Closed to new book-length projects until October
I’m able to offer sample edits and estimates for new projects, but I cannot deliver any additional projects until further notice. That is, if you’ve already contacted me about a project, you’re on my list. But if I hadn’t heard of your need for editing before today, I cannot start the work until I’ve completed some of my current to-do list. My to-do list as of today includes 12 projects, 6 of which I want to complete in September, 4 of which are “high...
Read MoreQ&A from the Clubhouse
Wow! Last evening was so fun and energizing–I admit I was a little unsure how a live chat app would work, but we had many wonderful people join us with some pertinent questions and insights. And talking to people out loud was very energizing; I just hope I didn’t talk too fast. I was mostly listening and talking rather than taking notes, but I jotted down a few questions and suggestions I remember from last night to share, both to help those of us who were there to remember and to...
Read MoreNotes from Your Editor (Clubhouse meeting, August 12)
I hope many of you will be able to join me! As I prepare for my live chat with Nicki tomorrow, I have some notes that I’d like to share here on my website, both for listeners to follow along with, and for those who aren’t able to make it to benefit from: A. Copyediting, proofreading, line-by-line — what do all these terms mean? Developmental/structural/content edit – literally developing the ideas in the book. What to include and in what order? Add, reorganize, remove? Often...
Read MoreA Clarification to my Update: Short Fiction Pricing
My schedule & rate updates described in my last post were made with book-length work in mind: the 90-day lead isn’t necessary for short fiction. So for all pieces under 10,000 words or so*, my standard rate is $40/hr, and delivery can be expected within 1-2 weeks. This doesn’t count as “rush” pricing because there’s a big difference in editing a 6,000 word story in 14 days and editing a 70,000 word story in 30 days. Usually I’m able to deliver short...
Read MoreJoin me at the Clubhouse! (Plus, Rate & Scheduling Updates)
To celebrate the release of her hilarious and heartwarming women’s fiction novel (plus WWII survival story) StumpStrong, my client Nicki Pascarella is hosting a series of “Bookclub” talks on Clubhouse. I’ll be joining her the evening of August 12 to talk about “Preparing Your Manuscript for Editing”: how to get the most from working with an editor like me. Preparing for the Clubhouse chat has got me thinking about what elements have led to the best editing...
Read MoreUpdates, mostly personal
Look, I’ll be honest, after my last post to this blog it’s terribly difficult to think of a first line to this post that won’t sound obscenely flippant or bitter. I’m not bitter, actually–and fortunately. I have too many good memories, and I guess I just have a foundationally optimistic personality. All optimism aside, much of 2020 sucked. But there are good things happening too. For one, I’ve received my vaccine, and that was a weight off my mind I...
Read MoreA Personal Loss
Update 7/12/2020: I appreciate the outpouring of kind words. John is remembered on this memory wall at the Tribute Archive, where I’ve posted some pictures and the eulogy I read at a small ceremony with his family. Another small memorial will be held among his friends in the coming weeks. I write this in a state of shock. My partner for just over a year, John, passed away last night or early this morning (the cause is still to be determined. I believe he went in his sleep). He had...
Read MoreMoney Management and Living on a Budget for Freelancers: the Ebook
First, I’d like to thank my mom and dad. In all seriousness, they raised me to be frugal, or at least to focus on value rather than flashiness when making purchasing decisions, and to save money whenever I could, whether it was in a piggy bank or a CD. Then I became a freelancer, and I had to be frugal by necessity. I’ve developed habits to make frugality more automatic, and I’ve learned ever more tips and methods to save on expenses or to earn extra income. Some of them I...
Read MoreMoney Management and Living on a Budget for Freelancers – Part 4: Savings and Investment Accounts, Final Thoughts
In the previous posts of this series, I’ve discussed sources of income, ways of keeping down expenses, and how I send and receive payments. Here, let’s talk about the other accounts I have, those for savings and investments. While I’ve mentioned these in passing throughout the previous posts, now they deserve more detail. Then I’ll close this post with my final thoughts. Mint’s free budgeting software is awesome for tracking my savings and the goals I’m saving...
Read MoreMoney Management and Living on a Budget for Freelancers – Part 3: Payment Methods
Bank accounts, credit cards, Paypal—it seems being a modern economic agent means all these different options coming out of your ears. In this third section of my money management series, I’ll go over different accounts I have and how I use them, both to get paid and to pay others. Cash and ATM This is actually the last part of my expense budget in Mint, its own line item. I assign myself a certain amount per month that I can take out as cash and use however I want. These cash...
Read MoreAbout Therese
Therese Arkenberg's first short story was accepted for publication on January 2, 2008, and her second acceptance came a few hours later. Since then they haven't always been in such a rush, yet her work appears in places like Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Analog, Daily Science Fiction, and the anthology Sword & Sorceress XXIV. Aqua Vitae, her science fiction novella, was released by WolfSinger Publications in December 2011.
She works as a freelance editor and writer in Wisconsin, where she returned after a brief but unforgettable time in Washington, D.C. When she isn't reading, writing, or editing (it's true!) she serves on the board of the Plowshare Center of Waukesha, which works for social, economic, and environmental justice.