Scookie Reviews

There are some structures which are perfectly legal, grammatically speaking. You could argue they make perfect sense. However, the reader may think otherwise, and no amount of reasoning will make them budge. Better to avoid them: That’s that. That that. I love him so, so don’t get angry. – Repetition of words can still make sense, but it wins no awards for smooth writing. The seam seemed to be – It doesn’t matter if they’re spelled differently, either. I’m going to go get green grasshoppers gracefully – you get the point. Alliteration can be beautiful, poetic, interesting or humorous. It can also be a right pain to read. Your inner voice also gets tongue-twisted as the same processes are involved in both reading in your head and out loud. The old man the boats. – This makes sense. Eventually. Reduced relatives are nearly always better when the appropriate ‘that’ or ‘which’ is added. These are hard to spot. Stand before it. – Before it did what? Oh, stand before it like ...

Author of The Price of Prophecy is here to tell us a little more about herself and her inspiration. Click here to find out more about the novel and where you can buy it. *** How long have you had the idea for? I’ve been wanting to do something with fairy tales for a pretty long time now—I’d say about four or five years if I had to guess. This specific idea I stared thinking about three years ago. What inspired you to write it? I love fantasy and folk tales, I always have. The classics really inspired me: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, The Snow Queen, etc. I was interested in twisting those fairy tales and giving those classic characters more depth, but I really didn’t know how to do it. Then I read Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. He combined fantasy with reality in a way that I really enjoyed and twisted the Greek myths in a way that was both fresh and familiar. That got me going. I finished reading the wh...

We all have to start somewhere. The problem is that a lot of us tend to start in the same place, especially when we're young. If you’re new to writing or have an old piece you’re thinking of reworking, take a look at this list and see what you can avoid: 1) That bedroom scene. Alarm clocks, reflection described in a mirror, possibly a text, and nearly always a girl. Half the time it's followed by a breakfast scene... Maybe start where the story starts? 2) Character descriptions are limited to hair and eyes , hair and eyes. 3) The narrative sounds more like a peppy teenager talking to you rather than structured writing conveying character. It can be hard to find the line between a colloquial narrative and writing a transcript, but writing and speech are two separate skills. 4) Too many adjectives and adverb s . The red car went down the bumpy road and hit a defenceless cat. 5) The only senses described are visual. What about smell and taste...

If you love fairy tales, then there’s a brand new book series that you won’t want to miss.  The Prince of Prophecy Vol. I: Destined  by N.M. Mac Arthur is now available as an e-book, and will soon be in book form for all you paper lovers.  As one of the editors working with the author to prepare it for publication, I can personally say she worked damn hard on this! There are no limits to her imagination, and the countless fairy tale references being turned on their heads should put a smile on your face. While it is aimed at young adults, there’s a certain quality to it which makes it both timeless and relatable to those still young at heart. I could not recommend this more: Thirteen-year-old Prince Destan Von Diederich does not want to be king. In fact, he’s terrified of the idea. Though, being that he’s the last remaining descendant of the Von Diederich family line, it’s not like he has much of a choice. All he wants is a bit of freedom and ...

Here’s a quick tip to remember when phrases like 'of course' need a comma. Usually the wording will hint, but sometimes you can control what you are saying through punctuation alone.  Of course, I could only guess if there’s a comma. Of course I could only guess if there’s a comma!  I’ve added an exclamation mark to emphasise the difference although you don’t necessarily need it. The first can be commonly found when musing, and demonstrates a side thought or an extra consideration. It’s found when you’re discussing issues or considering pros and cons. ‘Of course’ is used to break up this point from the last few. The second is more like ‘I told you so’ or ‘what did you expect’, an exclamatory phrase which is more commonly found in dialogue. It’s not just ‘of course’ it applies to. It applied to ‘so’ and ‘sorry’ and many other similar sentence starters. If you’re unsure about a comma, just think about how it’s said.