Fi Phillips

2013 is almost here, bringing with it the chance to start something new. How do you feel about that? Excited? Worried? Brimming over with ideas? Or are you simply carrying on as before? A lot of people will and there's nothing wrong with that. I'll still be making the weekly trips to school with my children, cooking, cleaning, paying bills and writing (of course). Some things never change. And yet, to take this opportunity of a new year as an inspiration to start at least some things afresh seems to me to be a gift that we should prize. Call it new year resolutions or turning a page, but the act of re-creating something, anything can be just what we need in the middle of the winter. The Words on my Blank Page 1. On 1st January, I start a new diary, literally a new blank page to be filled with the multitude of words in my head. 2. Once my husband has returned to work and the children to school, I'll start work on the third draft of my novel. I've spent the fest

No Tuesday Choice Words for you today. Instead I have a wonderful quote from the film, The Christmas Nutcracker, that I think sums up the life of a writer perfectly. "My work is merely showbusiness. You supply all the magic." Have a wonderful festive season.

Years ago (decades actually), I attended a writing class run by a local poet, Pat Borthwick. I was the youngest attendant by far. Pat's classes centred around using our life experience and memories as a subject and basis for our writing. Homework would often require us to tap into our life - one Sunday morning, a poem using symbols to describe a loved one, a holiday memory. The others in the class, including Pat herself, had a wealth of experiences to call on and I quickly came to realise how describing what some might consider to be a mundane act could often lead to a fascinating read. By comparison, my own life experience seemed, if not boring, then limited and pale. I felt I had few memories to offer up that would make for an entertaining tale. Move on around ten years and I started to write murder mystery plays for the am dram group I was part of. Based around a known cast and a familiar stage, what started as a way to fund a hobby quickly turned into a business I loved (an

Altering the Quality of Time in Your Novel from Live Write Thrive talks about the use of time in your writing. Why Stories Should Never Begin At The Beginning from Terrible Minds discusses where to start your story. Too Much of a Good Thing: Over Plotting Your Novel from The Other Side of the Story talks about striking a balance when plotting your novel. The Not-So-Long Goodbye from Live Write Thrive discusses how to write the ending of your novel. Writing Rewards from diy MFA is just what we need at this time of year.

When I studied business studies at college (seemed like a good idea at the time), my least favourite subject was economics. I got it. I understood the theory. That wasn't the problem. It bored me. I appreciated the relevance of the subject on my course and the importance of economics in the running of the world. It just wasn't my kind of thing. Our lecturer was a serious, young woman who was obviously very knowledgeable on her subject. She and I never really hit it off. During one class, she asked us to write down what our three favourite television programmes were. I think she hoped that we would exhibit our maturity by making choices such as the news or Question  Time (political discussion), or other such, sensible and serious viewing options.My list included Robin of Sherwood (hence the image above), the cartoon He-Man and some other fantastical programme that I can't recall at this time. She read through our choices and upon reaching mine uttered the words that I

Worldbuilding Revisited, part 1   and part 2  are the latest posts in David B Coe's On Writing and Creativity series on the Magical Words site. How to Write a Killer Logline from diy MFA explains how to dig down to the core of your story. Write the book you would want to read, not the one you believe you should write is a post on Galleycat by Mona Zhang. #Hashtags GALORE! from Stacy Green discusses the use of hashtags on Twitter and some useful, related services.

And finally, Angry Birds 'and' Christmas lights.

Prolificness and why we should never say should is the latest podcast from Iain Broome in discussion with novelist, Emma Newman. Letting Creative Ideas Percolate by Geoff Hoff, the Creativity Expert, outlines a creative method that I use all the time. The Opposite of Eavesdropping from diy MFA is a writing prompt that suits me fine as a people watcher. The Info-Dump Scene from Magical Words discusses how to reveal information in a way that doesn't drown the text of your novel. How to Escalate Conflict in Your Novel by guest author C J Redwine on The Other Side of the Story discusses the different factors of and approaches to conflict in your writing.

