I've found the perfect job for my skills and circumstances -- copyediting vivid articles and columns on astronomy, geology, botany, archaeology, paleontology, pathology, and all sorts of other fetching -ologies for Natural History magazine. (An old friend from college, who was compiling our class notes, is married to the editor, and pricked up her ears when I said I was doing copyediting.) As I've said before, the work is challenging enough to be interesting but doesn't make the grueling, deep-digging demands writing does. It cheerfully survives interruption (a given in my situation), and delivers a bonus of enthralling learning with each piece of work. I've always loved this kind of stuff. I narrowly missed being a scientist, and specifically some kind of out-in-the-field naturalist, so I have the exact combination of broad, not-too-shallow scientific literacy and English usage proficiency that the job requires. It's fair to say they're as happy with the fit as I am.
There was only one problem: there wasn't enough of it. I was working about a week a month and making around $500 -- a nice piece of my living, but not a living. I still had to freelance, that is, troll for new jobs every month and run aground if I couldn't find any. I also took on a couple of jobs that were way too much like writing for comfort. I think I've finally learned, when these are done, that I want to keep writing for myself and edit for bread and butter.
The NH editor had mentioned around Christmastime that he knew the editor of another science magazine who could probably use my services if I wanted more work. I was just about to take him up on that offer (provided the two didn't have their deadlines at the same time) when I heard from the managing editor of NH. Two editors who have handled a lot of the fact-checking and copyediting are leaving. How would I like a whole lot more work?
It was one of those "ask, and it shall be given to you" moments. I've been having a few of those lately. Last fall, I wrote about "our" tree, a little maple right behind our back porch that we got to watch turn color. [I'll put a link there tomorrow. TypePad blogs are acting weird tonight.] Not long after writing that post, I discovered that the previous June, when we were house-sitting here and looking for and at apartments, I'd dashed off in a journal -- rather irritably! -- "I'd like to have a tree to look at -- is that too much to ask --"
Congratulations! It sounds just right, which is hard to find in the work world.
Posted by: Icepick | April 05, 2007 at 09:31 AM
What Icepick said, with emphasis!!!!!!
Posted by: Randy (Internet Ronin) | April 05, 2007 at 09:33 AM
Yeah, and the funny thing is, the camaraderie of copyeditors is a lot like that of auto mechanics. Real down-and-dirty shopfloor tradecraft, with its own lingo, like you're tinkering with a greasy engine. That's a part of it I love.
Posted by: amba | April 05, 2007 at 11:32 AM
Congrats, Annie ... couldn't happen to a better person, writer, blogger, caregiver, etc., etc.
Posted by: GN | April 05, 2007 at 11:55 AM
Great gig! I'm not a copy editor, but if I were, I'd salivate for it.
Posted by: Richard Lawrence Cohen | April 05, 2007 at 03:30 PM
I'm always glad when pleasant things happen to my friends.
Posted by: sippicancottage | April 05, 2007 at 08:42 PM
I'm glad to be among your friends.
Posted by: amba | April 05, 2007 at 08:47 PM
Congratulations, Annie. I second all the above motions.
It's funny, but my wife has been in exactly your position for a number of years now. She's a book editor—mostly foreign-language textbooks, but she ventures into other areas upon occasion—and has had to troll for jobs just as you describe. She has fairly regular work from her wonderful former boss who started a packaging house (a kind of book subcontractor), but it isn't enough.
My wife had a nice, 14-year in-house career, including 10 years at Houghton Mifflin, where she was a senior development editor. Two kids and getting stressed-out put an end to all that. So, she now does any kind of editorial work that comes her way, including copyediting and indexes. She's done a number of big book development projects, but she has the same relationship to that as you do to writing on demand. Lower-stress copyediting and production work suit her (our) circumstances better and do not drive her bonkers.
Anyway, greetings from a parallel universe. It's nice to know there's steady work out there and that you've found it!
Posted by: Theo Boehm | April 05, 2007 at 11:50 PM
Good to find a "been there, done that" in common!
Posted by: amba | April 06, 2007 at 02:04 AM
Just saw this today, but heartfelt congratulations and wishes for all the best don't go stale.
Posted by: Pastor_Jeff | April 06, 2007 at 01:35 PM