Meet Sarah Terez Rosenblum | Writer, Teacher, Creative Coach & Developmental Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Terez Rosenblum and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
As a freelance developmental editor, writing coach, teacher, and writer, I could easily never stop working. I feel enormous responsibility to help my clients— other writers— achieve their goals and stick to their timelines, so sometimes I find myself prioritizing their needs and schedules over my own. It’s easier to be accountable to other people than it is to show up for yourself, especially when there’s a clear monetary reward awaiting you at the end of the meeting or project. A few years ago, I realized something obvious: if I’m not fueling myself with my own creative work and long term writing projects, I won’t be a good developmental editor and writing coach for my clients. Since then, I’ve been more conscious about not over-scheduling myself. Sometimes I’m successful at balancing my creative goals and writing projects. Sometimes they get lost in my client-facing work. Still, I strive for that balance. Oh, and I no longer see clients on the weekends.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My first novel, Herself When She’s Missing was completed, sold and published within two years of receiving my MFA in creative writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. For anyone not familiar with the publishing world let me just say this is FAST. I felt like my career was on track. In any line of work, life can get in the way, but as a writer, my emotions are my tools. I found myself distracted by breakups, deaths, and the hectic nature of city life. At the same time, I was hustling to publish online think pieces, essays, and interviews, while beginning to neglect fiction writing, which is my true passion. In 2015 I decided it was time to make a change. I recalibrated: I moved to a smaller city, took a relationship break, and stopped freelance writing, instead turning my attention to teaching, which allowed me more time and energy to devote to fiction writing. Since then, my private creative coaching and developmental editing practice has boomed, I’ve won the teacher of the year award at Story Studio Chicago, and I’m currently developing a class with international reach for The University of Chicago Graham School in Partnership with Global Alumni. With more emotional space to devote to the writing that moves me, my fiction has appeared in literary magazines such as The Normal School, Diagram, Brevity, Third Coast, and I was shortlisted for Prairie Schooner’s Summer 2020 Creative Nonfiction Prize. I have not met all of my career goals yet. (For example, I’ve parted ways with my agent and am on the lookout for someone to represent my second novel.) But my goal is to continue to look at my career and my private life as interacting parts of the same system.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

Top of the list: The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center. The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is one of very few sanctuaries in the United States which has been certified by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Their mission is to Educate the public through tours and programs about the importance of Wolves, Coyotes, and Foxes to our eco-system. I’ve visited twice now, and if they’ll let me, I want my ashes spread there when I die. On my second visit, I did the VIP wolf encounter which lets you physically interact with the wolves. My favorite part were all the rules and restrictions. I want to live in a world where my rights and dress code are dictated by wolves. It was like, you can’t wear your hair in a top knot, they will expect deep tissue massages–that’s a direct quote. You must let them lick your mouth or they’ll be offended. Truly the best hour of my life. The only downside was our discovery that my fiancé is even more allergic to wolves than he is to dogs. Which makes sense, cause aren’t dogs just diluted wolves?

While I will 100 percent let a wolf lick my teeth, I am otherwise not an adventurous person. However, my fiancé and (future) step-son love zip-lining, and highly recommend The Edge Ziplines and Adventure Park in Castle Rock.

It’s a yearly ritual for the two of them to hike the Incline. I can’t say I’d recommend it, but if you like gasping for breath and aren’t afraid of heights…

Which reminds me, we recently went to the beautiful Seven Falls at The Broadmoor and I caused a back up on the stairs when not once, but twice I tried to climb the terrifying staircase built into the rocks and had to turn around.

Garden of the Gods is a huge favorite. On our last visit, my step-son kept saying how glad he was to be able to walk through it, but at the same time how sobering it is that humans have made it walkable and thus left their mark.

We spend a lot of time in Pueblo West because my fiancé’s parents live there, so we’re always on the hunt for restaurants that meet my fiancé and step-son’s needs (hamburgers) and mine (please not hamburgers.)
Brues Alehouse Brewing Co is top of our list. The outdoor patio is covered, which means it’s comfortable even on scorching days, and the restaurant is dog friendly, so I was able to simultaneously hit my daily salmon and corgi quotas.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
At nineteen I saw folk music duo The Indigo Girls. Their tenacity, talent, fidelity to their vision, and all around heartfelt approach have inspired me as an artist and person. Over the years, I’ve gotten the chance to interview both Emily Saliers and Amy Ray for various publications, and I’ve been particularly impressed by Amy Ray’s dedication to her writing practice. Her desire to evolve and her willingness to devote daily time to grinding it out inspires me as an artist and business person.

Website: https://www.sarahterezrosenblum.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-terez-rosenblum-0a0baa16/

Twitter: @sarahterez

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SarahTerezRosenblum

Other: https://www.amazon.com/Herself-When-Shes-Missing-Novel/dp/1593764375