April 2022

Oof.

The plan was to send this earlier and reflect on the first three months of business in 2022, but my spouse and I are house hunting, and in this market it's nearly a full-time job—and an intensely demoralizing one. We've reviewed over a hundred homes online in the past ~5 weeks, toured nearly 30 of them, and placed 3 offers, coming in in the top 3 each time. (For context, we were in a pool of 17, 11, and 9 offers respectively, and offered well over list price on every one.)

We just received the most painful rejection yet after making an extremely strong offer on a house we both loved in our favorite location, and with interest rates climbing and our buying power dropping, it's hard not to get discouraged. Sending good vibes out to any of you navigating this market as well, especially if you're first-time homebuyers like us. We're lucky we can look at all, but I am so, so over it.

In light of the emotionally exhausting rollercoaster we've been on, I have less to share this time, but I truly love putting these together and don't want to miss a month if I can help it (even if I've migrated towards the end of the month instead of the beginning). Thank you so much for being here—it means a lot.

In March's newsletter, I briefly reflected on my first year as a full-time freelance editor and invited your questions.

ZR asked:

There are so many routes to freelance editing! I know a lot of folks who completed college programs, certifications, and internships. But lots of us are self-taught, too. I started editing professionally while I was working in the wellness industry, so the majority of my clients were coaches who needed an editor for their websites, newsletters, and course materials. I did take on just about everything, and it was good to get varied experience but I do recommend choosing clients and projects with care. 

As for picking a niche, I think it depends on the individual and their experience! Different genres of editing require different skills. Being open to different projects might help you find something you wouldn't otherwise have known you were interested in, but if you know you want to edit romance novels, it's probably not ideal to fill your schedule with medical editing just because the opportunity arose. (Though we sometimes have to make financial decisions, of course.) I love my newsletter clients, but I do keep the bulk of my schedule for gaming/SFF editing, because that's where I want to grow!

Any other questions about editing, publishing, business running, or TTRPGs? Reply to the email and let me know :)

OTHER MEDIA

I've recently watched and enjoyed:

• Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max), the queer pirate show I did not know I needed so desperately
• Abbott Elementary (Hulu), a fantastic sitcom about teachers in Philly
• Afterparty (Apple TV), a fun comedy/murder mystery miniseries
• Minx (HBO Max), about a feminist magazine in the '70s (be prepared for frequent full nudity)
• The Great North (Hulu), a heartwarming and silly animated sitcom about a family in Alaska, with single dad Nick Offerman and imaginary friend Alanis Morissette

MORE QUEER BOOK REVIEWS

Bonus: All three of the above books have queer characters and relationships! 🌈 While I love making book recommendations, I prefer to leave more thorough reviews to others. My friend and fellow Paizo freelance writer Rigby Bendele started Transgenre, their LGBTQIA+ speculative fiction review newsletter, this week. Go check it out!