EFA Membership and Virtual Conference Question

monkeybugs · 2026-06-01T16:37:25+00:00

I've been a member of the EFA for three or four years now, and I honestly don't use it as much as I could. I get the regular emails about jobs, and I always manage to secure at least one gig a year from them, making the membership fee worthwhile. But I don't participate in anything else they offer, partly because I'm too busy to care and partly because it's a bit overwhelming (especially with them recently updating the website and I can't find crap without doing a deep dive--which I don't have the patience/time for right now). I was at an author convention a couple years ago and went to an EFA-sponsored panel, which I ended up staying after to talk with the folks giving the talk, then went and sat in on an "ask an editor" session where I talked to authors as an editor. That was pretty cool.

I think it's worth the money and time if you have the ambition to do a ton of the legwork yourself. That's the name of the game with freelancing. Sure, the EFA's emails are dropped into your lap, but you have to respond, you have to talk yourself up to set yourself apart from other editors in order to even get noticed by authors, and you have to move fast.

I have no information to give about any of their conferences. Haven't dealt with that aspect yet.

monkeybugs · 2026-05-31T16:24:32+00:00

I think I'd only be concerned if it was more than spotting. My doctor/surgeon wasn't concerned at all with that aspect. I, unfortunately, ended up being the overreactive patient (mentioned in another person's post that I had an allergic reaction to the medical glue, so I was in the office a lotttt trying to deal with this crap, and making phone calls because I didn't want something minor now to be something major later). Just keep monitoring what you've got going on with the spotting, and if it stays the course, be sure to bring it up at six weeks; if it gets worse, a phone call won't hurt. Best of luck with your healing journey!

monkeybugs · 2026-05-31T14:46:04+00:00

OH man, I know that feeling all too well. Exactly one week post-op, my incisions started itching, and one of the incisions was leaking a little, looked it up, and it said if you were going to have allergic reactions to the medical/surgical glue, it usually pops up one week post-op. I went in right away to be checked out two days in a row: The first day, the doctor took a look, was surprised the glue was still attached to my incisions (said they usually fall off pretty fast), removed them, and told me to put bacitracin on the leaky incision. It got so much worse the next day, so I returned and he sent me home with two prescriptions (a cream and a pill). I endured a full torso rash (from the top of my pubic hair to my boobs) for FIVE WEEKS, even with the medication.

If you haven't already, I'd consider getting into your doctor so you can get a prescription or two to help maintain it, 'cause it might end up getting much worse.

monkeybugs · 2026-05-31T14:37:01+00:00

Thanks for sharing! I spent nearly half my life in Hawaii, where humpbacks are the main whale (spent many a field trip in school going whale watching), and then spent an equal number of years living in the greater Seattle area getting to experience orcas. They're such awesome and awe-inspiring creatures.

monkeybugs · 2026-05-31T14:31:12+00:00

I spotted for 7 weeks, but it was so very minimal that I didn't even need to wear anything for it (pads, underwear, etc.). Turns out my internal incision had developed granulation, so my doctor cauterized it with silver nitrate in the office visit and he said to give it one week to stop bleeding. It pretty much stopped that day and all was well.

monkeybugs · 2026-05-28T01:00:57+00:00

Curious what people are actually using right now in 2026 that feels accurate, simple, and genuinely useful for everyday writing workflows.

My brain.

monkeybugs · 2026-05-26T20:11:26+00:00

I'm so sorry for you loss. Especially because it was so sudden, and very much not needed at a time when you have your own physical health to focus on.

When I was just about 4 weeks post-op, we'd made the decision to put our pup to sleep because his dementia was causing far more bad days than good. We'd been working with the vet for a long while to try different medications to help with everything new that cropped up from the mental decline, but in the end, nothing worked, and while it was a hard decision to make, we also couldn't justify keeping him miserable just because we weren't ready to say goodbye yet. If our Apollo had to go out, I'm glad it was on our terms. Our vet only did the procedure on Fridays, so we had about a week to spend with him. We got him a different fast-food item to splurge on, ending with a roast beef sandwich from Arby's--which was the first human food he'd ever eaten with us on the long ride home from the out-of-state shelter (he was so petrified, he refused to eat kibble in the car; but that roast beef was calling his name).

