It probably comes as no surprise that I’m a book lover or that my Christmas wish lists are usually thick with the things. My family outdid themselves this year and got me nearly everything on my (long) list. I feel super spoiled, and I’m thrilled to tuck into this stack. Oryx and Crake, The Year ofContinue reading “My 2016 Christmas Book Haul”
Author Archives: sydmore
Managing the Winter Blues
Full disclosure: A few years ago I was diagnosed with Bipolar II, general anxiety disorder and a severe case of social anxiety disorder. Things can be tough sometimes, and medication (so far) hasn’t been a good option for me, but most days are good days. Cognitive therapies have helped me a lot, as well asContinue reading “Managing the Winter Blues”
Writer’s Wishlist: Gift Ideas for the Writers in Your Life
Image credit: “A Million Hearts of Love” by JFXie is licensed under CC BY 4.0 With the winter holidays approaching, my mind is fixed on what I want to gift my loved ones this year. If a writer is among your loved ones, here are some ideas you might want to look into: Pens/Pencils Even ifContinue reading “Writer’s Wishlist: Gift Ideas for the Writers in Your Life”
NaNoWriMo 2016: Post-mortem
Phew. Well, that was one hell of a ride. My ninth National Novel Writing Month turned out to be a doozy. My initial rebellious streak was quickly quashed, and I found myself reconsidering whether or not NaNoWriMo was indeed the right forum for me to try something as ambitious as marathon revisions – it certainlyContinue reading “NaNoWriMo 2016: Post-mortem”
How I’m Doing NaNoWriMo Differently This Year
This is my 9th year participating in NaNoWriMo, and this year I’m doing things a little differently. See that? I ticked that box. I am now, officially, a NaNo Rebel. I’d been hemming and hawing for weeks as to whether or not I should join in the festivities this year. I didn’t want to breakContinue reading “How I’m Doing NaNoWriMo Differently This Year”
Organising the Writer’s Notebook: the Index (or Table of Contents)
I love writing longhand. There’s something deeply satisfying about filling up a blank page with words. Stuffing a notebook to the brim is better than chocolate, and I have dozens of the things, fat with ink, lining shelves and stacked in corners throughout my home. I also rarely write in order – a character sketchContinue reading “Organising the Writer’s Notebook: the Index (or Table of Contents)”
NaNoWriMo Prep 2016
I’ve participated in National Novel Writing Month every year for the past eight years (and met the target goal four of those years). I love the sense of camaraderie and good spirit associated with the event, and the feeling of accomplishment for having met my goal has always been worth the strenuous daily word counts.Continue reading “NaNoWriMo Prep 2016”
Writing Playlists: October Edition
I like to listen to instrumental music while I write – most often something that fits the mood of the story I’m working on and gets me immersed in the scene. This autumn I’m doubly steeped in spooky as I prepare for Halloween and work on revisions for my supernatural murder mystery novel, Steep. Here areContinue reading “Writing Playlists: October Edition”
Quarterly Goals: Fall 2016
Autumn is my favourite season: sweaters and socks are once again an option, the air smells like woodsmoke and leaf mould. I can turn off the AC and turn open the windows, and drink as many hot beverages as I like; things are good. This fall is my first using the quarterly goals system andContinue reading “Quarterly Goals: Fall 2016”
Getting the Work Done: Tools to Fight Procrastination
I am one of the world’s best procrastinators. Admittedly this is a difficult thing to measure as most people are pretty private about their failures and procrastination is, by and large, failing – failing to start, failing to make progress, failing to finish, failing to act – but if ten thousand hours is theContinue reading “Getting the Work Done: Tools to Fight Procrastination”
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