Steve Rydz
@steverydz.com
Aspiring writer of horror and dark fiction. Also keen amateur photographer. Based in Nottingham, UK.
https://steverydz.substack.com
https://steverydz.substack.com
Learning how to use breathing techniques is invaluable when you're prone to anxiety attacks. You have to experiment to find the technique that works for you, but for me, box breathing is often the most effective.
November 22, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Learning how to use breathing techniques is invaluable when you're prone to anxiety attacks. You have to experiment to find the technique that works for you, but for me, box breathing is often the most effective.
I often find it hard to describe to people what having bipolar disorder is like. Here, Nick Helm does a great job of it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0k-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0k-...
Nick Helm On Living With Bipolar Disorder
YouTube video by Happy Hour Podcast
www.youtube.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:04 PM
I often find it hard to describe to people what having bipolar disorder is like. Here, Nick Helm does a great job of it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0k-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0k-...
New additions to the TBR pile. Ghost Stories by M.R. James, Cunning Folk and the Unquiet Guests anthology
November 16, 2025 at 4:54 PM
New additions to the TBR pile. Ghost Stories by M.R. James, Cunning Folk and the Unquiet Guests anthology
I've been struggling to make a story work for a while, but have just decided to completly flip the POV and things are falling into place.
November 14, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I've been struggling to make a story work for a while, but have just decided to completly flip the POV and things are falling into place.
This review on Metal Talk does a great job of capturing what it felt like to see Godflesh a little over a week ago in London, where they performed a dub set, followed by a traditional set. So good.
www.metaltalk.net/gig-review-g...
www.metaltalk.net/gig-review-g...
Gig Review: Godflesh At Scala: Brutal Minimalism In Dub
Godflesh bring brutal minimalism to life at Scala with the long-awaited live debut of In Dub, delivering industrial catharsis in a venue built for intensity.
www.metaltalk.net
November 9, 2025 at 9:05 PM
This review on Metal Talk does a great job of capturing what it felt like to see Godflesh a little over a week ago in London, where they performed a dub set, followed by a traditional set. So good.
www.metaltalk.net/gig-review-g...
www.metaltalk.net/gig-review-g...
It was nice to return home to the new @helleborezine.bsky.social short stories anthology. I'm looking forward to reading this.
Check it out: helleborezine.com/products/tales
Check it out: helleborezine.com/products/tales
November 9, 2025 at 12:23 PM
It was nice to return home to the new @helleborezine.bsky.social short stories anthology. I'm looking forward to reading this.
Check it out: helleborezine.com/products/tales
Check it out: helleborezine.com/products/tales
I went out for some food this evening and unexpectedly came across a Word Soul open mic night, and really enjoyed it. It's something I would definitely see again.
October 28, 2025 at 10:14 PM
I went out for some food this evening and unexpectedly came across a Word Soul open mic night, and really enjoyed it. It's something I would definitely see again.
It took me too long to get around to reading Greener Pastures by @michaelwehunt.bsky.social, but I'm glad I did. I'm looking forward to reading The October Film Haunt in the not too distant future.
October 27, 2025 at 11:57 PM
It took me too long to get around to reading Greener Pastures by @michaelwehunt.bsky.social, but I'm glad I did. I'm looking forward to reading The October Film Haunt in the not too distant future.
I'm glad Instagram sent me that push notification about someone commenting on someone else's post. I'd hate to have missed it.
October 24, 2025 at 10:37 PM
I'm glad Instagram sent me that push notification about someone commenting on someone else's post. I'd hate to have missed it.
I started a new story this evening. I know the beginning and have a good sense of the ending, and having fun finding my way there.
October 21, 2025 at 8:44 PM
I started a new story this evening. I know the beginning and have a good sense of the ending, and having fun finding my way there.
I'm experimenting with writing stories of exactly 50 words. Here is the first entry:
steverydz.substack.com/p/micro-fict...
steverydz.substack.com/p/micro-fict...
Micro-fiction: The Suitcase
An entry from my micro-fiction series where I write a story of exactly 50 words.
steverydz.substack.com
October 7, 2025 at 7:33 AM
I'm experimenting with writing stories of exactly 50 words. Here is the first entry:
steverydz.substack.com/p/micro-fict...
steverydz.substack.com/p/micro-fict...
Don't you just love single people in coffee shops that manage to take up two tables?
October 5, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Don't you just love single people in coffee shops that manage to take up two tables?
