dr_pretentious | Blessed Am I Among Tutors

The new student's a recently ransomed homeschooler, just freed from junior high and way too bright for his own good. He writes short stories in imitation of Poe for kicks. He's read Beowulf five times--twice in the "condensed" version they gave him at school, twice in the Seamus Heaney translation, and once in Old English. Because he could.

We are going to get along Just Fine.

His mother was so pleased with the first session, she unilaterally decided to raise my hourly rate in appreciation. After months of haggling with The Client Mom From Hell (whom I finally had to fire), I hardly knew what to do with a client mom who understands that You Get What You Pay For. She wants me to be happy that I'm working with her son. As if I weren't already. In addition to liking the kid and being intensely curious about what he'll do next, I also get to feel vindicated about jettisoning the Client Mom From Hell, and about not putting in the energy to break into copyediting. It turns out I'm now making three times what Tor pays its freelance copyeditors. Who knew?

A few more gigs like this one, and I may be able to haul myself to Seattle for Writer's Weekend AND Glasgow for WorldCon.