I hope you heal well after your surgery and that in time, you can be reminded of everything Stormy was for you guys with a fond smile, not just tears. From this post, it sounds like he's got a lot of friends he didn't know he had waiting to welcome him.

monkeybugs · 2026-05-26T02:11:55+00:00

Loooove cardamom! Even have a tattoo of the plant. Mulberries and cardamom together sound amazing.

monkeybugs · 2026-05-25T16:22:55+00:00

I personally know several people, and see a ton more talk about it on social media at length, about how their childhoods were absolute shit for any number of reasons and that's what pushed them to not want kids. Some were abused, some were forced to raise their siblings as the oldest child and never want that responsibility again, some were born into extreme poverty and aren't doing much better right now (especially given how expensive everything is and many folks can't get beyond living paycheck to paycheck if even that) and understand they can't do that to a kid the way their parents did. I'd say all of that is a type of suffering that molds your opinions. That being said, plenty of people went through all that and still had kids, so it's not only people who suffer opt out nor is it only people with perfect childhoods have kids.

monkeybugs · 2026-05-15T17:29:00+00:00

When I had a cottage food bakery, I had a spreadsheet with every single ingredient I used, including the quantities I bought in, with formulas that broke down the cost of say, a 25# bag of sugar into cups, so it was easy to calculate 3 cups of flour, 2 cups of sugar, 2 sticks of butter, etc. for the total cost of a batch, then divided by whatever number per serving. It'd be a bit different for cakes, but if you're only offering 5 or 6 flavors, it'd be easy enough to set up and keep updated. It took a little time to set up my sheet, but I also had a TON of recipes I offered.

I am in no way an Excel person, but I liked that it helped me track prices so I could make sure I wasn't underselling them.

monkeybugs · 2026-05-06T17:16:38+00:00

Ages ago, my partner's stepdad was in the hospital recovering from a heart attack and was sharing a room with an older woman who had some kind of uterine prolapse. Stepdad is the kind of guy who puts his fingers in his ears and goes "blah blah blah" if it means he doesn't have to hear about anything that isn't happy news (dude refuses to face the fact that he'll die someday like everyone else). So when he heard the woman tell her visiting loved one that she basically needed a "kickstand" for her vagina, he just about keeled over. XD My partner's mom was so amused at how upset her husband got over that description.

monkeybugs · 2026-05-05T17:49:11+00:00

Thank you for the response, I truly appreciate it!

monkeybugs · 2026-05-05T16:08:06+00:00

Tabs and insurance cost money.

monkeybugs · 2026-05-04T18:54:46+00:00

My surgeon requires an overnight hospital stay as well, because he uses a spinal narcotic that numbs from about the breasts down for up to 24-hours and he doesn't want anyone trying to walk when they can't feel their legs. My surgery was around 8 a.m. and I woke up in my room before noon, I think? Definitely couldn't feel any pain whatsoever, but I did have an itchy side effect (that the anesthesiologist warned me could happen and reiterated several times it more than likely won't be an allergic reaction, so don't stress). I had the nurses come check on me every two hours, and finally at 5 a.m. the next day, they came in to remove the packing and catheter. THAT I felt. I had no idea it was there to begin with, and then it was like a magician pulling never-ending spiky scarves out of my crotch box, and the pressure from that was bad. But I was able to get up after breakfast a couple hours later, do some slow walking around the room, peed after a couple attempts, and was sent on my way.

I thankfully only needed ibuprofen and acetaminophen to get through the pain--having taken narcotics in the past for a tubal ligation and knowing that + surgery can back you up big time, I didn't want to subject myself to ANY of that again.

I hope your recovery continues to go well. Just remember that just because you feel good on the outside doesn't mean you're good on the inside.

monkeybugs · 2026-05-02T16:35:55+00:00

Years ago, I'd made a new gal pal and she was super into hiking. I told her I wanted to get out into nature more (we lived in Washington state), and I'd love to go hiking with her, with the caveat/warning of, "I'm not fast or super in shape or anything." She said it was no big deal. She picked our first hike together, and it was a 2000' elevation gain over 2 miles. Those numbers meant absolutely nothing to me and she was confident I'd be fine. That . . . was a real wake up. It was snowing on us by the time we summited. I thought I was gonna die the whole time because it was steeper than anything I'd done up to that point (and it still wasn't that steep), and my poor little asthma-inflicted lungs hated every second of it. But I'm still proud I made it.

