Author Bio:
The White Cairns novellas are written from experiences Roz had whilst working as a ski instructor in various Scottish ski resorts and slopes – they do say you should ‘write what you know’!
What inspires you to write?
The White Cairns stories have been in my head for so long that it’s been almost a relief to finally get them written.
But I realised the other day that I’m always making up stories. I’ll observe a glimpse of something when I’m passing on a train or bus, and I’ll invent a reason for it, some back-story or drama. When people do something, I’ll wonder what makes them react like that?
So I guess I’ve got a good imagination and writing is a perfect outlet for that!
Tell us about your writing process.
I’m definitely a plotter.
My ‘craft’ learning comes from screenwriting classes I took some years back, so I like to know the story arc before I start writing. I’ll know the beginning and end of the story, who the protagonist is, what they want in the story, what (or who) stops them getting what they want, and what they learn along the way.
I can’t do this properly unless I know the character, so they all have character sketches and I know their background and what they were doing before they ‘arrived’ in the story.
I use Scrivener to help me with all of this, and I usually start with the story synopsis and build on that until I get a ‘beat sheet’ – a list of scenes – and that’s when I usually start writing!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
This is where the character sketches come into their own. I tend to mull over each scene before I write it, thinking about who will have the most interesting point-of-view of the action, and how the people involved would react.
For example, right now I’m writing a hospital scene, and trying to work out how a character would react to the news. Would they get emotional? Practical? Over-react? Make it all about them? Become a martyr? You can’t know this unless you know your characters. But the way they react can change the story progression.
What advice would you give other writers?
Write!
And find the money somehow to use an Editor…
How did you decide how to publish your books?
After I read my first eBook (a novella) I realised that the idea I’d had for a TV drama series about a Scottish ski school would work *much* better as a novella series.
Then I read David Gaughran’s “Let’s get Digital” and it convinced me that indie-publishing was the way to go. And here I am!
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think eBooks are here to stay, and I’m glad to be a part of it!
What do you use?
Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?
sports, drama, action, romance, contemporary, YA
What formats are your books in?
eBook
Website(s)
Roz Marshall Home Page Link
Link To Roz Marshall Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
https://www.goodreads.com/roz_marshall
https://www.facebook.com/rozmarshallauthor
https://twitter.com/RozMarshallAuth
http://www.pinterest.com/info2653/
