# author life (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 2 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover author life. Page: Feed: --- ## [Where do you get ideas for characters? Why you must look at life, not just books](https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2026/08/10/where-do-you-get-ideas-for-characters-why-you-must-look-at-life-not-just-books/) _2026-08-10 · Roz Morris @Roz\_Morris · Nail Your Novel_ I was talking to some very interesting English literature professors this weekend and discovered an area where academics and authors are on completely different pages. It’s this: where authors get their characters. Many moons ago I studied English literature at university. I remember it as a vast journey that started with Icelandic sagas and Beowulf… Continue reading Where do you get ideas for… ## [How we will survive alongside machine-written books](https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2026/08/06/how-we-will-survive-alongside-machine-written-books/) _2026-08-06 · Roz Morris @Roz\_Morris · Nail Your Novel_ A post this morning by sci-fi and fantasy author Hugh Howey made me pause and think. We’re entering an era when there will be a lot of books written by machines, and all the witch-hunts in the world won’t stop it. Where does that leave actual writers, who do it with hands and grey matter?… Continue reading How we will survive alongside machine-written books ## [Good vibes only, for once](https://shadowsonwater.uk/2026/08/01/good-vibes-only-for-once/) _2026-08-01 · Lorraine Wilson · Shadows on Water_ Yesterday I wrote a draft of a post about hustling to build an author career – what that looks like depending on your skillsets and capacity, and what it looks like for me, your resident spoonie. I’ll still post it as I think it’s a useful conversation about the work that goes into trying to \[…\] ## [What’s a scene? What’s a chapter? How do we use them to keep the reader hooked?](https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2026/07/05/whats-a-scene-whats-a-chapter-how-do-we-use-them-to-keep-the-reader-hooked/) _2026-07-05 · Roz Morris @Roz\_Morris · Nail Your Novel_ I’ve had this interesting question from Tom Austin. Could you please tell me the difference between a scene and a chapter, and define what they are? How long should a chapter be? To some of us, these differences are clear and elementary. We just know what scenes and chapters are. For others this is puzzling… Continue reading What’s a scene? What’s a chapter? How do we use them to keep the reader… ## [When truth must out: what memoir taught me about story when I couldn’t invent anything](https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2026/06/14/when-the-truth-must-out-what-memoir-taught-me-about-story-when-i-couldnt-invent-anything/) _2026-06-14 · Roz Morris @Roz\_Morris · Nail Your Novel_ In a novel we are able to invent. And even if we’re drawing on real life, some invention is usually essential because real life will rarely do just as it is (here’s a post I wrote about that). But when I decided to write a memoir (Not Quite Lost) and then another memoir (Turn Right… Continue reading When truth must out: what memoir taught me about story when I couldn’t invent anything ## [Reviews, authors and minding our own business](https://shadowsonwater.uk/2026/06/06/reviews-authors-and-minding-our-own-business/) _2026-06-06 · Lorraine Wilson · Shadows on Water_ Folks! I am back from holiday and writing this on a post-hospital rest day but I promise, as per my last post, that by the time this goes out in a couple of weeks I will be firmly back into drafting. Or you have my permission to come kick my arse. A wee subscriber update: \[…\] ## [The envy that sends writers back to work](https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2026/05/10/the-envy-that-sends-writers-back-to-work/) _2026-05-10 · Roz Morris @Roz\_Morris · Nail Your Novel_ Let’s talk about one of the emotions of the creative life: envy. I don’t mean malice. The kind that wants someone else to fail. I mean the sharp twinge we feel when another writer, director, artist, musician or creator has made something wonderful and a part of us thinks: I wish I’d done that. Where… Continue reading The envy that sends writers back to work ## [Research, and other forms of procrastination](https://shadowsonwater.uk/2026/05/02/research-and-other-forms-of-procrastination/) _2026-05-02 · Lorraine Wilson · Shadows on Water_ Today’s procrastination comes in the form of this post! But what is good non-writing craft work/thinking time/well refilling, and what is procrastination? The difference feels blurry at the moment. First a writing update: Well, this section feels redundant given the post subject, but for what it’s worth – I finished another short story last week, \[…\] ## [Let the messages emerge from characters and story – how journalist Alice Wright switched to novels](https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2026/04/29/let-the-messages-emerge-from-characters-and-story-how-journalist-alice-wright-switched-to-novels/) _2026-04-29 · Roz Morris @Roz\_Morris · Nail Your Novel_ Alice Wright’s usual writing was entertainment columns until one day her imagination took an unexpected swerve. A beautiful day, a spooky song in the headphones, and she found she needed to write a paranormal novel with a dual timeline. I’ve worked with many journalists who transitioned to novels and it’s quite a different way of… Continue reading Let the messages emerge from characters and story… ## [From lifeless to compelling: 5 craft fixes that transform a story](https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2026/04/12/from-lifeless-to-compelling-5-craft-fixes-that-transform-a-story/) _2026-04-12 · Roz Morris @Roz\_Morris · Nail Your Novel_ If you’re working on a novel or memoir, you might see this feedback at some point: it’s not quite working yet. It’s a bit lifeless. What might be wrong? Although we all have different strengths and blind spots, I find certain issues come up fairly regularly. Here they are – and practical ways to fix… Continue reading From lifeless to compelling: 5 craft fixes that