I recently transitioned from a full-time copy chief job at Winding Road magazine, under the illustrious David E., to full-time freelancing. I made one teeny tiny comment out loud about deciding to write (finally!), and the universe rearranged my life within the week to allow me to pursue that decade-or-so-procrastinated goal. So… I procrastinated a little more and went looking for editing and writing blogs with topics that interested me–things I would geek out with my managing editor about over lunch–and found nothing. There are great blogs on time management (ahem), creative writing, and how to start your own home-based business, and several rather stagnant networking sites for editors, but really nothing I found would support my now isolated professional self the way I wanted. I’m being the change I want to see, or the support, rather. Please join me as I discuss the real nitty gritty of being a professional editor and writer: freelancing in a shitstorm economy, difficult editorial decisions, how editors and writers fit into new media business models, how to get unstuck when you’re writing, finding your life’s work, and so on.

I’ve called this blog “Ann Arbor Editors,” because I really wish there were a local networking group in my beloved Ann Arbor, Michigan, that I could lazily attend and benefit from. But the universe is not in the habit of allowing me to be lazy, at least not these days, so why don’t we create a space for all editors and writers to discuss the craft(s) and support one another’s careers and life work? Welcome!