Roz Morris: Everything All the Time

Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).

My influence is everything, all the time. Two things I saw today that I will be musing about: a crow whose cry sounds like a man with an accent saying ‘Run’; a Rolls Royce with a bright silver paint finish like mercury. In terms of writers, everyone I read leaves a mark, but particular loves are Iain Banks for oddness, Gavin Maxwell for humanity, Graham Greene for restlessness, Donna Tartt for cleverness, Ann Patchett for passion, Stella Gibbons for spirit, Hilary Mantel and Andrew Miller for slowing down time and magnifying the human experience, Kevin Brockmeier for poetic vision. I could go on. We don’t need pictures in our house; the walls are lined with bookshelves.

What’s your advice to new writers? Read like a glutton. For every three books that are your usual taste, try one that isn’t because it might turn you inside out. Also, get comfortable talking to the page - establish a regular habit of creating prose – even if you’re only jotting ideas on scraps of paper. And if you want to write fiction, learn how to construct a story. Find people you like to learn from – trusted advisers who’ll help to steer you and give the feedback you need. Don’t be in a hurry to publish, even though it’s tempting. Try to get an agent, even if you intend to self-publish. Often, if they think you are close to publishing standard, they will let you know and they might give you useful pointers to help you improve. And if they want to represent you, that’s a useful ally!

Finally, improvement is one of those things that happens slowly and without you feeling it, like growing to adult height. So every now and again, look back at your earlier efforts and discover you have actually come a long way.

Roz Morris's books have been on the bestseller lists but not under her name - she ghost-wrote for other authors. She is now coming into the daylight with novels of her own. Her first is My Memories of a Future Life, and her next, Lifeform Three, will be released in winter 2013 - more details from her newsletter. She is also the author of two writing books – Nail Your Novel: Why Writers Abandon Books and how you can Draft, Fix and Finish With Confidence and Nail Your Novel: Bring Characters to Life. Roz also has a writing blog Nail Your Novel. Connect with her on Twitter at @ByRozMorris and @NailYourNovel.

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