*Mommy’s El Camino* is the public notebook of author Wendy C. Ortiz. In *Mommy’s El Camino* you’ll find Wendy, known to her kid as *Mommy*, one of the various identities she inhabits—along with author, therapist, Angeleno, and others. You are cordinally invited inside *Mommy’s El Camino*. All subscribers can expect roughly 4 posts a month that will arrive on Sundays at ~6pm like clockwork with occasional mid-week posts. Paid subscribers will receive all posts with full access to archives, and other offerings. Posts include essays, fragments, vignettes, lists, MINI-INTERVIEWS with fascinating people, invitations to upcoming features TBA, EXIT INTERVIEWS— conversations between people who have "broken up" in some way, shape, or form, process talk—I’m writing my fourth book, have worked with an editor, and offer insights into the work, astrology musings (Taurus sun, Scorpio moon, Sagittarius risingggggg), glimpses and discussions of the books in my bookcases, Existential Writing Crisis thoughts and actions, notes on what I’m reading and watching, & *more*. *Founding members* will be offered one 45-minute conversation with me over Zoom related to any aspect of my writing experience/career/obsession in addition to access to all posts and archive forever. Contact me for details. About your driver: Wendy C. Ortiz is the author of *Excavation: A Memoir*, *Hollywood Notebook*, and the dreamoir *Bruja*. Her writing has appeared in *BOMB Magazine* online, *Pleiades*, and *FENCE*, among many other journals. Wendy is a psychotherapist in private practice in Los Angeles, California. You can also [read Wendy's work at her website](https://www.wendyortiz.com).

***Excavation***, ***Bruja***, and ***Hollywood Notebook***, Northwestern University Press, 2025

Mommy's El Camino

So you want to work with an editor...

or do you? I did. Here's how I went about it.