Favourite Things

Battling Writer’s Block

I spend a lot of time moaning and complaining about how I just can’t think of anything to write about. When I relaunched my website last March, I made a vow to get serious about my content: to be more helpful & insightful.  This was a double edged sword of a proposition: first of all, it’s less fun and a great deal harder to write something important than it is to make a fun list or post pictures. Which means I ended up posting less, and agonizing over my writing. The flip side is that my content became a good deal more useful and hence rewarding for me to write. While I’ve since come to realize that my blog is a space for both types of posts – the easy & the helpful – it’s still hard to write.

And this doesn’t just apply to my blog. I’ve been trying to gear myself up for NaNoWriMo for years now! And yet every time the 1st comes around I just don’t..write. I just put it off. I make a barrier in my mind, with a sign which reads: “I can’t think of anything to write about” and then that’s that.

The thing is, I feel so good when I write. When I finally sit down and say to myself: “write a blog post..now!” and the words start to come, it feels great. I love the feeling. When I publish something, I get giddy. I’ve had blogs since middle school and written short stories since I was very small, but I’ve never made any effort to consciously improve my writing or my writing habits. I’ve never taken a creative writing course, or any type of writing course besides high school English. Yet writing is becoming increasingly more important to me. Which is why I think it’s time to start battling my writer’s block and taking the process of writing more seriously!

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The Best List, by Stephanie

This list is inspired by the magnificent Danielle Laporte’s Best Lists vol 1 and 2. She’s amazing, and her list is more focused & grown-up than mine, but these are the things that I love. Expect more installments in the future!

The New York City Public Library

Apple Trailers. Glossy, high quality anticipation. Bite-sized movies. Entertainment at its finest?

Yummy Earth lollipops. Pomegranate, strawberry, green apple, grape, cherry, blueberry. 22 calories. Big flavour.

Voluspa candles. Preferably Maison Blanc collection, 12 oz, in Pink Citron or Saijo Persimmon.

The 4 Minute Workout. Gets your heart beating, metabolism working, muscles toned.

Mason jars. To be used as juice cups, wine glasses, candy/spice/sugar cube storage, vases, change jars..

Netflix. Cheap, legal, high quality. Syncs automatically from my computer to my phone. Good selection + growing.

Exercise balls = desk chairs. Balance, core exercise, bouncy bouncy fun!

Moleskine notebooks. I use them for everything from food logs to recipe books to journals to scrapbooks.

Cubano sandwiches. Sauteed mushrooms, mashed avocado, garlic mayonnaise, melted Monterey Jack.

St. Ives Clear Pore Cleanser + Tea Tree Oil.  Blemishes be gone! I’ve never had clearer skin in my life.

Everyday Food magazine. Inspiration to cook at home!
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Stephanie Says Hello

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Stephanie Pellett, and I am the girl behind the alias effieboo. Don’t ask me why I’m choosing this random Tuesday to do so, but I think it’s finally time I step out from behind the curtain. Hello! Hi! Here I am!

You might be wondering: why did you have an alias? Well, I started blogging under aliases about 7 years ago, when I opened my first LiveJournal account. I had a fairly embarrassing start in the online world, but those posts can never be traced back to me, thank goodness! I chose to write anonymously because the posts were deeply personal (the boys I liked in Grade 8, my teenage angst, etc) and therefore TOP SECRET. Over the years, aliases stuck because of my mother’s worries about anonymity in this crazy online world – and I agree that privacy is important. Yet the more I wrote and the more I heard positive feedback, the more I was irked that it was anonymous. That nobody knew who I was, and it was hard to connect with them. That my good work was a secret in my “real” life. This feeling has been growing ever since, and I think I’ve finally worked up enough courage to be myself, out loud, online. I’ve finally outgrown the girl that was effieboo.

And while most of my friends and family know of my blog and know that it’s me, the rest of you don’t! So let’s remedy that, shall we? Let’s cut away some of the mystery, and get down to the nitty gritty. You can call me Steph.

  • I have two sisters, a Golden Retriever, two kitties, a Mom and a Dad back home. They’re all beautiful. I live in Montreal, by myself. I miss the family dynamic!
  • My family here primarily consists of my two whip-smart, completely hilarious best friends, and my goofy, supportive and sweet boyfriend.
  • I’m studying Psychology at McGill University. There are a lot of hills around here. Getting to class is a workout.
  • I spend my spare time writing this blog, reading excellent books, cooking, and watching Netflix.
  • I don’t like clubbing, heels, or whiny girls. I like dinners out, boots and long conversations.
  • I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up!
  • Some of my happiest moments of the last year have been getting amazing comments from the wonderful readers of this blog (Gabrielle! Rin! Isabelle! Looking at you here ladies.)

And plenty of other things I can’t think of right now. Because I’m too giddy about “coming out” to y’all, too nervous, too happy. It might sound selfish, but it’s exciting to be able to finally take credit for this blog I’ve created. Re-formatting my resume right now! :)

Thanks again to everyone who reads, and I promise nothing will change on the blog – except it’ll be more transparent and accessible.

The butterflies in my tummy say hello, too!

Stephanie

Read This Book: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This post is the first in a new series called Read This Book. As some of you may know, I used to have a separate blog devoted to my literary loves. While I may continue with it at some point, I have since decided to consolidate a bit, and start writing about books on this blog! Stay tuned for upcoming posts in the series.

Photo thanks to redheadedbookchild

Last Tuesday, I came home from school in a good mood. It was a lovely day, bright and happy, with impeccable weather. I suddenly had a thought to go to the nearest Indigo, one of my favourite haunts – ever. I was home though, and quickly becoming a little too comfortable sitting down and relaxing after a long day. I questioned whether I should just stay home.. But something told me I should go. So I did! Was it the magical pull of discovering this book? I’ll never know..

I wandered the first floor for a while, choosing a book or two to peruse. It was just an ordinary trip to the bookstore until I got upstairs: where the Random House/McClelland Stewart Fall Book Preview was taking place! [#nerdalert] Oh boy. I was a bit late, but there were still some empty chairs with thick PowerPoint slide printouts sitting on top of them. I snatched one up as quickly as possible, and parked my booty for the next few hours, sitting in wonder as I was told of book after wonderful book that I simply must read. But it wasn’t until the Random House representative, Jen, stood up and started raving about this book that I got really excited. This is a woman who reads hundreds of books a year, and she’s this passionate about a book? She says it’s the most exciting book since Shadow of the Wind? Well. Those who loved that book as much as I did will understand what happened next.

I practically threw the other books in my hands on the floor (kidding, that would never happen). Ran after a sales rep. Breathlessly managed to ask for: The Night Circus. Raced home and consumed all 387 pages within 48 hours.

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