transform a story ## [AI News Summaries & Audio (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/11uXyBKT6RZ3) _2026-04-12 · **Sponsored**_ Tap an article for an AI summary and an audio briefing. ## [Lessons from hiring the wrong editor – and how to find the right match. Honest advice after the Indie Author Lab](https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2026/03/15/lessons-from-hiring-the-wrong-editor-and-how-to-find-the-right-match-honest-advice-after-the-indie-author-lab/) _2026-03-15 · Roz Morris @Roz\_Morris · Nail Your Novel_ A developmental editor is usually the first professional to see your book. Ideally they’ll help you nurture its strengths, tone up its weaknesses, get you writing your best work. But finding that person can be a minefield. This week I was one of the resident experts at the Alliance of Independent Authors Indie Author… Continue reading Lessons from hiring the wrong editor – and how to find the… ## [Long-haul writing careers, writing memoir and slow-but-steady marketing. Thrilled to be talking again to @thecreativepenn](https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2026/03/10/long-haul-writing-careers-writing-memoir-and-slow-but-steady-marketing-thrilled-to-be-talking-again-to-thecreativepenn/) _2026-03-10 · Roz Morris @Roz\_Morris · Nail Your Novel_ Fifteen years ago I guested on a podcast called The Creative Penn hosted by Joanna Penn. We were both setting sail as indie authors. Fifteen years on, we’re both still at it. In this podcast we’re looking at why! There’s been a lot of change, but indie authorship still suits us both. It doesn’t matter… Continue reading Long-haul writing careers, writing memoir and slow-but-steady marketing.… ## [Big stories from small beginnings – and how to pivot between memoir and fiction: interviewed by Mark Leslie Lefebvre](https://nailyournovel.wordpress.com/2026/03/08/big-stories-from-small-beginnings-and-how-to-pivot-between-memoir-and-fiction-interviewed-by-mark-leslie-lefebvre/) _2026-03-08 · Roz Morris @Roz\_Morris · Nail Your Novel_ What are the key differences between writing memoir and writing fiction? That’s one of the questions I’m tackling today at Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing, the podcast from horror/ speculative fiction author and longtime publishing guru Mark Leslie Lefebvre. I’m thrilled to be invited to Mark’s show because he’s one of the old-timers in… Continue reading Big stories from small beginnings… ## [Why are we still infantilising women in fiction?](https://shadowsonwater.uk/2026/02/14/why-are-we-still-infantilising-women-in-fiction/) _2026-02-14 · Lorraine Wilson · Shadows on Water_ I know, I know, that’s a horribly click-bait article header, isn’t it? Bear with me? First, a writing update. As I am still waiting to hear on the three projects out on sub, and had a moderately event-full January, I haven’t done much writing so far this year. As I wrote about last time, I’ve \[…\] ## [Story prompts for short fic January (and maybe February, who knows)](https://shadowsonwater.uk/2026/01/17/story-prompts-for-short-fic-january-and-maybe-february-who-knows/) _2026-01-17 · Lorraine Wilson · Shadows on Water_ Welcome to 2026! Yes, I know we’re over half way through but family life has been busy so I’m only just getting back into the swing of things now, with a slightly panicked feeling that this month is being swallowed up so fast! As I think I mentioned in… a previous post somewhere, I’m taking \[…\] ## [Holiday book recommendations – gifts, reading and feeding the tbr pile](https://shadowsonwater.uk/2025/12/11/holiday-book-recommendations-gifts-reading-and-feeding-the-tbr-pile/) _2025-12-11 · Lorraine Wilson · Shadows on Water_ Happy omg there’s only two weeks to Christmas to all who celebrate! Those of you who’ve been with me for a while will know I don’t like doing ‘Best of’ or ‘Top reads’ type lists because they’re so subjective and I don’t really want to rank my favs from my friends, heroines and peers. What \[…\] ## [Book launches – survival, celebration and chocolate](https://shadowsonwater.uk/2025/11/15/book-launches-survival-celebration-and-chocolate/) _2025-11-15 · Lorraine Wilson · Shadows on Water_ Hello fellow creatures. I usually write a ‘the story behind the book’ post around publication day, but I feel like I’ve chatted a lot about The Salt Oracle over the last year either here or on my mothballed Substack, both in free and in paid posts. So what else around book publication time might be \[…\] ## [The books behind the book – diving into the stories & history that inspired The Salt Oracle](https://shadowsonwater.uk/2025/10/25/the-books-behind-the-book-diving-into-the-stories-history-that-inspired-the-salt-oracle/) _2025-10-25 · Lorraine Wilson · Shadows on Water_ Updates from the writing cave: Since I last posted here, I have finished the first draft of the strange and challenging parallel world book that I began over the summer. I’ve done a quick first pass tidy up of it and have now shelved it to work on other things while it thinks about what \[…\] ## [This is a new low (publishing version)](https://shadowsonwater.uk/2025/09/27/this-is-a-new-low-publishing-version/) _2025-09-27 · Lorraine Wilson · Shadows on Water_ \[Edit: I wrote this post a few weeks back but delayed publishing because of the move from Substack to Patreon. A few things have changed, namely going on sub with Birds and feeling hopeful about that. But I think it’s still important to share this article as it was when I wrote it, so… ta \[…\] ## [Your 24/7 AI Media Buyer (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/WEPXUBGlOXna) _2025-09-27 · **Sponsored**_ Finds placement, geo, and funnel leaks and proposes fixes you approve ## [Dystopias, reality, and getting crabbit about labels](https://shadowsonwater.uk/2025/08/08/dystopias-reality-and-getting-crabbit-about-labels/) _2025-08-08 · Lorraine Wilson · Shadows on Water_ So a wee while ago I was asked a question at an event that very nearly launched me into a TED talk of an answer. We were out of time so I had to restrain myself, but I figured it would make a good article in which no-one is waving frantically at me from the \[…\]