Sign in

Crystal Calhoun | Editor

@crystaledits.bsky.social
160 followers 176 following 114 posts

Freelance editor, nature lover, cozy gamer, hot beverage aficionado. Anthropology BA. Occasionally I play the mountain dulcimer, muck around with craft supplies, or wear brightly-colored wigs, but usually only two out of three at once.

PostsRepliesMedia
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
And another asynchronous proof of #StetWalk photo, this one from after yesterday’s #ACESVCON26 sessions were over. It was even non-hot and non-humid, almost like fall is on the way.
Evening sun filtering through a tangle of trees, with a path running beside a patch of grass.
040
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Ema’s panel was great, and I am so looking forward to the recording of the tropes one! My favorite for pure fun had to be the dictionary talk, but nonfiction editing for busy readers was super validating. I need to rewatch that with my note-taking brain ready.
130
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Noooooo! Making people miss deadlines is the opposite of my job! Bad Crystal, bad! I'll just see myself out.
110
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Day two of #ACESVCON26 has been overwhelmingly awesome! (The overwhelm may be from sleep debt accumulation.) Best bits as of 1:57 p.m.: multifaceted crafty edibuddies and dulcimers in SpatialChat, and discovering editors are witches — abracadabra! My eye bags and I are eager to see what's next.
130
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
😆
020
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Maybe The Creature From the Back of the Fridge can show up in the thriller and that will be good enough to keep it emotionally in the freezer? (Nested breaks, nested books...)
110
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
It IS getting close to October, so the story will be on theme. The Creature From the Back of the Fridge!
110
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Might want to padlock it, too. You never know what’s going to try to escape! 😆
110
Reposted by Crystal Calhoun | Editor
#StetChat @stetchat.com · 16/09/2026
We’re 30 minutes away from the start of #StetChat 🚩 Red Flag Roulette! 🚩 Just type in that hashtag to the search bar, look at "latest," and you'll find the chat. You can also find the questions at the Media tab on our profile. #edibuddies #amediting #freelanceeditor
021
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
BTW, if anyone has found me here due to my #ACESVCON26 commentary and LinkedIn is your thing, you're welcome to connect with me there: www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-c...
linkedin.com
010
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
If #StetChat and I are following each other, does that make us friends? I guess we're at least acquaintances. 😆 I've popped into a couple of chats (though not the last few, thanks to Other Things). Definitely keeping an eye on chatty happenings, though!
120
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Also part of being human: seeing whether I can make a cup of tea in the four minutes before the next #ACESVCON26 session starts.
030
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A theme of #ACESVCON26 sessions that I need to burn into my heart and soul: Editors are valuable even in an age of AI because we actually understand humans and their motivations. We're not just checking boxes. We're inferring truths, supporting humans with needs, and connecting ideas holistically.
2136
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
As long as they're inside a waterproof container, just in case!
110
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Same here on the recordings! Lots of neat sessions are scheduled for the same time slot, so recordings are my savior.
020
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
You did iiiit! From the chat reactions, you are definitely a contender!
010
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Also watching the opening session, but I have no idea how a pun slam works, so I'll just be lurking and absorbing!
010
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Now I have a mental image of someone trying to literally freeze their manuscripts, like in that "freeze your physical credit card in a block of ice" advice. 😆
110
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Same, although it won't run so late where I am — I just can't clone myself and watch multiple sessions that are happening at the same time. 😆 It is nice to know they'll be recorded!
010
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Okay, yes, when you're writing on a deadline that's definitely the time to avoid getting stuck in nested breaks. 😆
110
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Unless it would be useful to take a mental break from the current thing by writing the other thing? 😆 Not that I'm advocating that approach as universal, but I'm pretty sure it works for some people.
110
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I’ll be there! I still haven’t finished filling in my agenda but I’m very glad to see coverage of global communication topics, so I’m glad you’ll be there!
110
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Posturing eats attend, what here shall Miss, our toil shall strive to men.
010
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Trait thru life, wise mistreated putrid overthrows with with their death bury their pants side. The fearful passage of their death-marked love and the container of their parents , weigh but their cisterns RJ’s nurse could resume, is not the two horses traffic of our state. The which if you twin
110
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Just for fun, here’s something in just swipes, no edits: Two households both aid in digging, in fair Verona where we lay our scent. From ancient bridge breast to new mutiny where civil blood makes vigil hangars unclean. From forth the fatal kinds of these two fires, a part of stare-crossed lovers
210
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
This is me, eventually giving my own post the side eye because I managed to get the word “there” in there twice. 😑 Not totally sure how that happened, but I have suspicions, as I use swipe type way more often than I use it accurately.
100
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Belatedly remembering to post proof of a much-needed #StetWalk! Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is currently in the berrying phase.
A few ripe beautyberries peek through a bunch of plant leaves.
071
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I 100% support the writing of this story, really really.
110
Reposted by Crystal Calhoun | Editor
Andrea Thompson @andreatweather.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Calling all science and pop culture fans, @sciam.bsky.social has a new newsletter written by my fabulous colleague @emmalgometz.bsky.social. Subscribe and keep up with the latest in science-y movies, books and other areas where science and art collide! 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/newsletters/
A screen grab of an email that says "SciAM Cultured" at top and then "
September 10, 2026—Hollywood is going all in on movies critical of big tech, recognizing that public goodwill has dried up. I’ll run you through the upcoming film projects you won’t want to miss. But first, join me on a quick trip to an art exhibit about an octopus’ mind.
—Emma Gometz
Cultured Editor
 
