#35 New <editorial> direction
Transitions, releasing, moving with seasonal energy + getting a haircut!
Good morning everyone. I hope you have your coffee in hand, feeling cozy and soaking in everything a Sunday can offer. Yesterday I got a haircut—an act I always associate with (seasonal) transitions—and today I’m sharing a slightly new editorial direction for Minor Edits, which feels a bit like that same shift: my newsletter getting a new haircut.
The haircut analogy matters because it’s about shedding weight while adding layers. I love visiting my hairdresser Alessandro because every time I’m at the salon, it feels like a regular therapy session: we reflect on life, the creative industry, and everything else we’re a little mad about. This time, Alessandro was mad at Burberry. “They made me angry and I’m going to tell you why in a second,” he said as he fastened my robe.
“The fashion week is always like this,” he continued when he returned with his comb. He told me how hairstylists—especially during London Fashion Week and with big brands—are routinely disrespected: bookings left unconfirmed until the last minute, assistants kept on standby, unable to ask questions or updates. Alessandro did ask. That morning, with the show less than 48 hours away, he requested an update—and was promptly released from the job simply for asking.
There are different ways to release things (or be released), but I’ve noticed that one pattern often appears when you finally stand up for yourself. After my hair appointment and with my fresh new layers, I sat at the coffeeshop downstairs and remembered the somewhat strange dream I’d seen the night before. I saw that I was pregnant with twins but only one came out and I kept waiting for the second twin to feel “ready” to come out until it was the morning and I woke up.
While sipping on my coffee, I decided to look up the meanings or interpretations of what this dream might have held in my unconscious. These two readings in particular really stood out for me (and I’ll explain why in a second):
Dual opportunities or conflicting choices: The twins can represent two distinct paths, ideas, or opportunities you are considering in your waking life, and only one has come to fruition or been fully realized.
Nurturing multiple ideas or projects: The dream could also indicate that you are developing more than one significant idea, goal, or project simultaneously, and one may be currently more prominent or successful than the other.
Recently more intensely, but also for a while more generally, I’ve been thinking about how I carry two worlds when it comes to my creative work: architecture and interior design on one side, editorial work on the other. These two branches also carry themselves into the space of this newsletter. And this week—in fact more deliberately just the day before—I’d been speaking to a few people about “releasing” one and focusing more consistently on the other, particularly concerning the scope of this newsletter.
This dream, in this strangely aligned interpretative meaning which I would’ve never come to on my own, helped cement that decision. So, without further ado, here’s what’s in store for Minor Edits this season:
The colder months in the Northern hemisphere mean slowing down, conserving energy, and anticipating rest. To align with this rhythm, I’ll be moving from twice-weekly back to a once-a-week schedule. You’ll receive fewer emails—once a week—but they’ll be richer.
“Editorial” direction: I’m focusing my content more squarely on editorial life and thinking. That means dispatches from my editing work, reflections on the craft, tips on publishing and writing, the broader meaning of editing for cultural work, and occasional dives into editorial design, page layouts, or any nerdy technical details that excite me. Here are a few ideas currently in the drafts:
The politics of editing and editorial work
How to pitch and write for publications you love
What exactly an editor does on the page and off the page
Working as a freelance editor
The curatorial aspect of editing
Editing and/vs. writing
How to best make use of footnotes or other marginal spaces
Plus the occasional resources or link list that I find worth sharing
While I’m planning and drafting these future posts, I’d love to hear from you too. If you have any questions about editing, writing, or publishing—or topics you’d like to see covered in this newsletter—share them with me here. I look forward to shaping this space around what’s useful for you.
As before, you’ll receive the weekly newsletter on Sundays, late morning. Paid subscribers will continue to have full access to the Minor Edits archive, including editorial tips, stories, and deeper dives.
With gratitude,
Melis
Thanks for being here :) You can visit my website and follow me on Instagram for more ways to connect. I’ve also reopened my Fall calendar for 1:1 editorial consultation sessions—for which you can find more details here, and email me at studio@melisugurlu.co.uk for more details, with any questions, or to book a time if you’re looking for editorial support with any piece of writing, research, or project. See you next week x
Very excited to read your posts with the new editorial editorial direction! I’m coming from architectural history and archives, and slowly thinking about how to pitch and write for non-academic venues.