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Nail Your Novel - Why Writers Abandon Books and How You Can Draft, Fix and Finish With Confidence
 
 

Nail Your Novel - Why Writers Abandon Books and How You Can Draft, Fix and Finish With Confidence [Kindle Edition]

Roz Morris
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Product Description

By bestselling ghostwriter and book doctor with a top London literary consultancy

'This book should be used as a text in writing courses'

'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 books 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.

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.


About the author
Roz Morris has nearly two decades of experience writing novels and helping floundering authors find their way. She is a senior book doctor for a major literary consultancy in London, writes fiction under her own name and has ghostwritten bestselling fiction for high-profile writers with major publishers, including Random House, Puffin and Mammoth.

About the Author

Roz Morris has nearly two decades of experience writing novels and helping floundering authors find their way. She is a senior book doctor for a major literary consultancy in London, writes fiction under her own name and has ghostwritten bestselling fiction for high-profile writers with major publishers, including Random House, Puffin and Mammoth.

Her websites are www.rozmorris.wordpress.com and www.nailyournovel.com

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 216 KB
  • Print Length: 182 pages
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B004LROOEQ
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #21,501 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Roz Morris
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I've spent years looking for a creative release. I've tried various things but time is a major issue with the amount of hours I work. Through the Kindle I rediscovered my passion for reading. The recent e-book phenomena led me down a path of discovery into the life of an independent writer. After reading independent works and endeavouring to make myself useful as a volunteer proof reader I decided to try my hand at writing. The result being, I've begun to consume literature on the subject of writing at a furious pace. Happily, I seem to have found a book that's going to be of considerable use to me. There are plenty I've read that aren't and some of them have very respectable names on the cover. Success doesn't stop even famous authors from stating the obvious in a bland manner page after page.

The first comment is on writing style. This book comes across as light hearted but doesn't contain any fluff. Some teachers lecture while others impart knowledge without you realising. The rigid lecturing style of some works on writing portrays this creative art as a chore from start to finish and attempt to formalise the whole process, which in the end stifles creativity. Roz acknowledges the more difficult aspects of writing and suggests creative exercises to overcome them while satisfying the critical more logical sides of our character. Keeping the critical mind at bay while you create and letting it loose later on is a theme that runs throughout this book.

Some of the exercises regarding the generation of ideas aren't really relevant to me at the moment and won't necessarily match my personality in the future. The use of memory aids and playing games irritates me a little. It reminds of those useless management courses. To be fair the source of a person's creativity is a very personal thing and I'm not trying to generate fresh ideas on a daily basis. However, Roz explains the exercise in such a way that I can adapt the concept to my needs. Roz acknowledges everyone is different and presents her material and concepts as a toolbox for people to use as they see fit.

The section on creating a second draft was a revelation. It may be a common tool that Roz uses but it's the first time it's cropped up in my research. Roz presents rewriting as her preferred method, which suits me down to the ground as I'm a conceptual thinker and I often take a top down iterative approach to problems. I had already decided that was my preferred method after reading the blogs of Andre Jute. An author I've corresponded with on a personal level and respect as a serious intellect. I was happily blasting away at my novel but at the same I was very aware that it had issues. I put these to the back of my mind and carried on. But as I got deeper into the novel I realised the issues were stacking up. The individual problems weren't a worry but managing the inherent complexity of their interaction seemed a little daunting. Reading Nail Your Novel solved all my problems in a few pages with the introduction of the beat sheet. I would've paid the cover price for those few pages alone.

This book methods won't suit everyone but it's a great help if you're a rewriter. 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.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
On the surface Roz's book is a logical, step-by-step guide to take a novelist through the process of starting (and finishing) a project. I've completed the first five tasks and am using NYN as a constant reference as I plough through the first draft of my third novel.
What made this book work for me was what happened as I worked through the tasks in its first two sections detailing what to do before you start writing. The logical and progressive approach seemed to release the creative side of my brain which took me to places I hadn't imagined at the outset. (I should say that the author makes this an explicit aim of the process.) The end result is the most innovative and exciting project I've embarked on. Whether the rest of NYN maintains the standard and sees me through to the end remains to be seen but, this is almost irrelevant. The first two sections alone make it worth the money.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I have several books on my shelf on how to write, how to be more creative, etc. But as I follow Roz on twitter and her blog has lovely tips, I thought I'd get the book to support her. I usually carry a book on me wherever I go but I did not have one on this occasion and decided to see what I had on the kindle app on my phone. Nail Your Novel. why not? I was 30,000wds into the novel and slightly stuck and trying to decide the direction.

The tips and hints Roz gives are practical and wonderful. I decided to use the notes on cards tip. Just a couple of words on a card - my character's direction and what she does along the way. How she reacts to things. I even colour coded my cards according to main character, secondary character and importance of the event for the plot. It worked wonders and got me going. Roz's lovely sense of humour also shines through making it an enjoyable read.

So whenever I feel I am lagging or can't move on or just want some encouragement, I go straight to Nail Your Novel and it works wonders.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
love book but not kindle version
I really love this book - it has got me kick-started again when stuck half-way through my novel and the exercises genuinely work. Seriously recommend it.

BUT!!! Read more
Published 17 days ago by mythoughts
There are some good tips in this book...
...I recommended it....really, check it out.
You will learn some things about the writing, plotting and outline process which may get you out of a difficult situation whilst... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Apollon
Never mind the first draft - go straight to the second!
This is an excelent little book that will enthuse you and stimulate you, especially if you have been flagging. Read more
Published 1 month ago by daisycow
Jamie1
I bought this book in conjunction with "writing a novel and getting published for dummies". This book does have some good ideas in but it's very 'rambley' - it doesn't flow very... Read more
Published 3 months ago by jamie1
Yes
I am an aspiring writer who lacks the confidence to push to the end with my stories.

Not long ago, I took this book as company on a long train journey to Sheffield. Read more
Published 4 months ago by F. M. Payne
Superficial and disappointing
I bought this book having read the other reviews on Amazon, and was massively disappointed. The book is only a hundred pages long, spends the first sixteen of those telling the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Calypso
Even me
Even I can write a book with help like this !
A great practical guide on how to approach writing, common problems and how to get around them....... Read more
Published 5 months ago by smudge
An authorial must-buy
If already-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? Read more
Published 5 months ago by JAW
A life-saver for novel-writers
Here's the trouble with books on writing; you read them instead of writing your novel. Nail Your Novel is different. Read more
Published 5 months ago by R. J. Thomson
Roz Morris, Nail Your Novel: The Creative Midwife
This book is neither good nor bad; it's invaluable! Roz Morris IS the Creative Midwife.

For me, this baby was in there, becoming more and more overdue. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Tessa Tangent
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Popular Highlights

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Keep going until you know: -who the hero is, who might oppose them -what these people are trying to do &quote;
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Good novels are focused, they dont have things that are irrelevant. &quote;
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Over the years what you develop is a tolerance for your own crudeness. Stay with your crap and it will get better, and come back every day and keep going. &quote;
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