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The Forever Workshop vs The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

Short answer: Choose The Forever Workshop for the manuscript and the creative life around it. Choose The Shit No One Tells You About Writing for the query and agent-facing pitch. Read both when the book and the way you present it need different kinds of work.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

An independent guide. Scottie isn't affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The Forever Workshop and The Shit No One Tells You About Writing. Each publication owns its name, writing, and subscription terms.

A brief from both newsletters · July 31, 2026

See both newsletters in one brief

See what made the brief, what didn't, and the original links behind every included story.

In this brief: Scottie kept the selected stories separate because they added different value.

Reader priorities

A novelist wants to strengthen a distinctive manuscript and present it to agents without sanding away what makes the book unusual.

These are illustrative priorities, not a customer’s data.

What made the brief

  • The Forever Workshop2 read · 1 included
  • The Shit No One Tells You About Writing2 read · 2 included

Scottie

Scottie example brief

July 31, 2026 · Executive brief

01 / The rundown

  1. Literary editors reveal that successful experimental fiction requires intentional purpose and layered meaning to succeed with publishers.
  2. Publishing experts outline how to refine high-concept story premises and evaluate manuscript readiness before querying literary agents.
  3. Bestselling author Molly Fader shares structural tactics for balancing complex narratives and securing multiple agent offers.

02 / The briefing

01 / main

Make your experimental fiction weird for a concrete reason

The takeaway: Literary editors Derek Askey, Rachel Dillon, and Steve Chang shared essential guidance on experimental writing. They emphasized that narrative strangeness must serve intention rather than decoration, carry two distinct layers of meaning, and answer a clear so-what.

Concrete details

  • Panelists included editors from The Sun, Ploughshares, and Okay Donkey.
  • Successful experimental pieces must build two distinct layers of meaning beyond visual or stylistic novelty.

Why it matters for this reader: Helps you refine your manuscript's unusual structure while ensuring agents and editors recognize the clear intention behind your unconventional choices.

Original sourcesThe Forever Workshop

02 / main

Master high concept premises and evaluate agent query readiness

The takeaway: Author Sarah Adler broke down high concept premises, emphasizing that strong ideas must deliver from start to finish. Meanwhile, agent Tali Shammas shared query statistics, and author Catherine Ryan Howard offered a clear test for manuscript readiness.

Concrete details

  • Agent Tali Shammas received 2,000 queries and requested 47 full manuscripts, yielding a 2% request rate.
  • Catherine Ryan Howard advises querying only if you would have zero revision regrets if your dream agent says no.

Why it matters for this reader: Gives you a concrete gut check for manuscript readiness so you do not query agents before your unique vision is fully realized.

Original sourcesThe Shit No One Tells You About Writing

03 / main

Refine your log line and structure to land agent offers

The takeaway: Author Molly Fader detailed how she secured five agent offers for her novel Lady X. She focused on sharpening her log line, balancing ensemble casts across dual timelines, and carefully integrating prologues.

Concrete details

  • Molly Fader secured five agent offers after parting ways with a former agent and refining her book's log line.
  • Fader warns against using prologues simply to fix weak opening chapters.

Why it matters for this reader: Offers practical structural strategies to polish your manuscript's complex narrative arc before presenting your work to agents.

Original sourcesThe Shit No One Tells You About Writing

Action items

  • Apply Catherine Ryan Howard's readiness test to ensure your manuscript has no lingering revision regrets before querying.
  • Refine your novel's log line to clearly highlight what makes your premise unique and compelling to agents.
4 sources read 4 items checked 2 estimated minutes saved
See every issue behind this brief

What Editors Want From Experimental Fiction

Querying Agents and Defining High Concept

Writing Tactics That Securing Agent Offers

Low-Residency MFA Programs

The useful difference

The difference that matters

The Forever Workshop moves between creative blocks, manuscript distinctiveness, and the publishing path. The Shit No One Tells You About Writing concentrates on queries, pitches, agent expectations, and direct critique.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

What each is best for

The Forever Workshop

The Forever Workshop contributes craft guidance, strategies for creative blocks, and explanations of what can make experimental fiction work for editors.[1][2][3]

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing contributes agent interviews, query critiques, pitch lessons, and candid publishing expectations.[4][5][6]

When it’s worth reading both

The pair follows a novel from distinctive draft to credible submission. Scottie can keep manuscript advice separate from pitch advice while connecting them to the same project.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Sources and official links
  1. The Forever Workshop official publication
  2. How Writers Get Agents in 2026 (What Actually Works)
  3. How to Free Yourself from a Creative Block Forever
  4. The Shit No One Tells You About Writing official publication
  5. ✨Meet Your Dream Agent. Plus, Your Book Isn't Boring - Your Pitch Is; & Query Critiques Inside!✨
  6. ✨Lying to Agents When Querying👀; & What 'High Concept' Really Means. Plus, Meet Your Dream Agent✨

One brief, your sources

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