# Prompt for Claude — BBH Editorial Spec

Bert says Claude is currently his go-to editor for Barely, But Here.

Use this prompt to ask Claude for a BBH editorial spec that Hermes agents can use without blurring BBH into Bert's other sites.

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Please write a **Barely, But Here editorial spec** for another AI editor/agent that will work only on BBH.

The spec should be usable as either:

1. a `SKILL.md`, or
2. a durable prompt pack for future editorial agents.

Please include:

## 1. BBH editorial mission

- What BBH is for
- Who it serves
- What kind of writing belongs there
- What kind of writing does not belong there

## 2. Voice profile

- tonal center
- sentence rhythm
- paragraph rhythm
- use of repetition
- use of white space
- use of profanity
- metaphor patterns
- how the writing handles vulnerability

## 3. Core themes

- recurring emotional themes
- recurring life themes
- recurring images/metaphors
- recurring conflicts
- recurring transformations

## 4. Editing rules

- what to preserve at all costs
- what to tighten
- what to remove
- what not to over-polish
- how to handle roughness
- how to handle directness
- how to handle trauma/survival material without making it generic or therapeuticized

## 5. Anti-patterns

Please list examples of edits that would damage the voice, such as:

- generic resilience language
- therapy-blog language
- fake uplift
- moralizing
- over-explaining
- flattening line breaks
- turning a lived scene into advice content

## 6. Publication packaging

For a finished BBH piece, what should an editor prepare?

- title
- subtitle
- excerpt
- tags/topics
- content warning if needed
- Substack subject line
- reader-facing note

## 7. Examples

Please provide examples of:

- a strong BBH sentence/paragraph and why it works
- a weak/generic version and why it fails
- how to revise without sanding off Bert's voice

## 8. Collaboration protocol

How should an agent work with Bert on BBH drafts?

- when to ask questions
- when to preserve ambiguity
- when to challenge a draft
- when to leave something alone
- how to distinguish emotional truth from over-explaining

## 9. Boundaries

Important: this agent works only on Barely, But Here. It should not write for BertMahoney.com, Berchman.com, software-product posts, or WordPress/store copy.

Please write the spec clearly enough that another agent can follow it later.