Looking forward to this!
Exciting news! HELLEBORE’s first short story anthology is here! 9 new tales of the supernatural and the strange by Ramsey Campbell, Ally Wilkes, Reggie Oliver, Helen Grant and more, set in some of the most beguiling locations of Occult Britain.
👉🏼 Pre-order now to secure your copy: helleborezine.com
👉🏼 Pre-order now to secure your copy: helleborezine.com
October 1, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Looking forward to this!
We've developed a tradition over the past couple of years where we aim to watch a horror movie every night of October. This year we'll be starting with Talk To Me.
October 1, 2025 at 5:50 PM
We've developed a tradition over the past couple of years where we aim to watch a horror movie every night of October. This year we'll be starting with Talk To Me.
It's great that Amazon's print on demand service makes it easy for authors to publish books, but it's incredibly frustrating that the text on the left pages always seems to disappear into the gutter.
October 1, 2025 at 11:23 AM
It's great that Amazon's print on demand service makes it easy for authors to publish books, but it's incredibly frustrating that the text on the left pages always seems to disappear into the gutter.
I highly recommend Wayward on Netflix if you're into dystopian folk horror.
October 1, 2025 at 5:54 AM
I highly recommend Wayward on Netflix if you're into dystopian folk horror.
Enjoyed the afternoon in Matlock. It was nice to pay a visit to The Lost Cauldron as well.
September 27, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Enjoyed the afternoon in Matlock. It was nice to pay a visit to The Lost Cauldron as well.
Up late writing tonight but I think I've finally cracked a story that I've been wrestling with for a while. Let's see how I feel in the morning once I've slept on it.
September 25, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Up late writing tonight but I think I've finally cracked a story that I've been wrestling with for a while. Let's see how I feel in the morning once I've slept on it.
Back after an inspiring day at Edge-Lit in Derby. The TBR pile has just grown.
September 20, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Back after an inspiring day at Edge-Lit in Derby. The TBR pile has just grown.
Another 1000 words down on the first draft of my latest story. Typically I have an idea about how it will end but I'm not so sure with this one, but I do like where it's going.
September 10, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Another 1000 words down on the first draft of my latest story. Typically I have an idea about how it will end but I'm not so sure with this one, but I do like where it's going.
I just hit 500 words on a new story then my cat positioned herself between my hands and my laptop, so I guess that's enough for now.
September 8, 2025 at 8:28 PM
I just hit 500 words on a new story then my cat positioned herself between my hands and my laptop, so I guess that's enough for now.
There's something special about watching the Lunar Eclipse of a Blood Moon fade into the evening sky
September 7, 2025 at 7:55 PM
There's something special about watching the Lunar Eclipse of a Blood Moon fade into the evening sky
My book buying process:
1. Author/publisher directly
2. Local bookshop
3. hive.co.uk (nominate local bookshop)
4. Waterstones
5. Anywhere but Amazon
6. Amazon
This has led to me spending more than if I went straight to Amazon, but I really want small/independent press and bookshops to exist.
1. Author/publisher directly
2. Local bookshop
3. hive.co.uk (nominate local bookshop)
4. Waterstones
5. Anywhere but Amazon
6. Amazon
This has led to me spending more than if I went straight to Amazon, but I really want small/independent press and bookshops to exist.
September 3, 2025 at 9:47 AM
My book buying process:
1. Author/publisher directly
2. Local bookshop
3. hive.co.uk (nominate local bookshop)
4. Waterstones
5. Anywhere but Amazon
6. Amazon
This has led to me spending more than if I went straight to Amazon, but I really want small/independent press and bookshops to exist.
1. Author/publisher directly
2. Local bookshop
3. hive.co.uk (nominate local bookshop)
4. Waterstones
5. Anywhere but Amazon
6. Amazon
This has led to me spending more than if I went straight to Amazon, but I really want small/independent press and bookshops to exist.
TIL that the phrase "Bloody Nora" came about after a 17th century Duke caught his maid killing someone with a stick of celery.
August 29, 2025 at 8:20 PM
TIL that the phrase "Bloody Nora" came about after a 17th century Duke caught his maid killing someone with a stick of celery.
Over the past few days I've been working on an old story. I've completely torn it apart. I still think it's a good story but I've found a better way to tell it.
August 28, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Over the past few days I've been working on an old story. I've completely torn it apart. I still think it's a good story but I've found a better way to tell it.