Roz Morris's Blog, page 25
October 11, 2020
Critiquing a friend’s book… how do you tell them it doesn’t work?
I’ve had this interesting question from Jan. A friend has finished drafting her first novel. She asked me to proofread before she sends it to agents. I explained she would up her chances if she got it edited too, so she asked if I could do that. I’m reading the manuscript and have found what […]
October 6, 2020
What to call your characters and places – Ep 46 FREE podcast for writers
What’s in a name? Sometimes, a lot of agonising. A lot of mind-changing. A name in a work of fiction is never random. It hits the reader with meaning. Overtones. The sound in the reader’s mind-ear, the shape it makes on a page. Sometimes a name has associations for the writer too, associations that help […]
October 5, 2020
September 20, 2020
How to write the difficult second novel. And why it’s difficult. Ep 45 FREE podcast for writers
The difficult second novel. Why might it be difficult? Does it have to be? Are there ways you could make it, well, easier? Indeed, we contend there are ways in which your second novel will be much easier to write than the first. We are, of course, Peter Snell, a bookseller, and me! Stream from […]
September 13, 2020
How to – and how not to – run an online writing community. And publishing post Covid. Interview with literary agent Peter Cox of @Litopia @agentPete
You’ve seen the posts here about Peter Cox’s writing community Litopia – the home of Pop-Up Submissions, where manuscripts are critiqued live on air by writers, readers and a chat room. Sometimes the guest critic is me! I’ve always been impressed with the show. For a start, it looks amazingly slick. But underneath that is […]
September 6, 2020
How to write a synopsis if you hate writing synopses
I just finished the manuscript of my third novel, Ever Rest, and am now querying agents. So I’ve had to write a synopsis. I don’t know any writer who relishes the synopsis. Essentially, you take 100,000 words (103,000, in my case) and boil it down, spoilers and all, to 500. And hate every moment. But […]
September 4, 2020
I’ve written a book – what now? Ep44 FREE podcast for authors
You spend all that time on the manuscript. Polishing, honing, changing your mind. But eventually, you’re satisfied with it. What then? Send it to a literary agent, a publisher, explore self-publishing? What do all those entail? Is there anything else you should to do ensure your book is really ready? That’s the topic we’re discussing […]
September 3, 2020
An exclusive preview...
Like old times, an exclusive preview, a discount (but hurry!), a crazy thing, a little horse
https://mailchi.mp/ecd618a4236d/like-...
https://mailchi.mp/ecd618a4236d/like-...
August 20, 2020
Should you let anyone read your book before you’ve finished? Ep43 FREE podcast for writers
Once upon a time, writing was a solitary activity. Just you, your thoughts and your pages. Now, writing can be one of the most sociable things you can do on the internet. You can post chapters on a blog as you finish them, or on a serialisation platform like Wattpad, or in online communities. Some […]
August 16, 2020
Your first pages – 5 more novel openings critiqued by a literary agent (and me!) at @Litopia
I’ve just guested again at Litopia, the online writers’ colony and community. Each week they have a YouTube show, Pop-Up Submissions, where five manuscripts are read and critiqued live on air by literary agent Peter Cox @agentpete and a guest, or sometimes two (this time we had longtime Litopia member Dean Baxter). The format is […]
