How professional editors and proofreaders can overcome loneliness

Working alone doesn't have to equate to isolation. Here are some tips and reassurance for editors and proofreaders who crave company or revel in solitude.

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‘Solitude vivifies; isolation kills.’

Joseph Roux (nineteenth-century priest and poet)

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Alone or isolated?

I worked in an office for nearly fifteen years before I set up my editorial business. I’d stop and chat with friends and colleagues by the water cooler or coffee machine. There was always someone to talk to.

Sometimes it was difficult to knuckle down to the job, so social was the environment.

Now that I’m freelance, I work from home. I don’t have colleagues in the traditional sense. I’m working on my own from 10 am until 5 pm.

Non-freelancers have frequently asked me how I 'deal with the isolation', and are often surprised when I reply, 'I don’t feel isolated.'

The experience is certainly different from that of my prior office life and it requires a different mindset, but need it be isolating? Or was Roux onto something when he reminds us of the different ways of being alone?

​I asked some of my freelance editorial colleagues about how they manage a life of working from home.

The following is a summary of our collective wisdom on how to generate your very own freelance water cooler when you need it, and bathe in the quietness when you don’t. 

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The rewards and challenges of freelancing

Many of us become freelance because it suits our needs – moving house, moving country, redundancy, parenting, disability, and caring for dependents are just some of the reasons why people move their work base from the office to the home.

​These changes can bring rewards but also challenges, forcing us to withdraw from the traditional and easily accessible friendship and professional groups that we’d previously relied on.

Some of the contributors to this article highlighted how having young children has provided them with much-needed human contact at the school gates. 

But many of us still miss the office banter, the colleague element, what one editor referred to as: '... ​those people who do the same or similar jobs so you can swap and share ideas: the manager who always supports your ideas; the people who are there to confirm your decisions; the security of responsibilities understood; and the confidence of knowing how to do the job.'
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So here are some options for you to consider.

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Option 1: Explore online networking opportunities

Editorial association forums and social media platforms all come up as recommended spaces for connecting with like-minded colleagues in similar working environments ... a place to meet, chat, share ideas and let off steam.

Those with private messaging functions are especially popular. I particularly like WhatsApp and Slack for having conversations with a small group of trusted colleagues.

​Using online networking spaces means you don't ever have to feel like you’re working on our own even if there's no one else in the room.

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Option 2: Join a professional body and volunteer

Joining your national editorial society (eg the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading) or editing-adjacent associations (eg the Society of Young Publishers) could be a critical first step in accessing colleagues who face the same professional and personal challenges as you, as well as providing excellent social and learning opportunities. 

They may have committees, task forces, advisory/working groups, tutoring teams, a governing body or peer-to-peer mentoring programmes that you can participate in.

Since 2020, I've been a member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading's Council (its board), and that's meant I have daily access to other editors and our staff team. I don't just learn a ton from those people. I really like them too. They've become friends, and those relationships will stretch beyond my term of service. Perhaps you, too, could volunteer for similar roles.

Of course, you needn’t limit yourself to publishing folk. Says one editor: 'I’m also looking into various local small business networking groups – there seem to be quite a few nearby that are specifically for women or mothers.'

Another colleague is pursuing an MA, which gives her valuable face-to-face time with adults. Others have taken a series of part-time jobs, which give them additional income and social contact with other people.​

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Option 3: Try face-to-face meetups

The other favoured resource for combating feelings of loneliness is the good old-fashioned face-to-face meetup. It requires a lot more effort than dipping into LinkedIn or Facebook, but the rewards can be huge.

Again, this doesn't have to be publishing-based. It could be a hobby-based group such as a local choir, knitting group or book club. 

If you do want contact with people who do what you do, find out if your national editorial society has a regional branch or chapter that's accessible to you. If it doesn't, consider setting one up.

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​Option 4: Embrace café culture for company without complications

One colleague suggests a change of scenery: 'Scope out a decent coffee shop – having the odd couple of hours working in a different environment with people around makes you feel a lot less isolated and a lot more like you're just your own boss.'

