I co-founded Write Up, a collective of freelance writers living in upstate New York. I started the group with a friend, Niva, early in my career and shortly after moving to a rural part of the state.

Write Up was a group of freelance writers and authors who met monthly for workshops, readings and networking events. Our mission was to help writers in rural locations improve their writing businesses.

Write Up began in 2015. Niva also had recently moved to the area and we became fast friends due to our shared interest in freelancing. Also, we needed each other. We used each other for support and advice while navigating our new careers. With most jobs, you have coworkers with whom you can bounce around ideas and gain support. But freelancing is totally isolated–especially when you live far from amenities available in big cities, such as writing groups and shared workspaces. Due to the large amount of publications available in the Hudson Valley and Catskill regions of New York, Niva and I knew there were many more freelance writers in the area facing similar challenges.

So Write Up was born. Its goal was to provide a community, network, and forum for freelance writers to discuss and share tips, resources and encouragement. We met monthly, attended local writing-related events and shared tips online.