Roz Morris's Blog, page 33

7 writing resources I use all the time

A quickie post here – I was invited by journalist, writer and educator Kelly Santana Banks to nominate 7 resources I use regularly and would recommend. Yes, it’s links, but they’re good ones. You get: 2 sites of excellent writing advice 1 newsletter with all the important developments in the publishing world – and a […]

My kind of weird, my kind of wonderful – interview at Davida Chazan’s blog

Where would you most like to go? Underground, overground, back in time, out of this world? I’ll have all of them, please. (That’s the mysterious Down St Tube station in the picture, abandoned and dark since 1932.) Book blogger Davida Chazan (who you might remember was incredibly nice about Not Quite Lost) has devised this […]

How to outline a novel – post at Ingram Spark

Do you outline a novel before you write it or do you dive straight in? That’s the source of one of the great divides between writers, the ‘planners’ v the ‘pantsers’. To complicate matters, some pantsers are actually not as fancy-free as they appear. And you might ask what counts as an outline. Is there […]

7 swift storytelling hacks for back story, description, dialogue, exposition, point of view and plot

I’ve just finished a developmental edit and, as always, I enjoyed how it refreshed my appreciation of storytelling essentials. I thought I’d share them here in case they’re useful. Back story… Don’t make back story about the past. Let back story tell us about the characters in the present. Their attitudes, aspirations, aversions, aptitudes… Also, […]

The secret is out: 10 thoughts on nearly finishing a long-haul novel

It’s been a long journey. Five years ago, I started my novel Ever Rest. Fifteen drafts, and I now have the manuscript in a state where it’s fit to show to another person. For the first time ever. A curious feeling. Like unveiling a massive secret I never talk much about a work in progress […]

9 tips to nail dialogue – guest post at Ingram Spark

Well-crafted dialogue brings characters, literally, to life. Dialogue is immediate, it has energy, it’s a tool for subtext and for x-raying the characters’ personalities and hearts. With all that to consider, writing fine-honed dialogue is almost a literary discipline of its own. Today I’m at the Ingram Spark blog, with 9 key tips for writing […]

The ‘under-arrest’ test – how to see the holes in your story’s ending

It’s hard to see the flaws in our own work, and the ending is especially a problem.  We know ourselves how it’s supposed to pack its punch, or we hope we do, but will the reader? Here’s a handy test. You’ve seen arrests in movies. And you know, don’t you, that a person may harm […]

Roger Ebert, Werner Herzog, Antarctica … and a manifesto for maverick creatives

Author life isn’t necessarily easy. Although our stresses are hardly big league – we’re not performing brain surgery or living in a war zone – we sometimes feel embattled and alone. If you’re having one of those moments, let this restore your courage. First, watch this film by Werner Herzog, Encounters at the End of the […]

Writing multiple projects and keeping in touch with a book when you take a break – interview at Joined Up Writing podcast

In common with most freelances, I’m always working on multiple things at once! Books, courses, editing assignments… One of those books is my third novel, Ever Rest, an undertaking that seems as gigantic as the mountain itself, and has to be fitted around other deadlines. Hopping between projects is a way of life for most […]

‘Something elusively wistful’ – The Undercover Soundtrack, Gwendolyn Womack

If you’ve followed my series The Undercover Soundtrack for a while, you’ll recognise my latest guest. Gwendolyn Womack writes romantic thrillers imbued with a sense of metaphysics, time and memory. Her stories come to her through music and her Undercover Soundtracks have always been haunting and unusual, with a strong sense of place and emotion. […]