Lorna Faith

Clean Fiction Author

033 Plot Your Fiction Novel with Drama, Depth and Heart with Roz Morris [Rebroadcast]

by

Subscribe:  iTunes | Android

I had fun – and learned so much – in this interview with bestselling author Roz Morris.

Note: This is a ReBroadcast of the podcast interview I had with Roz Morris earlier in 2016.

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.

In the Intro I talk about some helpful books I’ve been reading for writers and I ask a favour…

  • Romance Self-Publishing Book Bundle by Nina Harrington. She is the award winning author of 19 romance and romantic mystery novels with over one million copies sold. In this book bundle, she takes you step-by-step through how to write short romance books – novellas of 30,000 words – and also how to write the mid-range romance novel of 55,000 words. Helpful tips in this book bundle.
  • ASK. by Ryan Levesque. Ryan writes about the art and science behind figuring out what your readers and/or consumers of your products are looking for. Super helpful read.

Read on for highlights of today’s interview with Roz Morris.

Summary of Interview

Roz Morris shares that she always messing around with stories growing up, 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.

Roz has since written two of her own fiction novels. My Memories Of A Future Life and Lifeform Three.  

 

 As she has helped many writers 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.

 

There are a broad variety of story types, yet 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.

How do you handle story structure in your novel? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

3 Inspirational Romance or Suspense Fiction You Might Like to Read this Christmas

by

I don’t know about you, but one of the big things I look forward to during Christmas break – besides time with the fam – is to read great fiction.

I love stories that pull me in so that I feel like I’m part of the story. I want to laugh, cry and/or have chills run up and down my spine because I’m so involved in a great story.

I also love stories that inspire me to have hope. To believe in the power of forgiveness, redemption and love.

The following Inspirational novels have a little bit of each of the above qualities…

Cozy up by the Fireplace this Christmas and read 3 great fiction books…

Book 1: All in Good Time by Diana Lesire Brandmeyer

Diana Lesire Brandmeyer, has a great novella that is a beautiful story of second chances and renewed friendships.

This story is so compelling. The widow of a Vietnam soldier can’t get past the hurt caused by her first love. When Kevin returns to the small lake town for the high school reunion, Sandra must decide if she can move beyond painful memories. Watching Sandra and Kevin become friends again is really remarkable.

Get your FREE book here.

 

Book 2: Fallen by Melinda Inman

Fallen, by Melinda Inman, is a story of the beginning, the fall, the devastation that followed, and the ancient promise of Christ’s advent. This season, encourage and uplift your heart by reading of God’s love and mercy, no matter what we’ve done.

“Her descriptions of Eden are lush and sensual, deftly capturing the newness and wonder of experiencing all of creation through the eyes of the first human beings. And from personal experience, I can attest Inman accurately describes the dark, raw emptiness of separation from our Creator.” (Amazon Review).

Grab the suspense filled novel, Fallen when you click this link.

 

Book 3: A Most Unsuitable Husband by Lorna Faith

A Most Unsuitable Husband, by Lorna Faith, is a Prequel Novella to the 7 Brides for 7 Brothers Western Historical Romance series.

When Elizabeth Eaton – a proper lady from the East – is forced to leave her father’s home and move to the untamed west, she is unprepared for dangers that her journey to the West will bring her way.

To Elizabeth, the west is nothing more than a murky prairie filled with risk in all things… even love. With her dreams shattered, she spends time with her cousin Thomas Eaton and his wife Emma. While she’s there, she meets the cynical cowboy Drake Thompson.

Drake is a man whose attraction to Lizzie is at war with his past. But even his own misconceptions, can’t stop his growing attraction to her.

When Elizabeth’s stepmother once again tries to force her to marry a man she doesn’t love, she must make a choice.

Will she settle for a life of comfort or fight for the man she loves… at the risk of all she loves?

Click this link and get your FREE ebook of A Most Unsuitable Husband today 🙂

I hope you have a great time immersing yourself in amazing books during your holidays! Have a Merry Christmas 😉

032 How to Learn Scrivener Fast with Joseph Michael

by

Subscribe: iTunes | Android

I’m excited to share with you a interview I had with Joseph Michael. You might know him as the Scrivener Coach. Joe is husband and dad as well as a blogger, a creator of digital info products and a creative entrepreneur.