This was me at my wedding reception. It was a day of trips and falls, and laughter and leaps. I married the love of my life. My gorgeous children walked me down the aisle. Friends and family came together to help us celebrate (and got on tremendously well). It was also one month since I had had an operation in hospital. I was still recovering and ill. I'd lost a stone in that time which would normally have been a welcome development but on this occasion it meant that my wedding outfit was too big. Other things went wrong which verged on spoiling the day but what I remember the best are the small kindnesses that added to the joy of our wedding. We didn't have much money. When we started planning it, money wasn't a problem but as so often happens, life throws the proverbial detritus in your lap when you're least expecting it. All of a sudden, we had a photographer and a venue but little money for a cake, flowers or clothes (let alone invitations or dressing the

A Writer's Pre-Flight Checklist on the Adventures in YA & Children's Publishing offers a check list to test your manuscript. Create Key Moments with Secondary Characters from the Live Write Thrive site discusses a method for the  creation of relationships between your main character and their supporting cast. How Much Do You Need to Describe Your Characters? from The Other Side of the Story is an interesting read on the subject of character description - a topic that I personally need to look into. Thinking in Multiple Drafts is an excellent article from Steven Pressfield about wearing 'a different hat for each draft'. How Much do you Need to Describe Your Setting? from The Other Side of the Story is a checklist on necessary setting description.

 On Tuesday, 27th November I will be taking part in the Small Kindnesses Blogsplash and writing out a special small kindness someone paid me in the past. Would you like to join me? The Blogsplash is organised by Fiona Robyn to celebrate the release of her novel 'Small Kindnesses' which will be free on Kindle on the day. All you have to do is write something about being kind - a memory of someone who was kind to you, a list of kindnesses over the past week, or something kind you did for someone else. It'll be a celebration of kindness in all its forms, especially those little kind acts that make all the difference. You can find more details here .

Have you tried Media Deprivation? by Julia Cameron discusses the value of uninterrupted creativity. How to write a fairy tale is a Squidoo lens written by Tolovaj. An answer worth the journey: plot and story from This Itch of Writing discusses the difference betwenn story and plot. Storyteller Saturday: Anne Rice is a talk from Anne Rice on advice for writers on the Mindful Banter site. Living in My Head: Crafting Natural-Sounding Internal Thoughts on The Other Side of the Story discusses getting inside a character's head.

Or should that be the 'write' teacher? This post could apply to almost any course you take but I'm specifically thinking of writing courses today. They come in all shapes and sizes and modes of transmission. Some follow a specific theory. Others are tailored to an event. The trick to finding the one that will offer the most learning value to you is two-fold: 1.   Discover the learning vehicle that suits you, and 2.   work out what kind of teacher can instruct you the best. Learning Vehicle I've studied several writing courses in the past, some good, some not so good, and have looked into many more that I decided not to take. I know from personal experience that what works best for me is face to face learning in a classroom environment and reading books on the subject (although not all books - I'll expand on that in a moment). What appeals to me though, won't necessarily appeal to another student of words. Discovering what learning vehicle work

Nine No's of Dialogue from diy MFA is an excellent examination of how we can strengthen our dialogue. Harness the Power of Words on the Finding Bliss site discusses the intentional and clever use of words to enrich our writing. Treasures in the Attic is the latest in the Making the Most of Ideas series of articles by David B Coe on the Magical Words site. How Stephen King Writes Imagery from Galleycat offers some excellent writing advice from one of my writing favourites. Stay On Target: When is a Subplot Leading You Astray? from The Other Side of the Story talks about the  value and danger of subplots.

165 years old today! Although he died in 1912, his name lives on as the creator of Dracula , a figure that, like Frankenstein's monster, has become entrenched in our cultural memory. I read the book as a young teenager and scared myself witless for a few weeks afterwards. Every tap at my window was a vampire intent on drinking my blood (of course it was actually a moth drawn by the glow of my nightlight). That shadowy figure staggering down an alleyway in the city where I lived was surely another blood-sucking villain (no, just a drunk on a mid-day binge). What many people do not realise is how prolific a writer Bram Stoker was, the author of many other novels (The Jewel of Seven Stars, The Lair of the White Worm, to name but a couple), short stories and non fiction. We see the mark of his classic vampire character in so many of our novels and films. The current trend for young adult vampire romance owes a great deal to this Irish writer. Bela Lugosi in 1931's Dr

In the Beginning: Which Type of Opening Works Best? from The Other Side of the Story discusses the pros and cons of different kinds of story openings. Setting: The Stepchild of Writing Craft is a guest post by Blythe Gifford on the Erin Reel website suggesting five reasons that setting is such an important element to our stories. How Emerging Authors Can Make The Perfect Pitch: Advice from Katharine Sands on the bookbaby site discusses pitch-craft. Secondary Characters Have a Life of Their Own from the Live Write Thrive site talks about your novel's supporting cast. The Scene Conflict Worksheet - Developing Tension in Your Novel from Adventures in YA & Children's Publishing is a useful checklist to bring more depth to the conflict in your novel.

