Scookie Reviews

This is part 2/3 of how writers manipulate the mental representations which they create - essentially, the psychology of how the words you choose can impact the images readers create, because there's more to writing than just words on a page.  If you’re interested in subtle writing tricks and how the brain handles them, then keep reading (keep reading anyway – inspiration may happen). Click here to read how time cues can impact mental representations.  Descriptions of Space and Associations Your main girl/guy is more important than you think. Entities are faster to picture when they are spatially close to the protagonist in the story. For those quick paced scenes, you want stuff to go down right next to your main guy rather than across the room. It is also harder to picture the whole scene after the writer hones in on precise details on a smaller feature. Therefore it’s good to describe the whole place before settling in on your main targets. Honing in and ...

Language is changing. It's its thing. My favourite example is the word ‘tart’ which used to mean sweetheart... it doesn’t anymore in any shape or form, so don’t use it that way and think you’re being an endearing hipster! Another relatable example is the use of ‘queer’ in the first Harry Potter book – it’s not so politically correct now, although was perfectly acceptable when it was originally published in 1997. And lastly, it’s a good thing that Enid Blyton’s characters have been renamed. If you’ve read The Magic Faraway Tree series, which I fondly remember reading with my nan, you’ll know why. Kids with those names would get rather bullied in this day and age... We as writers may not like the changes, but sometimes it’s better to adapt and avoid premature aging of your novel. Here are some current words to keep in mind: Smelt, spilt, spelt – This issue cropped up in a manuscript I’m currently editing. The word in question was ‘smelt’ as the past tense of ‘to smell’. I a...