P.S. Help another reader discover this newsletter. If you know someone who’d enjoy it, forward it along!"A photo still of Andrew Garfield and Yura Borisov sitting facing each other with shot glasses from the film Artificial. Below that, text reads, "This week, I’m going to canvas a group of upcoming films profiling (roasting?) real-life big-tech icons slated to release by the end of 2026. All of them feature psychoanalyses of the de facto technocrats shaping our world—and it’s easy to revel in the unflattering portraits. As billionaires, they seem untouchable. But this fall’s wave of movies and media announcements (plus some prominent lawsuits) seems to be making contact."
1113
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
It's not published, but I once came across something written from the perspective of a toiletry item, which was hilarious and clever and philosophical all at once, and I only wish it were published somewhere! (It was a workshop piece, so I don't want to say too much.)
101
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
That's a super fun story idea! I love stories that feature inanimate objects and nonstandard perspectives. ☺️
120
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
BookCrossing is sort of old-school at this point, I think! I haven't been able to get into my account in forever, so I don't know how it's changed since I last used it, but the concept is still solid. Free-roaming literature-based community travel journals — how can I not like that idea? 😆
110
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Sometimes I think it would be fun to combine LFL with BookCrossing, to see more about our books' journeys. 🤩 That was one of the fun things about old library books with the stamped dates on the cards!
110
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
If I see them, absolutely! I don't have enough classics on my bookshelf, and if I end up with extras, there are plenty of Little Free Libraries in the area. ☺️
110
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
More than my little tote bag could easily handle, actually! 😆
000
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Fresh haul from the library bookstore! It was storming outside, so I may have spent a little extra time perusing the new additions. Then the lights started flickering, so I grabbed my holds and checked out before the rain could stop me. #bookhaul #booksky
Four books sit on a wood-grained tabletop: A Guide to Field Identification: Birds of North America; Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland; The Contemporary American Essay edited by Phillip Lopate; and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
2101
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I need a big sticky note that says “Stop using the word ‘today’ in all your social media posts.” I don’t know when I started doing that or why, but I swear there there was a before time.
130
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
A 95% frivolous question: Are people worse at taking feedback and/or fielding questions in the middle of a gigantic heat wave? Noticing some tetchiness on social media today, and because my brain is this kind of silly, I wondered if heat waves affect how writers react to editorial suggestions. 😆
000
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Clearly, it's the Desk of Supreme Adorableness!
020
Reposted by Crystal Calhoun | Editor
Weeknight Writers @weeknightwriters.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
TIME'S UP! Thanks for joining tonight's #WeeknightWriters chat! Thinking about submitting to our recently announced e-zine? Join our FREE brainstorming session this Saturday from 6-7PM EST to chat about the theme, Growth, and build a story idea!
discord.gg
weeknightwriterspro
Check out the weeknightwriterspro community on Discord - hang out with 108 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.
1196
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
...To accidentally reuse the word "adorable" within the discussion. 😑 Must ... line edit ... self ... better...
120
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
It IS a rather adorable keyboard, so who can blame him?
120
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Gasp! I love Sigourney Weaver so darn much. I especially love her in Galaxy Quest, but I don't think I've ever seen her not be awesome.
010
Reposted by Crystal Calhoun | Editor
Jane Friedman @janefriedman.com · 09/07/2026
Ironically, fiction has to be more credible than real life. Anecdotes tend to say, “You’re not going to believe this one,” and we’re not entirely sure we do. We believe stories b/c they go deeper and don’t end neatly. Insight from @lesleykrueger.bsky.social on turning real life into fiction.
janefriedman.com
How to Turn an Anecdote Into a Story | Jane Friedman
For an anecdote (“You won’t believe what I saw!”) to grow into an impactful story, a surprise element isn’t enough—real change needs to occur.
143
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
One of the reasons I move around the house to work is people's loudness, too! People like to cut across the grass two feet from my window, sometimes pausing RIGHT in front of it to yell at their phones. It's not my lawn, but I still want to tell them to get off it. 😆
140
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
That is amazing! My cats need one of these, so maybe they can stop interfering with my typing when they're playing editorial assistant.
130
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
😆 🤣 Holy Things(tm), this discussion is probably the best thing my dusty desk will ever inspire.
130
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Ooh, I love this idea! I actually have assorted workspaces right now rather than one desk I use regularly, but here's part of what's on the actual desk. ...And yes, I need to dust. I can't actually reach this shelf easily at the moment. 😅
A small figurine of a serpentine dragon sits on a somewhat dusty shelf beside a miniature model of a tall ship on a stand labeled "Bahamas." Both sit in front of a letter holder containing some papers, a geometry compass, and an artist's viewfinder.
291
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Today's bloggy example is the Page 99 Test, where Marshal Zeringue invites authors to test Ford Madox Ford's idea: "Open the book to page ninety-nine and read, and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you." (2/2) page99test.blogspot.com
page99test.blogspot.com
The Page 99 Test
"Open the book to page ninety-nine and read, and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you." --Ford Madox Ford
000
Crystal Calhoun | Editor @crystaledits.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Oddly jazzed every time I come across a fresh post on a Blogger site, because I liked the old internet, and it's reassuring to see pieces of it still working just fine to help people bring their cool stuff to the world. (1/2)
110