Many years ago, long before I met my husband, I lived in a bedsit in a house that I shared with a disparate group of strangers. There was the couple in the room next door who would row every day to the point of violence. Sometimes I would return to the house to find 'she' had thrown 'his' belongings down the stairs. There was the young man whose mother would send him food parcels each and every weekend, convinced that he would starve without her. In the other first floor room was a young woman whose 'boyfriends' would let themselves into the house in the early hours and tap on all the doors, calling for her, until she let them into her room. None of us said more than a passing hello to each other. Each of us drifted around the others, separate in our own worlds. If the door bell rang, the person who was nearest (or the one who was in) would answer it. If the gas and electricity meters needed to be filled up, the one who noticed would take the key and card to

On beginnings from Carrie Ryan of Magical Words discusses how to balance an inciting incident with an introduction to your characters at the start of your story. Don't Make Your Character a Victim from Writerly Life suggests that however many hardships are thrown at your protagonist, they should never be a victim. In Mojo , Steven Pressfield discusses the acquiring of this magical element through commitment to our writing (amongst other things). Get Your Butt In A Chair And Write is an interview with author Jonathan Maberry on the Galleycat site. Finding Characters Wherever You Look is written by Misty Massey on the Magical Words site. This is a piece of advice I faithfully adhere to, people watching to find characters.

1. Plan your book I don't necessarily mean write out a chapter plan but at the very least sketch out an idea of where your story will go, the barest bones of its plot. You don't have to keep exactly to this plan but at least you'll have a guideline to start from. 2. When will you write? It's all well and good to announce that you're going to take part in NaNoWriMo but when during each (and every) day in November will you fit in that writing? Be realistic. You will still need to eat and sleep, go to work, have a bath and so on. Don't sabotage your writing month by not working out when in your current routine you can fit in this creative onslaught. Look at the things you have to do in November. Reschedule if you can. Juggle. Delegate. Beg mercy from your family. Find your slot and stick to it. 3. Where will you write? You may already have a perfect corner to do your writing or you may be one of those people who writes where they can, or wherever they

Daydream Yourself into Your Work by Geoff Hoff discusses a method I use to prepare each section of my writing. Be a Tree is another exercise in creativity by Geoff Hoff. Give it a try. You'll Have to Go Through Me: Eliminating Filter Words from The Other Side of the Story is an excellent post on tightening your writing. Mapping Out Your Story from diy MFA presents a new way to 'map' your storyline. It appeals to me particularly because of my experience of writing plays that I bring to my novel writing. How To Revise Your Novel from the Prolific Novelista is a series of posts which have dropped into my notice at just the right time as I'm about to start the second draft of my novel. I have the first two parts of this series for you: Part 1 Part 2

I recently came across a range of accessories by Lulu Guinness that appeals to my book-habit. I may have to invest in some early Christmas presents. Shush - don't tell my husband.

Although How to Turn Your Author Website Into a Resource Center Your Readers Can't Live Without from the bookbaby site is targeted at ebook authors, the advice it provides could be applied to any writer website or even their Facebook page. Have a look. Forcing the Issue: Adding Conflicts to your Scenes from The Other Side of the Story talks about inner conflicts. The Secret To Your Next Creative Breakthrough from Jeff Goins discusses the balance (or imbalance) between your art and your life. 5 Archetypes for Supporting Characters from DIY MFA talks about the role of the other characters in your stories. Writing as Catharsis by Nathan Bransford talks about channelling our own emotions and life experience into our writing.

A British writer friend of mine recently made the comment that she had little idea where and when writers' conferences took place. I was sure that there must be a way to track these events down so from a trawl on the internet, I came up with the following. UK Winchester Writers' Conference Milford Writers' Conference Edinburgh Wold Writers' Conference Get Writing Conference Swanwick Writers' Conference Southern Writers' Conference Northern Writers Workshop, York International Paris Conference Williamette Writers Conference Wikipedia  has a list of writers' conferences too. Have a look . In the UK, you can also find news of writers conferences on the British Council website . Other places to look are writing magazines, online and on noticeboards at libraries. Finally, you can read about the benefits of attending a writers' conference here .

