I had fun – and learned so much – in this interview with bestselling author Roz Morris. Roz has ghostwritten over a dozen novels which have sold over 4 million copies. She’s also written her own fiction books as well as written nonfiction writing books to help novelists craft amazing stories. She is the cohost of a radio show on writing, as well as a speaker and writing coach. You can find more details about Roz on her website, www.nailyournovel.com and sign-up to her newsletter for new and exciting books and courses coming up soon! If you like, you can chat with Roz on Twitter or Facebook.
Watch the Video Interview
Here’s some resources I share on the podcast 🙂
I began by answering a question that came from a first-time writer. She asks what do I do if I haven’t been able to write for months because I’ve had writer’s block? I shared how Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way showed me how writing morning pages helps me to get writing again when I’m stuck. By handwriting 3 pages each morning, it helps to get all your fears, doubts or your ‘to-do’ list out of your head and onto the blank page. I wrote about this on this blog post. I hope this helps to get your creative juices flowing again.
Other books and blogs I’ve found helpful…
- Nail Your Novel series of writing books by Roz Morris. These books are useful as you learn how to deconstruct your novel and figure out what’s working and what’s not.
- The Positive Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. I’ve been referring back to this book as I’ve wanted to better express traits – like confidence, adventure – in my characters.
- www.professionalcontentcreation.com by Rebecca Livermore is a website that gives helpful tips on creating a more compelling author blog for your readers.
Now lets get on with today’s interview with Roz Morris.
Summary of Interview
*Roz says she was always messing around with stories but didn’t take it seriously until she met her husband who is a writer. She started ghostwriting, when somehow schedules got messed up with the publisher and her husband asked her to write one of the books he was scheduled to write. She wrote it and the publisher loved it ~ so she got more ghostwriting projects.
*Through ghostwriting she learned how to write bestselling novels(selling over 4 million copies), but she also wanted to write her own fiction books.
*As Roz started to help writer bring their manuscripts up to a publishable level, she seen people writing in many different genres, but not quite getting how to tweak their novel to make it great. So she wrote her Nail Your Novel series to help writers to deconstruct and finish their books.
*Even though there is a broad variety of story types, there are common features that all plots have. Check if your story has these 4 C’s:
- Curiosity – Your story should make the reader curious. Early on in the story there should be something that hooks the reader – like a problem or quest that has many twists and turns.
- Crescendo – Stories have moments where bad goes to worse. There are turning points and triumphs.
- Coherence – Have a theme or idea that glues the story together. The reader should feel like everything in your story has a flows together.
- Change – Plots that satisfy readers, have a feeling of change and a sense of journey. As the character changes and grows in their understanding, so does the reader.
“Every event you invent, ask if you can make more use of it. Then you are on the way to an elegantly crafted story with focus and coherence.” from Writing Plots with Drama, Depth and Heart: Nail Your Novel by Roz Morris.
*Roz talks more about the 3 and 4 act story structure and that novels need a minimum of three turning points. These turning points are usually at the quarter points of the book – the beginning, middle and the three-quarter point.
*Be willing to take your book apart to see what you’ve got. Double check that the events leading up to the ending, work. Find ways of looking at your book like an x-ray.
*Roz wrote a post about the steps she takes to write her novels.
You can learn more about new projects Roz is working on here and get her FREE Nail Your Novel Instant Fix: 100 Tips for Fascinating Characters here. Find and connect with her on Twitter or Facebook.
Does your novel include the 4 C’s? Please share how you plot your novel in the comments, I’d love to hear about your story process.
