iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Any romance writers (current or aspiring) seeing this? Eliot is an amazing teacher, and you would be wise to consider this opportunity. #writers #RomanceWriters #fiction #WritingCommunity

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Gorgeous cover and lovely reveal! I can't wait.

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Just to clarify, the mag that I work on is not Paper Airplane. I'm just a reader of that one. Mine is a local arts and culture magazine out of Annapolis, Maryland. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Oh, no. That's a misunderstanding. My bad. I work on a different magazine, a local arts and culture mag, but I also love the physical version of Paper Airplane. I cannot take ANY credit for that glorious enterprise. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I proofread a quarterly magazine that still prints, and when I find that in public, I get very touchy-feely. And here I'll plug Nick Norlen's Paper Airplane magazine! It's a delight. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

A2: Ooh, tough one. First is what I won't do: Don't say my schedule is full or offer a really high PITA rate. That's gonna backfire. I'd try to point to where I wouldn't be the best editor FOR THEM, so they see where someone else's perspective or expertise or style is going to fit better. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

My DM once said "Running away is always an option," and I suppose that applies quite well to red-flag clients too! #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Ugh. I'm so sorry that's how you entered freelance copyediting! Good for you for determining your own boundaries early on. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

A1 (2/2): Still, I ended up having to rework/reedit so much of that book that it was the first step of my off-ramp with that packager. I feel much better about such things when the decision of how to move forward is in my hands. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

A1 (1/2): This happened to me probably more than a decade ago, and it wasn't even a plagiarism checker. It was just spidey sense + googling. Luckily, I was working with a packager, so I handed it off to them to deal with the author. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Hi #StetChat! I'm Barbie Halaby (she/her). I offer editing and proofreading services to indie authors and university presses. I've been editing for 24 years, but I know I have something new to learn here.

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Hah! I've also been caught off guard before by this! Guillemet? Upside down?

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Hi Amy! I regularly provide academic proofreading for UPs and individual academics. You should be able to reach me through the usual email channel, but you can message me if you don't readily have my Monocle Editing address.

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Spike is so cute. I'd cosplay as him. I saw a fantastic Daisy Mae cosplay at MAGfest in January. Complete with nose drip. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

A2: I made the mistake (?) of asking an author for a family tree for a massive fantasy series (three books so far) in which characters were reborn as different characters throughout, and even with the family tree, it was 😵‍💫 dizzying to keep track of. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I've definitely drawn my own (sad little) maps for a client's book before when I needed it to make sense for myself. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I can see the Celeste set on my bookshelf right now. 🤩 She's the stargazer and supplier of astrological DIYs, for those who don't know. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

A2: Good point. I could not make my way through my D&D campaign without charts. As much as I love a long block of text, charts are fantastic for cutting through the noise to focus on the essential bits. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

A2: I adore a good map in a book. Spatially, they help me wrap my head around the relationships and distances between places, not to mention the topography and borders. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

A1: The Monk & Robot series by Becky Chambers; The Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal; Animal Crossing (especially the cultural elements). #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Hi edibuddies! I'm Barbie, an editor of memoir, fiction, and nonfiction for 20something years living outside of Baltimore, Maryland. Once upon a time, I was on a Philly Comic Con panel about worldbuilding for authors, but let's see if I remember any of it. #stetchat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I had a fantastic time talking to @nadiageageapupa.bsky.social on her podcast, and she really challenged me to think through how I feel about #editing #memoir. Check it out and let me know if you have similar ideas or want to share something you completely disagree with!

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Great. Now I have another tab open. 😂 #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Ooh, me too! 11 years now and I track almost everything. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A6: Telling myself I can't get up until I hit a mark usually fails. I am super resistant to myself as an authority. Very much "you can't make me! you're not the boss of me!" 😂 As a self-employed editor, I like to say that my boss is a tyrant and my employee is unreliable. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A5: Definitely accountability. That might be an editing sprint, a group coworking session (I sometimes do ones that split up work and dance breaks), or just body-doubling with another editor. I'm big on external motivation, and I won't apologize for it! 😆 #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A4: I work in my office about 95% of the time, so the "where" is at my desk. But when? Before I find my groove and start a good focus run. Or when it gets close to lunchtime. And then immediately after lunchtime. Then again after 3:30 or so, if I'm even still attempting by then. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Hugs to everyone who deals with caring for (or about) loved ones. It's a beautiful privilege and so damn hard too. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Ooh, yeah. That's a great point. The call is coming from inside the house! Can't avoid the interwebs when you need to research, which is nearly always as an editor. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Good to ALWAYS remember that it's not a competition. You do you, boo. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A3: I try to figure out the "why." Am I hungry, stiff, thirsty, tired, etc.? If I've met (or decided to ignore) my basic needs, I'll ask an edibuddy for a sprint, a double, or a coworking time. That gets me through nearly any brain wandering. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

That's tough. Theoretically, you've got a solid base, but if the client-finding side is fresh...well, I'm always here to talk if you'd like. My biz is 18 years old and has gone through so many transitions like that. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A2: Kids. They may be teens now, so you'd think it would have improved (I work from home) since they were little, but no. Now it's "Drive me and my bestie to the mall!" or just making so much noise! Had I only thought to soundproof better when I built my office. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Isn't that the truth? I've edited at some seriously not cool hours or for far too long when those deadlines arise (or the rush rates are too tempting to pass up). #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Well, that's exciting! Writing a book of your own is very different from editing one, isn't it? #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Ooh, yes, those initial days of growing a biz often give you both too much to do and not enough--prime real estate for distractions to creep in. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Gosh, I love Burlington! Tried to convince my kid to attend college there so I could visit. It is so hot here. I walked at 7 a.m. and then haven't left my house. I hope you're keeping cool. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A1: I generally try to keep all biz between about 8 and 3 M-F, but actually editing takes up approximately 3-5 hours a day, sometimes less. I've had good luck with a two-hour focus time around 9 a.m., plus another around 1 or 2 p.m. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

One of my teens literally dumped herself at my feet while I worked not 10 minutes before this started. So, yeah, distractions. #SummerBreak #Parenthood #stetchat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Hi edibuddies! I'm Barbie, an editor of memoir, fiction, and nonfiction for 20something years living outside of Baltimore, Maryland. #stetchat

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Reposted by Barbie Halaby

Kayleigh | Developmental Editor ✍🏻📚 @editsinthemargins.com · 25/06/2026

Dear Writer, Nobody else can tell your story. What you write may have similarities to works that already exist, but this story—your story—flows from your own experiences, preferences, and perspective. Write it. Love, Kayleigh

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

I like that too! It makes me think of Dude in the movie "Free Guy." #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

A10: The Vocal Fries is one of my favorite podcasts. I also like "Sounds Fake but Okay." #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

A8: Excellent point! BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ intersectionality is a wonderful avenue to explore. I look forward to seeing what the replies to this are! #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

A8: I'm definitely up for learning more about language and concepts around sexuality beyond the LGBT: poly-/a-/pan- varieties particularly. Most of my conversations there are off the page, but surely there will come a time when the edits lead in that direction. #StetChat

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Barbie Halaby @monocleediting.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Sending you a big virtual hug (or whatever expression of sympathy and care feels good to you)! #StetChat

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