More on Fear and Writing, part I: Confessions of an Idle Writer from Magical Words talks about the fear of starting the next book. The second part of this series - Imposter Syndrome - discusses the fear that we're a fake. PR Daily's Seven Habits of Highly Effective Writers is a short but interesting post from BookBaby. How to Become an Exceptional Writer from the Copyblogger site looks at what makes a writer. Shh! It's a Secret: Raising the Tension and Conflict in a Scene is an excellent piece from The Other Side of the Story.

Many of the books I've read over the years, in fact the ones I've enjoyed the most, have been fantastical. They have been peopled by cyborgs fighting for their freedom, time travellers and fairy folk. Their characters have journeyed between dimensions, fought monsters and defeated aliens. Some have been fantasy stories and others have been science fiction (my preferred genres). On occasion, I've dipped into horror novels and quirky contemporary fiction. What all of these stories have done well is to create worlds where the fantastical elements do not detract from convincing me that these characters are authentic, feeling, living beings. In the novel I'm writing, magical powers are an accepted part of society and yet Steve Haven still finds himself shocked by what he finds - a man who can travel miles by using a door, any door, to transport himself to a separate building, a woman with magical healing powers and children who can create light orbs. What earns his accep

25 Inspiration Sources for the Discouraged Writer from Cheryl Reif Writes is an encouraging list of what to do when the muse goes on strike. J umper Cables - Kick-Start Your Writing Life from DiY MFA is a fun introduction to your writing journey via the route of a do-it-yourself equivalent to a masters degree in the arts (specifically, writing). Have a read. How To Create A Killer Marketing Plan For Your Book Launch from Socialmouths is an informative and interesting article that I'll be bookmarking for future use. Thinking in Blocks of Time from Steven Pressfield is all about pacing and resistance. Wordsmithing: Backloading for Power from Magical Words discusses word order in your writing.

Over in the UK, September has brought us weather that is reminiscent of Noah's ark-building days. There have been floods galore. The town I grew up in, York, has been especially affected. https://www.facebook.com/YorkPhotographer Over here in Wales, the playgrounds at my children's school have turned into ankle-deep paddling pools and I was forced to buy myself some new wellies. Cold, crisp September mornings are bracing and encourage me to look around but the constant drip drip drip of rain drops from my hood or umbrella just make me want to curl up on the couch. I use this feeling of rain chasing us away home, causing us to look down and inwards, in the first chapter of the novel that I'm writing to create a sense of people apart from the crowds that surround them, caught in their own thoughts, which is a major characteristic of my main character, Steve Haven. In The Mist , a story by Stephen King, the fog lends a similar quality of being disconnected but in

Use a Simpler Word from the Writerly Life site discusses the efficiency of simpler language in certain situations. J R R Tolkien was an early writing hero of mine - I have a great leather bound tome of his trilogy, Lord of the Rings - so I was delighted to find this article on the Bestseller Labs site - J R R Tolkien's Top 10 Tips for Writers. On Creativity and Writing: Making the Most of Ideas, part V - The Quest from David B Coe on Magical Words is the latest instalment in this series of articles. Ugh, What Do I Write About? The Struggle for Ideas by The Other Side of the Story talks about finding inspiration and revamping the ideas you already have. 25 Reasons to Keep Writing from Paperback Writer is a fun but very true list. Have a look.

Today is the Autumn Equinox, the day at this end of the year in the UK when day and night are the same length. Autumn can stand for many things, in our lives and our writing. This is the season of harvest where we gather and benefit from what we have 'sown' over the spring and summer. It can symbolise a move from youth (the summer) to adulthood (the autumn), especially as our children charge into a new school year. It can also bring over us a feeling of melancholy. This is a season of both beauty and sadness. The golden colours and ripe fruit present us with their glorious hues and yet it is also time to pack away the toys of summer, time to look back and ahead. I was married in autumn, a wonderful day in October that united friends and family for a few playful hours. It was one of the happiest days in my life, but the saddest too. My father had died a couple of years before that and my mother was too ill with dementia to attend. We played a favourite song of my father

