Goodreads asked C.J. Cooke:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

C.J. Cooke Just write! So many people ask how to be a writer, how to get into writing or some other variation of the same question. It's easy, just pick up a pen or open up your computer and start writing. If you're struggling with an idea or you think that you need more practice before diving into the project of writing a novel (and it is a massive project) then I do have some tips to help. Try starting a journal. If you look on pinterest or just google you can find tonnes of journal prompts. Do one a day to give you a prompt to write something that you wouldn't normal think of. Or, go onto the writing prompts thread on reddit. There are so many ideas on there for short stories. You can have a go and upload your story and people will beta read it and give you tips. Some people may be brutally honest but if you want to get your book traditionally published you are going to need to learn how to take the criticism. I personally have a small cry and then eat my body weight in chocolate :)

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