You guys! I'm an editor!

Ah, libraries. Remember when we could go to the library? It feels like a thousand years ago, eh? And speaking of libraries, my dear friend Shawna Lemay wrote this beautiful piece about missing libraries at her Transactions with Beauty blog. Go read that.

This isn’t an ad for my services (though I’d love more work), but rather a way of expressing how difficult my work has been for me. Like a lot of other people, I’ve been having real trouble concentrating on work (or anything else). I offered a few free edits a few weeks back just to keep my hand in, and to try to give something of value to my writing community. That helped, but because I was volunteering, it didn’t feel… real, somehow. Like WUT ARR WERDZ.

I certainly gave the authors the best I had, and I’m glad I did it. But what really pushed me back on the bus was a favourite, repeat client asking if I could look at a short story for him this past weekend, and of course, for a fee. Normally, I don’t work with individual stories, but I’ve read a lot of this man’s work for him, it’s excellent, and I’m always honoured when he asks me.

I put it off for a few days, honestly not knowing if I could do it. And when I finally faced my fear and sat down to do it, I COULD DO IT.

I did it! This is huge for me. I’m still open for business! I’ve still got it!

I’ve not been writing and that’s okay. If you’re not writing, that’s okay. You’re not blocked. You’re worried about family and friends and the future of humanity, and maybe writing and editing feel meaningless right now. Let that sit as long as it needs to. I did, and it worked. I won’t go in to my next project with trepidation, because it’s still with me.

It is with you, too. It will come back.