Sydnee
sydmt.blacksky.app
Sydnee
@sydmt.blacksky.app
970 followers 590 following 360 posts
Copy editor, SFF writer (FIYAH, Fireside, io9, Tor), SFWA member, has strong opinions about journalism ethics, covered in cat hair (Website: shadesofsydnee.com)
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
I'll be one of the panelists on Saturday's "Collaboration Done Right!" You should stop by!
Quasar is fast approaching! Join us Nov 15-16 for writing workshops, panels, & Grand Masters!

Have you signed up? 👀 Entry is free to June Nebula attendees, but you need to register before Nov 8 for priority placement. $50 for new arrivals.

Can't wait to see you out!
events.sfwa.org/quasar-progr...
Reposted by Sydnee
so nobody Black works in news anymore?

they fired all of us?
Nobody should be claiming that media outlets "only care about profit" in 2025. There is no financial logic that makes sense here, and rarely make senses elsewhere either.
This legitimately makes me sad. Teen Vogue has been a shining example of journalism done right.
I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day.

certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
I'll be one of the panelists on Saturday's "Collaboration Done Right!" You should stop by!
Quasar is fast approaching! Join us Nov 15-16 for writing workshops, panels, & Grand Masters!

Have you signed up? 👀 Entry is free to June Nebula attendees, but you need to register before Nov 8 for priority placement. $50 for new arrivals.

Can't wait to see you out!
events.sfwa.org/quasar-progr...
very relatable. I'm glad you're starting to heal from that mindset
...yeah, it's hard. my brain always hyperfocuses on all the "proof" that hypervigilance pays off and completely glosses over all the times it almost got me killed
Billy Joel is just the voice of Dodger from Oliver and Company to me, tbh
If I get this job I'm going to buy something incredibly impractical with my severance money.
In the dawn light, ladyfingers stretched toward the sky, glistening with what looked like dew.

It wasn't.
New Writing Prompt from your favorite Co-editors at The Cookout! #writingprompt #horror @tco-anthology.bsky.social
Reposted by Sydnee
When I worked in WaPo Opinions in 2017-2018, senior editors specifically told junior editors not to factcheck Marc Thiessen and other MAGA columnists, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to publish anything by them at all, and “we need them for intellectual diversity.”
It’s very telling that opening your publication to MAGA “thought” requires a massive downgrade in quality control.
100% agree. I think things like the "sandwich method" have given people the impression that you only give (insincere) praise to dull the sting of the criticism.

but if you can't find *anything* to genuinely be excited about, what's the point of revising it?
I read this book earlier this year and I liked it a lot: bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

It's meant to be a 101 type guide, but I believe she also cites more extensive sources in the back
The Book of Juju: Africana Spirituality for Healing, Liberation, and Self-Discovery
Africana Spirituality for Healing, Liberation, and Self-Discovery
bookshop.org
Reposted by Sydnee
Please help or boost if you're able! One Spirit Lakota is raising funds for the food pantry in anticipation of EBT cards possibly not getting filled for November due to the shutdown.

Funds go to feeding residents of Pine Ridge, which already has one of the worst food deserts in the country.
Feeding the Lakota
The Pine Ridge Reservation is a food desert, and many of the Lakota people there struggle with food insecurity. Even when people on the rez can afford food, they often struggle to find healthy, fresh ...
chuffed.org
Reposted by Sydnee
The first editorial letter I got on a pro sale, literally in 1999, and the most recent editorial letter last week, both contained points where the editor mentioned things they liked, things that were already working.

I bring this up AGAIN because positive critique is not "soft soap for weak n00bs."
flawless. if they're going to waste our time, traumatize them back
I actually tried to create a throwaway FB account to get around this, because not having a login was making it impossible to do fact-checking

then they froze the account b/c they needed to verify that I was a "real" person by having me scan a 360-degree video of my face 🫠

guess I'm screwed then
time dilation and how it would impact someone's respect (or disdain) for the fragility of life
Reposted by Sydnee
That’s the other thing that baffles me about AI and creative writing, actually.

The work IS the joy for me. I don’t want to be able to snap my fingers and have a completed “product.” I want to be transformed by the process. I’m an author but I do this because I enjoy the rigor of being a writer.
In terms of process, I enjoy writing but revising????? Oh, that’s my real kink. A second or third draft???? A fourth???? Making tweaks on my desktop AND my phone???? *moans* I’m a WHORE for revision.
Reposted by Sydnee
sooooooo, I'm in a new anthology releasing on November 4th and good news!

we got a starred review in Publisher's Weekly!

even better news? my story is highlighted!

pre-order HOWL: An Anthology from Women in Horror ASAP. you want this antho.
See, I have been using my layoff time wisely. we will not talk about the fact that I'm also now on this website too much
omg I love the library. Why did I spend all that money on books I still haven't read
With that said...the vibes here are still a lot better than Twitter even before the takeover, and I'm glad that there's still things like Flights of Foundry that will help keep me connected to what's going on in SFF

If you want to support me: Hire me! I'm always available for copyediting. 📝