Well, I can say that I did lock in and tune out distractions! I finished the FM and the preface. Not a bad start, considering the afternoon hour. Thank you, #StetSprint!

I would love a #StetSprint! My afternoon brain threatens me with too much distraction. I plan to start #proofreading an academic book, attempting to get through the FM and intro.

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

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

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

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

That's a fantastic phrasing, Martha! #StetChat

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

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

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

#StetChat is always a good use of my time!

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

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

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.