Roz Morris's Blog, page 59

‘A disturbing symphony’ – The Undercover Soundtrack, Paul Adkin

My guest this week has a background in acting and theatre directing. When he had the idea for his novel, he was very aware of music helping him to create the setting, the characters and their tensions. Flamenco gave him the unease in one protagonist���s heart; Greek drinking songs suggested another���s melancholy temperament; Miles Davis […]

How to keep writing when time is scarce – 6 tips and video chat at #IndieReCon15

We all have periods when our creative time is nuked. Day jobs, family responsibilities or out-of the-blue crises can make our writing goals streak away into the impossible distance. Even if writing is our chief occupation, there are platforms to build, decisions to mull. And if we self-publish we can add more exacting tasks to […]

‘The distraction of silence’ – The Undercover Soundtrack, Louise Marley

This week���s guest discovered by accident how music could be such a useful a creative partner. She found that whenever she got stuck on a scene or a character, the most distracting thing would be the silence around her. She began playing music purely so she wouldn���t hear it ��� and magical things started to […]

Indie authors: are you making these mistakes with your print books? How to look professional on the page

This Friday, around 50 indie authors (including yours truly) will gather in Foyles bookshop in London���s Charing Cross Road to showcase their books as part of the Indie Author Fringe Festival. We���ll see some swish productions from experienced selfpublishers – but not all indie paperbacks look quite so slick. Peter Snell, my bookseller friend and […]

Whistle-stop tour through a ghostwriting career and beyond – interview at Whitefox

I’d completely forgotten I’d written this interview until it popped up on Twitter today. Whitefox publishing services wanted to quiz me about ghostwriting, my first writing gig and any tips I’d give to writers who were thinking of self-publishing. If you’ve known me for a while the answers will be old hat, but if you’re […]

‘Unending feelings of loss and loneliness’ – The Undercover Soundtrack, Chrissie Parker

My guest this week has a historical novel with two timelines, each of them full of loss and turmoil. Music by Portishead, Jem and The Moxy defined the characters and their dilemmas, hurling her into their lives and channeling their emotions as she wrote. Modern Greek music by��Elena Paprizou and Glykeria inspired the setting ��� […]

Storytelling in literary fiction: let’s discuss

There���s a tendency among many writers of literary fiction to opt for emotional coolness and ironic detachment, as though fearing that any hint of excitement in their storytelling would undermine the serious intent of the work. That���s Husband Dave last week, reviewing Kazuo Ishiguro���s latest novel The Buried Giant on his blog and discussing why […]

‘Everyone walks around with their own theme tune’ – The Undercover Soundtrack, Nadine Matheson

My guest this week has a theory that everyone���s head is carrying a tune ��� a permanent soundtrack, a default earworm. Her own cerebrum is tuned to Jimi Hendrix���s All Along The Watchtower, which has special significance when she starts writing as she sees the process of plotting as the search for an escape. And […]

Does it serve the book? Killing your darlings is a mark of writing maturity

Last weekend I was teaching a workshop at Writecon Zurich and one of the issues we discussed was killing your darlings. I used the example of a very precious scene I deleted from My Memories of a Future Life. The full story, including the scene, is here, but briefly, it was inspired by a family […]

‘Armour and post-punk lullabies’ – The Undercover Soundtrack, Guy Mankowski

My guest this week says his novel emerged as part of his creative writing PhD. He was inspired by the post-punk scene in Manchester, and drew on a soundtrack of The Manic Street Preachers, New Order, Ultravox, Savages and David Bowie to summon the grim streets of the city and the mindset of his troubled […]