Joseph created the Learn Scrivener Fast online course to help writers understand better how to use Scrivener in their everyday writing.

You can connect with Joe on one of his 3 blogs, JosephMichael.net, BetterBlogImages.com or EfficientLifeSkills.com. You can also find him hanging out on Twitter or Facebook.

In the intro of the podcast, I share some books and book giveaways.

First book that I’ve been rereading is Do The Work by Steven Pressfield. This book really challenges me and takes me beyond my comfort zone as far as work ethic and thinking bigger. If you haven’t read it, you should. Level Up Your Day: How to Maximize the 6 Essential Areas of Your Daily Routine by S. J. Scott and Rebecca Livermore. Learn how to start simple and effective habits that will take you to your goals.

Click Here to Watch the Video Interview

Summary of the Interview:

*Joe tells his story of growing up in a home where his parents were entrepreneurial and his Dad was a business man, always trying new things. So he thought getting out there and trying new things was normal. He knew that he wanted to make a difference, but he wanted the results of what he did to be directly related to how hard he was going to work at it. So by the time he was in High School, after he tired of the mall jobs, he decided, along with his girlfriend(now wife) to start a snow-cone business in the summer. They worked whenever they wanted to and made twice as much as other jobs.

*A couple of years ago, Joe was able to retire from his Corporate job, because of the success he’s had in his online business. He says it feels like he’s a teenager again and able to have fun doing what he loves.

*He started looking to supplement his income on the side. Originally all he wanted to do was make an extra $300 a month. Just to have a little extra cushion and pay off some debts. He said he hated the feeling that someone else held the control over him whether he would have a job in a month or not. So he started looking for pizza delivery jobs to make extra money. But he said he got rejected because he didn’t have delivery driving experience. So he got frustrated and it was at that point he started looking for different opportunities online.

*His blog www.efficientlifeskills.com started because he had a wealth of information from listening to Zig Ziglar and Tony Robins, etc. He was inspired by Pat Flynn when he saw he was making a living online. So he started to research all he could about how to start an online business. That’s how he got his start.

*Joe says his goal is to bring all that he’s learned and break them down and see if anyone else can learn from them. His YouTube video, that was so popular, was birthed out of a real life problem he had with teaching his daughter to tie her shoes.

*He says he wouldn’t have started working on Scrivener to help writers to write faster and better, if he hadn’t originally found a pain point from scanning through people’s comments on Michael Hyatt’s blog. Joe encourages anyone who is creating products or any kind of info product, to really learn the Art of Listening to what people are struggling with and what they need help with. Then go make that product.

*Even though creating the Scrivener was totally different than what he was doing on his blog EfficientLifeSkills, he was willing to pivot. He says as creative entrepreneurs that’s an important skill to learn. Even though what you’re doing might look different than what you originally planned.

*Joe encourages people who are creating products and spend a bunch of time online to listen to the tips from InternetBusinessMastery.com. Put yourself on a information diet and focus only on the strategy you’re working on in that moment. He says you’ll find a way if there’s something you’re passionate about otherwise you’ll find an excuse. He says he sacrificed his lunch breaks to record some of the tutorials on the Scrivener course, and that’s how he found time to get the course finished. Just do the one next thing that’s right for you.

*He says he’s had a few failures, with businesses he started early on … even to the point of burning himself out. At one point Joe said he gave up, thinking he’d need to be stuck in his job until he retired. It was due to those failures, that he started learning what he could do differently. He started to see new opportunities like a science experiment instead of feeling stressed like each new thing was a do or die type of thing. One of his failures was when he wrote a ebook to giveaway on his blog and no one wanted it. His learning point was that he created what he thought his audience needed instead of asking people what they wanted.

*He encourages people to keep testing things, asking questions on their blogs and on social media to find out what people really want. Is what you’re putting out there getting shares? Is it getting likes? What do others say in the comments? What words are they using? If you do that, you won’t be frustrated with wasted time. Listening to people’s pain points is really the Art of Listening.

*Joe recommends the book by Eric Ries, The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. The author talks about creating a minimal viable product and that the quicker you can get that product out the door the better off you’ll be. He encourages people to create something that you can exchange dollars for… often something small to start with.

