Scookie Reviews

Well, that's it for another writing festival. I hope you've all enjoyed the mix of posts. A huge thanks to all the contributors. I'ts been a pleasure working with all of you and reading all of your writing tips and experiences. Below is the full list of fabulous article, interviews, and other bits and bobs. Also, the two book giveaways will be running to the end of April, so hop on over and enter if you're interested! Articles What does it mean to be a writer? by Jason P. Crawford How to Send a Manuscript in a way that gets you Read by R.A. Black Liar Liar Pants on Fire by Kathryn Hewitt Combating Sadness with Creativity by N.M. Mac Arthur How not to Murder your Writing Partner by John Gunningham Success as an Author by J.P. Jackson Author Interviews Milo Maia Minusfractions Ryan Eric Giveaways, books to read, open critiques Beta-reader classifieds  Open Critique: Obscurity * Daimonion by J.P. Jackson Giveaway * A Slip of the Keyboard by Ter...

Below is a list of manuscripts which the authors would very much appreciate some feedback. Take a browse and if anything takes your fancy, drop me a line in the contact form on the right. I'll connect you with the author, and you can take it from there! Alternatively, follow the link to the story where provided and send the author a direct PM. Enjoy! SIGGI by Milo Maia Dark Fantasy 21,000 words Reader to focus on: Characters and plot please, with a keen eye on pacing. Siggi is an ageing warrior, searching for an artifact that will preserve her youth and stave off a fatal magic-eating disease. Siggi is a warrior and a mythology scholar looking to preserve the twilight of her fighting years by hunting down a legendary axe. The only problem is the axe is buried beneath a sacred mountain that warps time; the closer she gets, the quicker she ages. Take a peek! TALES BENEATH A WHITE MOON by Ellen FairyBlue Werewolf/General fiction 50,000 words Reader to focus ...

It’s a rhetorical question (something writers are fond of, except when we’re not), one that no one is expected to answer definitively. The word means different things to different people, and each person’s definition is, of course, valid for them. But as someone who is (in his own mind, at least) a writer, I wanted to throw my hat into the ring and plant my flag. As a writer, I write things. That’s the simplest part of the definition and easiest box to check. I put words down from my brain into a format that other people can interact with. Specifically, I write fiction, ghostwrite, and edit others’ works. I’ve published seven novels and two short stories. But is that enough to consider myself a “writer?” Is there some other, more technical quality that needs to be achieved? Perhaps monetary success. Maybe writers can call themselves such when they can pay their bills with their work…or at least one of them. On some months, that’s true – I might make enough off my books to pay my in...

Today I'm hosting Milo Maia who has an ambitious project in the works. Here's his 'all things writing related' interview: What inspires you to write? Characters. Every time I come to the blank page, I feel like a child transported into a world of giants. Queens and warriors and scholars and half-gods put me on their shoulders and I haven't come down since. What is your favourite genre to read? Epic or low fantasy. Either is great but a crossover means I lose a week of my life. What genre do you write. Why? I'm squished between low and high fantasy. I like having notes of magic and greater forces, but I always look to write character-driven stories. There's a touch of literary fiction in there as well, because more than any other genre, fantasy lies; where better to explore human truths? Who was your favourite author of your childhood? Elizabeth Laird. She introduced me to the concept of deutoragonist, and planted the seed in my mind that ...

The dreaded query letter. A hated, but essential, part of getting a novel published. Agents receive huge numbers of submissions every week, so they need a quick way to sift through. While some may also ask for a sample of writing, many will reject purely on the query, so it’s important to get it right. Given that pressure, it’s easy to get bogged down in query hell, but if you strip things back, there’s a template that covers most situations. Queries fall naturally into a three paragraph format, like this: First paragraph: Introduces main character, setting, situation and goals. Second paragraph: Turning point, conflict, rising tension, antagonist. Third paragraph: Stakes and consequences. What happens if the character fails, and will they face any cost if they win? If you start with these guidelines, you’ll have a template to hang the unique parts of your story. What else to remember? Always start your query letter with Dear and the agent’s name. Never use a generic gr...

Lots of authors claim to be professional liars. Fiction isn’t real, so a writer must be good at lying. This always worried me as I am totally useless at telling lies. Okay, decades ago my English teacher once let me off for handing in an uncompleted essay, saying that my dog had eaten half of it, but I’m not sure she actually believed me. Does that mean my writing is doomed to failure? I may have become a little more accomplished at lying since having a child. “No, you can’t have that toy- it’s for over five-year-olds and you’re only four,” or,  “No, there aren’t any biscuits left.” However, I still find it hard to tell a bare-faced lie. I can’t seem to find plausible alternatives to lies, and I’m certain I look shifty when I tell them. I haven’t been published yet,  but I like to think it isn’t that bad. If my lies are terribly unconvincing why isn’t my fiction? Maybe because I don’t see fiction as lying. Okay, it isn’t strictly speaking ‘real’, but that doesn’t make it a...

Today I'm joined by a writer who goes by the name Minusfractions. Here's their 'all things writing related' interview: What inspires you to write? In short, I grew up in a family of giant nerds. I was always exposed to fantasy and sci-fi worlds that caught my imagination and always had my nose stuck in a book. I think it was pretty much inevitable that one day I would turn to writing and put worlds of my own down on paper. It gave me more freedom than ever to explore the kinds of worlds I enjoyed and it’s a hobby I’ve gotten lost in over the years. Now that I’ve started down the rabbit hole of different potential plots and characters, I’m not sure I’ll ever stop. It’s great stress relief, good fun, and, at this point in my life, I’m not sure what I’d do with my time if I wasn’t writing. What is your favourite genre to read? I think I’d have to say that my favourite genre is mystery, because it’s the common denominator of all of my favourite books (though the boo...

