Nail Your Novel: Draft, Fix & Finish With Confidence. A Companion Workbook

By Roz Morris

You’re writing a novel... Unlock your full potential and finish like a pro When Roz Morris first published Nail Your Novel in 2009, writers of all stripes devoured her 10-step process for drafting, fixing and finishing. This workbook enlarges that process, guiding you to:
* tame your inner critic
* devise compelling characters and surprising plots
* find resonance
* hit your essential genre/non-genre notes
* find your best method for drafting and polishing
* craft a standout title
* write a slick synopsis and sales pitch
* organise and complete your research tasks

And much more.

Use on its own or alongside the original book for extra depth.
This book is a contract with yourself. Draft, fix and finish with confidence. Get your copy now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roz Morris
• Release date: Mar 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463984772

Roz Morris

STOP PRESS! Roz Morris's novel Lifeform Three was longlisted for the World Fantasy Award.NEW RELEASE! Ever Rest, Roz's long awaited 3rd novel, launched on 3 June 2021. Read it now!Roz Morris writes fiction and essays about unusual ways we can be haunted and how we seek people and places we belong with. Her work has been profiled by The Guardian, Literature Works, the Potomac Review, Rain Taxi and BBC Radio.Her fiction has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide, although you won't have seen her name on the covers - she began her career in secret, ghostwriting fiction for big-name authors.Now she's coming out of the shadows. Her own novels have been described as 'profound tales and compelling page-turners', with fine-honed language, unforgettable characters, and gripping, unusual storylines. Plaudits include a top-ranked title in the American Library Journal programme, a longlisting for an international award alongside Neil Gaiman and a finalist position in the People's Book Prize 2017.She is a writer, journalist, fiction editor and the author of the Nail Your Novel series for writers. She teaches creative writing masterclasses for The Guardian newspaper in London and is also the author of a series for writers - Nail Your Novel.If you want to get to know her a little better, drop in at www.rozmorris.wordpress.com and her blog www.nailyournovel.com - where she keeps a regular diary of challenges she's tackling in her writing. Follow her creative adventures in her newsletter https://tinyurl.com/rozmorriswriter

Book preview

NAIL YOUR NOVEL

Why Writers Abandon Books and How You Can Draft, Fix and Finish With Confidence

A companion workbook

Roz Morris

Copyright © Roz Morris 2019

This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. All rights reserved. If you would like to share it with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording in audio or video form, taping or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express, written permission of the author. This permission must be granted beforehand. This includes any and all reproductions intended for non-commercial or non-profit use. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The information in this book is offered on the understanding that it does not contain legal, financial or other professional advice except for writing advice. The author assumes no responsibility for any damages arising from the use of this book, or alleged to have resulted in connection with this book.

Okay, that’s the warning stuff over. Now enjoy writing.

Rozmorris.wordpress.com

Cover art by Roz Morris.

Published by Spark Furnace, Cambridge House, CB10

Table of contents

Introduction

Become a finisher

Make time to write, find your method role models, make the most of thinking time, when block strikes: reboot your muse

Befriend your inner critic

Strategies to get your critical sense on side

Task 1: shape your inspiration

Origin statement for your book

Task 2: develop your idea

In-depth questions to build protagonists, antagonists, motivations, plot, setting, time period, genre expectations, special worlds, inciting incidents, main twists, originality, endings, conflicts, point of view, removing ideas that don’t fit, refining exercises, research list, instant plot thickeners

Task 3: using your research

The hat game to encourage creative and flexible thinking

Task 4: create story events

The cards game for detailed outlining and testing your plot, checking subplots, topping up your research list, seeking resonance and dramatic contrast, recycling and reincorporating, checking character motivations, assessing an existing draft, brainstorming the right ending

Task 5: your detailed outline

For those who like outlines

Task 5½: an active break

To gain critical distance — and what to do in the meantime

Task 5¾: check your outline

Questions to make sure your outline is robust; prompts to help you discover untapped potential

Task 6: ready to write

Planning where and when you’ll write, how you’ll get in the mood, measuring progress, beating common problems, problems you can safely ignore

Task 7: another active break

Useful tasks to do while your manuscript cools off

Task 8: diagnose the problems

The beat sheet method for smart revision, controlling the timeline, flaws to look for and how to spot them at a glance, getting clarity if the book is different from the book you intended to write, restructuring without stress, assessing an abandoned manuscript

Task 9: rewrite with confidence

Creative decisions to double-check, strategies for smart revision, how to use the beat sheet, important details checklist, discovering your best process

Titles workshop

Now you know the book inside out, test and refine your title

If you have to take a break

How to minimise the loss of flow if you have to put the novel