​Even if you’re not directly interacting with other people in a particular place, that time spent outside your usual work space is an effective refresher.

You can even incorporate your java time with your work – the café may not be the best place in which to do editorial tasks that require deep concentration, but it could be a space where you can catch up on emails, invoicing or any of your more general house-keeping tasks.

I have an editor friend who's a member of a silent book club that meets weekly in a café. What that means is that they don't discuss the books they're reading ... in fact, they don't discuss anything at all. They simply meet, sit together and read their own books. It's company without complications.

If that sounds like your bag, search online to find out if there's anything like that in your area.

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Option 5: Experiment with co-working

​Co-working is where freelancers meet up to work alongside each other. This could be in a dedicated co-working office space, something more informal like a cafe, or online via Zoom or Teams.

Doing that helps you feel less isolated because you can pick each other's brains, bounce ideas off one another and so on. Like the silent book club, you might all agree to keep the chitchat to a minimum and use the experience as an opportunity just to work in a less solitary environment.

​One colleague emphasizes how there's less pressure to promote yourself in these situations. Instead, it provides a bit more of an office atmosphere than a networking atmosphere.

And this approach could just be the thing to get your creative juices going. Read these articles for insights into how other types of professionals have seen their businesses benefit as a result of being in a co-working space:

• Innovation and Collaboration: How Coworking Spaces Foster Creative Thinking
• 10 Ways Coworking Spaces Foster Innovation and Business Growth

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Option 6: Ditch the humans and hang out with the small furries​

Having a dog or cat in the home office really can combat feelings of isolation. No, they won’t be able to bounce business ideas around with you. Nor will they advise you on how to deal with the frustrated author of the book you’re editing, but pets still make wonderful companions.

​My trusty Lab is always ready with a tail wag whenever I’m feeling pressured by a deadline or tackling a particularly demanding editing job.

Plus, as one colleague remindes us, dog walkers are usually sociable, and you get to work on your health – which keeps you business-fit and body-fit. And as we all know, a bit of exercise is wonderful for mental wellbeing.

​Oh, and did I mention that pets keep your feet warm in winter, too?

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More options ...

If you don’t fancy any of the above, consider the following:

• Turn on the radio for a while – listen to a talk show or music. 
• Pop outside for a few minutes for some fresh air and get some natural light on your face – things always seem a little rosier afterwards.
• Take a short walk, preferably on a soft surface like grass or sand. 
• Phone a friend, partner or family member and a have a chat or arrange a meetup. 
• And if all else fails, one of my editor contributors (with tongue firmly in cheek) reminds us that there’s always online war gaming … so wake up your avatar and grab your lightsaber. Different strokes for different folks, as the saying goes.

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Is being alone such a bad thing?

Here's one editor's take on working alone: 'Why assume isolation is bad? I don't miss the office politics, formal clothing, jockeying for time off, etc. I'm not so much antisocial as one who enjoys quiet time alone, so freelancing at home is ideal in that regard.'

It's a good point. Freelancing from home does require a different mindset, but once you’re in it, it can be quite hard to revert to old ways of working.

Here are two more perspectives from editors embracing the solitude:
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• 'I can get so much work done just focusing at home, and taking breaks only when I need – or don't need – them.'
• I love being able to shut myself away from the world and have my own space where I can beaver away at my own pace.'

​In an illuminating article in the New York Times Sunday Review, 'The Rise of the New Groupthink', Susan Cain reminds us that being alone, and enjoying the attendant privacy and freedom from interruption, can be an intensely creative and rewarding experience.

Many of us do need our water coolers, online or off, but we can also enjoy the solitude that our freelance homeworking status brings us.  

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About Louise Harnby

Louise Harnby is a line editor, copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in working with crime, mystery, suspense and thriller writers.

She is an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and co-hosts The Editing Podcast.

• Get in touch: Louise Harnby | Crime Fiction & Thriller Editor
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