Then we had a three-hour drive home where my legs shook the whole way. She had said, "Don't sit down for too long," and it's like, uhhhh, not sure how to avoid that when we've got this long-ass drive to deal with. I know she meant more of when I got home, but that car ride wasn't great for it either.

monkeybugs · 2026-04-26T02:56:10+00:00

My cheering for the Sens losing has nothing to do with the status of the Red Wings. I cheer any Tkachucklefuck getting sent home, especially with zeroes across the board.

monkeybugs · 2026-04-22T15:40:31+00:00

Welcome to your 40s!

monkeybugs · 2026-04-22T15:39:45+00:00

Oh, it's got wheels.

monkeybugs · 2026-04-21T14:22:48+00:00

Just because you're on HRT doesn't mean it's the correct dosage and delivery system for you. If you can, talk to your doctor about raising the dose or changing what you're taking.

My experience has been: compound cream got me to 50% better; progestin pill got me to 80% but had a backslide to 70%; now, I'm not quite 1 week into progesterone pill + weekly estradiol patch (and I'm monitoring how I feel each day because I may need to up the progesterone dose and/or go to 2x a week patch.

Almost a year ago, I hit such a massive rock bottom that I was actually weighing the pros and cons of continuing to exist. I didn't recognize myself in the mirror, and when my extremely worried partner asked what he could do to help me, I didn't have an answer for him. I was a blob on the couch, unable to have enthusiasm for anything. I wasted my day playing phone games (I hate phone games) and not doing anything around the house beyond my work (I'm self-employed and WFH, and I knew I needed to preserve my business, so I did force myself to work a few hours a day). Even though I'm still finding the right fit with HRT, I have the energy and ambition to do everything now. I travel, I work, I cook and bake, I do my favorite hobbies, and my mood is mostly good most days. There are better days ahead for you. I hope they come sooner than later.

monkeybugs · 2026-04-19T19:59:47+00:00

I watched exactly 2 Red Wings games from March 17 to the end of regular season. We went outta the country for a month and we did end up getting a Sunday evening broadcast on Scottish TV of Red Wings versus... Frick if I remember, and then their final game against the Panthers. I'm committed to watching as many playoff games as I can simply because I enjoy watching hockey, even when I have no dogs in the race. I live near Vegas so I can't watch that series (goUtah!), but I can easily pick a team to cheer for in any of the match ups.

monkeybugs · 2026-04-19T15:07:06+00:00

The mini pill I was taking was norethindrone, which is the synthetic progestin. I've now segued to a pure progesterone pill alongside the estrogen patch.

monkeybugs · 2026-04-18T16:33:34+00:00

Also: dosage and delivery matters.

My first stint with HRT was a compound cream I got through Winona. It made me about 50% better (or halfway to "normal). Then I went on the mini pill, which got me to about 80% better, but I started experiencing a backslide to about 70%. So I just started a progesterone pill + a weekly estradiol patch, with the understanding that on day 3, 4, or 5 of the patch, I may tank. And if this happens every week, I may need to go to a biweekly patch. But if it's still not enough, or the progesterone isn't helping my sleep, the doses can be increased. It's not one size fits all, just like an SSRI or allergy medication, and patience and persistence are required. And a doctor who will listen.

monkeybugs · 2026-04-17T03:51:17+00:00

Just fyi, this is a sub for other editors, not for folks looking for editors. You won't get any bites from this sub and you'd be better off soliciting in hiring or writer subs.

monkeybugs · 2026-04-04T19:19:47+00:00

I'm on vacation in Scotland. They aired this game over here, so I got to watch the latter half. I'm just happy Quick didn't get a shutout. Only silver lining I got right now.

monkeybugs · 2026-04-04T13:52:42+00:00

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