By bestselling ghostwriter and book doctor with a top London literary consultancy
This book is used by award-winning authors and university creative writing departments.
'A how-to-write book that actually DOES tell you how'
'There are shedloads of books on how to write novels, and a lot of them are longer and considerably less useful'
'I wish I'd had this book a long time ago'
'The author has a proven track record as a writer of fiction, as opposed to writers of "how to write" books'
Are you writing a novel? Do you want to make sure you finish? Will you get lost and fizzle out? Will you spend more time reading about how to write than actually getting the words down?
Most manuals on novel-writing will make you read hundreds of pages about character arcs, inciting incidents, heroes’ journeys. It’s great to know that – but while you’re reading about it you’re not writing your book.
And what these books don’t tell you is how to use this learning and get the job done.
Nail Your Novel is a writing buddy – and mentor - in a book.
In 10 easy steps it will tell you:
*how to shape your big idea and make a novel out of it
*how to do your research and how to use it
*how to organise your time
*how to plot and build characters
*when you’re going to hit problems and what to do about them
*how to write on the days you don’t feel inspired
*how to reread what you’ve written and polish it.
Along the way, Thumbnail Notes give tutorials about storytelling and storycraft – strictly when you need them. The author has written nearly a dozen novels that have made it into print – and this is how she did it.
You don’t even need to read the whole book before you get started. You read a section, then do as it says. And, once you’re finally satisfied, Nail Your Novel will tell you how to sell it to publishers and agents.
A FULL index means you can find what you want, when you want it.
You’ve dreamed of writing a novel. Don’t procrastinate with another theory book. Don’t launch in, get stuck and throw your hard work in a drawer. Nail your novel.
Industry Reviews
'On my shortlist of indispensable writing books.' - Lisa Cron, literary agent, UCLA writing coach and author of Wired For Story.
'A wonderful guide to the bones of writing a novel. A writing buddy in a book' - KM Weiland, writing coach and speculative fiction author
'A how-to guide that actually tells you how' - Catherine Ryan Howard, author and blogger
'This book is a gem' - Pelican
'Packed full of practical advice for any novelist, whether just starting out, stuck half way or finished but lost. They say the last 10% of a book takes 90% of the effort. This book makes it effortless.' Tom Evans
'Concrete tasks to get words onto the page' - Ann Marie Gamble
'If published writers received a £ for every person that says to them 'I could/want to/am trying to/ write a book: how do you go about it?' - then they wouldn't need to write for a living any more...
Here is the one-stop (slim and modestly priced) volume I invariably recommend in such circumstances - and not just as a fob-off, but as a compendium of perfectly distilled professional wisdom. Therein lies all the aspiring author needs to get started - and just as importantly persevere with and finish. There's also a wealth of wisdom for the non-novice too, because Ms Morris is the real deal and a world away from the usual 'expert in rags offering to tell you how to win the lottery'. As a best-seller, albeit under other names, she knows what she's talking about and any author, from starter to veteran can benefit from listening to her. Or in this case, reading her pearls of wisdom. In short, highly recommended.' - John Whitbourn, Victor Gollancz award winner
' Roz Morris IS the Creative Midwife' - Heather Mitchell
'This is a book full of originality and creativity and warmth: it's like having your own personal cheerleader. I have rescued a project I've so far spent 2 years on but was going to bin as too unwieldy, and have even broken through writer's block to write more words than I usually do. I'm enjoying the process - thanks to Roz, writing's become fun again. Highly recommended.' - Miss Chinaski
'This book is brimming with useful practical advice. There isn't any padding to try and justify an extortionate cover price. It's not a lecture by the headmaster; it's one on one tutoring with your favourite teacher. This little book is an invaluable read if you're a new or inexperienced writer.' - M Ryan
'Roz Morris's friendly advice, logically organised, presented kindly, and based on heaps of experience, has given me the courage to keep going and the confidence that I'll be able to knock my book into perfect shape, using simple but clever tools and concepts. I'm particularly looking forward to using her beat sheet to give my debut novel a structural survey and re-engineer it as necessary.
It's a book that will now have a permanent place on my shelf of how-to books for writers, and I'm sure I'll dip into it again and again,' - Debbie Young
'Does exactly what it sets out to do. I had old drafts for a novel which were in a mess. Within the last couple of months, and using these techniques, I have got my outline in order, have a clear direction for my novel, and am now adding 1500 words a day (in my evenings as I work full time) to my first draft. I have tried various writing manuals, but many tell you what you should be doing without telling you how. This gives you useful techniques that are completely practical. Cannot recommend enough.' - Amazon customer