*Joe talks a little about his online course Learn Scrivener Fast. He originally got the idea when he read that Michael Hyatt used Scrivener for his blogging. In the comments of that blogpost, Joe listened to people talking about how hard it was to learn Scrivener. He saw a need and started to create the course. This course is very easy to listen to and very professionally done. If you’re a writer and you need a great program that shows you how to keep your blogposts in one place or a spot to write your novel where you can also learn how to put your ebook onto Amazon, this is the course for you.

Thanks Joe, for sharing your story and all the tips and inspiration you’ve given today to writers and other creative entrepreneurs.

You can connect with Joe on Facebook or Twitter.

Have you learned the art of listening to people you’re connected with? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments, that way we can all learn from each other 😉

3 Obstacles to Start Writing Your Book (and what to do instead)

by

Many times when I sit down to write I end up staring out the window or getting up to pace back and forth across the room.

Soon, I find myself checking out other peoples’ blogs, going on different social media networks, vacuuming – basically anything to avoid confronting that intimidating blank page.

The words eventually come to me – out of sheer desperation – but I can tell that much of what I’m writing will probably be cut out. Sometimes my words show up like mixed up metaphors or other mumbo-jumbo or my main character suddenly is someone I don’t recognize. I ask myself, why did I like her again?

Whether you’re writing a YA novel, an genre fiction or a nonfiction book, getting started sometimes can be the hardest part.

Why are there so many obstacles to getting started?

3-obstacles-to-start-lornafaith

1. Writing is Hard.

There are many surveys out there that say up to 82% of Americans want to someday write a book. That’s amazing! That’s 8 out of every 10 people you know.

How many of people you know, are going after their writing dreams? How many of those people will actually make it?

Tips on what to do:

  • recognize you’re trying something that is quite difficult.
  • It means regular practice and staring at your computer screen and more than likely some tears(I used to practice piano everyday for an hour – writing is similar in that it needs regular practice for each of us to continually get better;)
  • there will also be scenes or paragraphs that need to be rewritten – but this is all part of what we as writers do.
  • Make it a daily practice to write for 15 minutes or so. This will help writing become a habit in your life and once the routine is established, writing becomes just part of what you do everyday.

2. Writing is Messy.

Most writers want their words to come out right the first time. This affliction that plagues us is also known as fear of failure and perfectionism. Way too many of us as writers deal with this – I know I do… in spades.

Tips on what to do:

  • Embrace the truth that no writing you do, is a waste of time. Even if you write a paragraph or a scene or a chapter that you end up throwing away, it was still time spent refining your craft.
  • If you’ve ever saved any of your old writing you did in elementary or Junior School or High School, look back at that and realize, yes I am making massive progress.
  • Accept that nobody’s first draft is flawless. Just write the first draft – without editing – and embrace your love of story.

3. Writing is Scary.

Writing can be scary. Sometimes the thought of writing a whole book, can seem intimidating. There is outlining to do and then there’s the opening scenes and the rest of the chapters to figure out. After that, there’s still rewriting and editing.

With all of time and effort that goes into a book, we worry that maybe we’ll never be able to finish writing it.

Tips on what to do:

  • Rather than staring vacantly at the monstrous project before you, break it down into small chunks.
  • Every once in awhile check your chapter beats or your outline sort of as a guideline where to where you’re going, but then focus only on the next scene you’re writing for that day.
  • Write to a daily or weekly quota of words. James Scott Bell recommends doing this and says it helps to keep you focussed and productive.
  • BIG key is that your goal seems do-able for you as the writer. When you write regularly, the story will seem like it finishes itself.

Some last thoughts. I’ve discovered in my own writing process, when I focus on the story, I begin to fall in love with the story all over again. When the love of story wraps around me, that’s when I get into story flow. Seriously… that’s when the book seems to ‘write itself.’

Give yourself a pat on the back for doing something that many people say they want to do, but most don’t do the hard work to write.

Most of all, let go of all of your fears and inhibitions and just have fun! After all, we’re writers and we’re telling stories because we love it 😉

What are some obstacles you’ve faced as you’ve started to write your book? Please, share your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear your tips on writing your book.

Malcare WordPress Security