Tapa Tasneem has bravely offered up their chapter for me to sink my teeth into. I enjoyed reviewing this opening and could see how a lot of small tweaks in the writing style could really bring out the best in it. Here’s my line review: Hans Hayder was never told no by anyone. His heart pulsed against his chest as he felt the cigarette climb to his mouth and exhaled with an aura of tranquillity. [A nice striking image with lots of emotion! There are tricks to making this sound instantly stronger (see below)] His being [Isn’t ‘his being’ just himself, so you could just say ‘he’?] felt lighter and for just the smallest amount of time, he forgot who and where he was. His feet left the ground, and he was soaring like the hawk that his mother had imitated to him as a child [This really makes me wonder what the hawk means to him and why his mother imitating one sticks in his mind - maybe explore this intriguing idea. Perhaps split the sentence in two to improve the flow, and then expan...

Having struggled with depression for most of my life, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to not only find inspiration, but also hold onto inspiration long enough to channel it into something creative. I always seem to stumble upon ideas whilst I am at work or right before I go to sleep—in other words, at times when I am literally incapable of creating anything. I am sure most of you reading this have found yourself in similar situations and know all too well how frustrating that can be.  The trick is making time for that inspiration when it does come, even if it is not as soon as the urge hits you. I am guilty of putting off my more time-consuming hobbies like writing and sewing in flavor of watching TV or playing video games for hours on end after a long day of work. As silly as it sounds, sometimes you need to give yourself a good hard push in the direction of the things you love in order to get the inspiration train rolling again. If ideas for new projects strike me at a...

Today I have an interview with aspiring author Ryan Eric on all things writing. I hope you enjoy! What inspires you to write? I guess I just have a big imagination. A lot stories feel like they are trapped and I need to get them out on paper, as crazy as that might sound. I write more to free the stories in my head as opposed to any other reason. What is your favourite genre to read? Probably something like romance. I think it’s exciting to see the rise of plot and action among the attraction between two people. Many romance stories that I’ve read often have much more to tell an audience anyway, such as coming-of-age or Bildungsroman stories. In these cases I’m referring to, the romance is more of a medium to tell how people grow up and deal or rationalize with the society around them. What genre do you write? Why? I enjoy writing fantasy. I don’t know why, but I just can’t stay away from writing some sort of twist on society. Even if it’s about social media and technology,...

*Note: Don't forget to enter this giveaway , or this one ! * Collaborative Writing Support Group: How not to Murder your Writing Partner Writing a story with another person is a risky undertaking; you may not fully understand the peril you’re putting yourself in by agreeing to such an endeavor. At first, everything may seem fine- your writing partner may seem eager and intelligent, teeming with good humor, great ideas and praise for your own inputs. This can be a trap, a false front. The moment may come when there is a difference of opinion about a plot point or a certain character and this is where you must be on your guard. Understand that your writing partner is a creative force of nature, a vector that will not naturally be focused in the same direction as yourself. The first impulse of such a creature to any obstacle deviating from their vision of the story, no matter how small, can be a reason for wrath. Watch for tightness in their words and a lack of praise for all ...

I did a thing. I wrote a book. Daimonion, Book One of the Apocalypse It’s a dark story about a demon who ends up setting off a chain of events which starts the apocalypse. Someone once told me that it was like the TV show Supernatural, but gay and from the Demon’s perspective. I fell in love with that description. As a first-time writer, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I made so many mistakes. Then by chance I met the most gracious, patient and intelligent Samantha Cook who agreed to be my First Round editor. With her help I managed to turn a bunch of words into a pretty polished up story. She’s taught me the laws of writing – rules I didn’t even knew existed. When Daimonion got picked up by NineStar Press, it went through another four rounds of editing. The folks at NineStar were also patient, and supportive. They were more than happy to answer all the questions I had. And I had a lot of them. Guess what? Daimonion won an award too! 2017 Rainbow Award W...

Today we have a very special giveaway! Author J.P. Jackson has kindly offered a digital copy of his debut novel,  Daimonion, Book One of the Apocalypse . Daimonion is beautifully written and devilishly plotted from start to end. Since being published in summer last year, it's already won a rainbow award for Best Gay Alternate Universe/Reality. This is one of those stories which I'm grateful to have gotten the chance to work on, and would definitely recommend! Dati Amon wants to be free from his satyr master and he hates his job—hunting human children who display demon balefire. Every hunt has been successful, except one. A thwarted attempt ended up as a promise to spare the child of a white witch, an indiscretion Dati hopes Master never discovers. But Master has devilish machinations of his own. He needs human-demon hybrids, the Daimonion, to raise the Dark Lord to the earthly realm. If Master succeeds, he will be immortal and far more powerful. The child who was sp...

Happy Easter, everyone, and welcome to Scookie Review’s Writing Festival 2018! For the month of April, I’ll be posting up guest articles from writers at various stages of their careers, each of them awesome in their own right. Some posts will be from familiar faces to this blog, and others new. I'll also be adding in a couple of author interviews, chapter critiques, and a beta-reader classifieds. To get you all in the mood, I'm kicking off with a giveaway. I'd like to give a huge thanks to Kathryn Hewitt for offering up a paperback copy of Terry Pratchett's A Slip of the Keyboard . Take a look on GoodReads . a Rafflecopter giveaway The giveaway ends on April the 30th, and the winner will be contacted shortly after to unite the book with it's new home. Thank you to everyone who has offered up their time, books, and writing wisdom. Without you guys, this wouldn't be possible. I'm truly excited to share the fantastic material with the wider comm...