Among the many wonderful things I inherited from my father is something that I don't admit to many people. It's a bit embarrassing but I know I'm not alone in doing this. I talk to myself. If you were a fly on the wall in my home, on frequent occasions you would catch me throwing my hands up while I pace around and talk over some problem with me, myself and I. I don't do this in public or even when my family are around. I have to be alone because it still strikes me as a tad odd to be doing this but, you see, it works. It allows me to brainstorm, albeit with only my own brain, all the challenges I come up against in my writing. Would that character really say that? Would blackmail be sufficient motivation for violence? How tall should a housemaid robot be? It all gets thrown into the mix, tossed around and dumped on a plate of conclusion (mostly). The only downside to my lone rantings is that I sometimes enjoy the conversation so much that I forget bits of it. For

Today, I have changed tack to bring you writing advice from a number of authors via YouTube. Howard Jacobson Lisa Jewell Anthony Horowitz David Walliams Philippa Gregory Oliver Jeffers And finally, a bit of bookish fun.

It isn't often that I speed through a book like the proverbial bullet, especially when it's a non fiction read. Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield has been a recent exception. Unlike some instructive tomes, Turning Pro is a relatively slimline publication, under 150 pages long. I had heard a lot of praise for Steven Pressfield online in the run up to the appearance of Turning Pro and the more I investigated, the more I found genuine, well-read people enthusing about Mr Pressfield. This wasn't just buy-my-book 'hype'. His website  is thoughtful, interesting and educational and you can find an excellent biography on his about page . I'm one of those people who tend to dip into books, maybe daily, maybe weekly. I could pretend that this is down to a deep tendency to take my time to let the book's subject matter sink into my being. I could tell you that, but I'd be lying. What actually happens is that I fit in my reading as and when I can. I have a boo

Something Unique To Say by Steven Pressfield discusses the value of our individual voices. How To Write Better: 7 Instant Fixes from Write To Done is a useful article on tightening your writing. I shall be keeping this one to hand for when I start my second draft this autumn. The Eyes Have It: Are You Overlooking Things In Your Manuscript? from The Other Side of the Story talks about the over use of 'look' and similar words. Is Your Author Website Helping Your or Holding You Back? from bookbaby gives some useful tips on improving your author website. Pitching Your Book to an Agent at a Writer's Conference , also from bookbaby, talks about the realities of jumping the query letter queue.

30 Indispensable Writing Tips From Famous Authors is from the BuzzFeed site and provides both an interesting and inspirational read. A tested way to write a gripping story from Writers Village discusses the use of Freytag's pyramid. Confused? Read this article to find out more. Tricks to Keep You Writing on the Writerly Life site is a list of methods to keep on going. Writing great cover letters to agents and publishers is a podcast by Iain Broome in which he talks to author, Nicola Morgan. Writing Lapses: 5 Tips to Get You Back on Track from the Write It Sideways site offers ways to get started (again).

Thinking a Career by Steven Pressfield talks about the existence of your 'career-in-potential'. From Blog to Book: An Interview with Author Rachael Herron discusses whether a blog is right for you and how it can enhance your writing. Everything is Fiction posted by Keith Ridgway on the New Yorker site talks about how the writing process doesn't get any easier with practice (and publication). A Right Fit: Navigating the World of Literary Agents written by Michael Bourne, a staff writer for The Millions site describes his journey to find an agent. Making the most of ideas: Part IV - Blindsides, gaps and spinoffs from the Magical Writing site continues the 'making the most of ideas' series.

This post has been created as part of the author event 'The Next Big Thing'. The lovely Zoe Brooks was the one who tagged me so thank you, Zoe. The Next Big Thing is an ongoing process, hence the 'Week 10' in the title.  Within the rules of this blogging event is the requirement to answer ten questions about your current work in progress. So, here goes. What is the working title of your book? Haven Falling. Where did the idea come from for the book? This is a difficult one to answer because the original idea, born decades ago, was completely different from the one I have now. What is the same are the basic characters. It started out as a Tolkien-esque fantasy about the need to join two halves that were once whole and has finished up being a futuristic fantasy about magic, robots and joining two parts of a society that have been wrongfully torn apart. What genre does your book fall under? Fantasy. Which actors would you choose to play your charcters in a mo

Why Are We Wired for Story? from Writer Unboxed asks what a reader really looks for in a story. Make me turn the page, I dare you! by John G Hartness from Magical Words discusses compelling beginnings. Should writers rethink butt in chair mentality? from Suzannah at Write It Sideways discusses how our writerly lifestyle can affect our health. Work on another part of your story from Writerly Life talks about how to get over a writing stumbling block. Making the most of ideas, part III from Magical Words discusses the fear of being scooped.