Year, Business (American Writing Awards) https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast
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, PBS/Next Avenue, The Independent, and AARP The Magazine.
Follow Estelle
Instagram: @EstelleSErasmus
TikTok: @EstelleSErasmus
Twitter/X: @EstelleSErasmus
Bluesky: @estelleserasmus.bsky.social
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