May was a busy month. I began work with two clients I’d been courting for a long time. Running a freelance business takes a lot of patience, which is not necessarily a natural gift for me. Obviously, I’m still catching up on these blog posts. The goal is to be up to date by mid-September, then continue monthly from there. Any feedback on what is or is not helpful to let you get to know me better as a business owner, freelancer, writer/editor, and person is appreciated. Without further ado, here’s how May shaped up:

Helped graphic designer Christy Batta of Christy Batta Designs go behind the scenes of her work creating a logo for Discover Bonifant, a coalition of small businesses in Silver Spring, Maryland. I love my collaboration with Christy. My role is to help guide her through creating her monthly blogs — asking questions, giving feedback, making suggestions — from the incarnation to the publication. It’s a combination of coach and editor, almost like a blogging doula.
Continued working to edit DE&I and sustainability reports for a major media corporation through my aforementioned (see April entry) NDA client, henceforth referred to as Client Z. And at another juncture, we’ll talk about NDAs. Throughout the process, a lot of questions about conscious language arose, such as whether the term BIPOC or person of color is preferable. I offered to create a conscious language guide for the company to have as a resource for clients who might not have set standards on certain usages.
Began working on a feature story for CASE, Council for Advancement and Support of Education. I did some copy editing and fact-checking for CASE a few years ago and have since kept in touch, through a few rounds of editors, but this was my first time writing for them. Freelancing can be a long game, which is hard when you like instant gratification (who doesn’t?!)
Edited weekly newsletters for ASJA, the American Society of Journalists and Authors. This is a volunteer position, and the ONLY work I do for no pay. I consider it a contribution to my community and an investment of time into networking.
Wrote a pillar page on leveraging audio advertising for Viant by Adelphic, an omni demand-side platform. I started working with Viant in late 2020. The content manager is a friend and was a classmate at Medill. It’s my first foray into ad tech writing and though I admit I’m a little intimidated, I hope to continue to develop this niche.
Began work with a new client, American Communities Project, on a story about the challenges faced by parents in the urban suburb of Silver Spring, MD (where I happen to live) to find affordable childcare. I first connected with the editor of ACP, Ari Pinkus, in 2017 as she was departing the National Association of Independent Schools. Since then we’ve stayed in touch intermittently. We were glad to finally have an opportunity to work together. This is definitely an example of how so much of the key to growing your freelance business is building relationships.
On the note of relationships, through ASJA I randomly reconnected with a former colleague I’d worked with almost 20 years ago. I love these small world moments.
Also through ASJA I participated in TeleConnections, which provides members with the opportunity to sign up for fast (9-minute!) introductory phone calls with the leaders of numerous publications, content marketing agencies, and publishing houses. I felt like my calls all went well, but my biggest challenge is probably going to be coming up with pitches. I often find pitch culture to be discouraging.
Wrote and submitted a story to the University of Pennsylvania on alumnus Chris Bennett, founder of Wonderschool — a platform and software to support early education programs and microschools.

I’m still catching up and getting the hang of these monthly summary posts, figuring out the best use to make of this blog. Get in touch with me at hello@redpeneditorial.co.

Well, in a move that will surprise no one, I failed upfront to post a monthly review of my work activities. So now it’s late August and I’m catching up on my spring blog posts. But as Fred and Ginger tell us, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again. So, under the heading of better late than never, here’s what April looked like:

Participated in the annual (virtual) conference for ASJA, the American Society of Journalists and Authors. I joined ASJA in 2019 and serve as the (volunteer) editor of the weekly newsletter, aptly titled AJSA Weekly. I feel like I made some good connections, but the challenge, as always, is to be diligent about maintaining them. We’ll talk in more detail about that another time.
Also for ASJA, I was a judge for the Annual Writing Awards. I also submitted two of my stories for entry. I don’t envy the organizers. There were hundreds of submissions in something like 40 categories. I personally read about 25 stories, which went through 2-3 rounds of discussions with two teams. Honestly, I won’t be taking part again — it was just too time-consuming.
Worked with one of my regular editing clients, graphic Christy Batta of Christy Batta Designs, on a post addressing five questions about mood boards and how they serve her process.
Pitched two stories to the Pennsylvania Gazette, the alumni magazine for the University of Pennsylvania. One pitch was successful and the story is scheduled to run in September 2021.
The editor at one of my repeat clients, Northern Virginia Magazine, left. Katie was an excellent editor — she communicated thoroughly but never micromanaged, was clear on what she wanted, gave me plenty of space, and made me feel like she respected my skills and experience. I hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with her again.
Started working with a new client, copy editing annual reports for large corporations. My first project was working on a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion report for a major media company. Because of complex NDA (non-disclosure agreements), that’s the most I can say about that. Part of the reason I decided to start these “month in review” posts was to be able to keep clients and colleagues abreast of the type of work I’m doing, even when I can’t talk about the work itself.

Well, that’s it for April. I’ll do my best to catch up and get into the swing of things for fall. The best-laid plans, as they say. Managing life as a freelance business owner is a balancing act, and when you add in being a parent, even more so. And then throw in a pandemic. So I try. And I keep trying.