Fi Phillips

Well, that's another year nearly over and what a year it's been. The Highlights Back in January, I made my freelance copy and content writing business official by launching my website . I never expected it to take off as quickly as it did. After taking part in a Camp NaNoWriMo in July and receiving a critique from the Faber Academy in August, I finished my novel, re-naming it, Haven Wakes. It's currently doing the rounds of UK literary agents. Haven Wakes has also been entered into the Bath Children's Novel Award competition. With that novel put to bed for now, I started on the following novel, Haven Journeys - set partly in Iceland, and with selkies and genies for Steve and his friends to deal with, this is a continuation of the adventure that began in Haven Wakes. The Lows After running my murder mystery playwriting business Murdering The Text for 21 years, I decided to call it a day in November. I'm not the same person I was when I started the b...

By the time November rolls round, a lot of people are on full Christmas mode. If it isn't present shopping, it's event planning, or just reeling out Christmas songs and memes on social media. Me? I'm happy to plan ahead, where needed, but I also believe in savouring the moment. For instance, despite the time of year, the weather here is glorious, mostly dry and with that wonderful golden light  that you often get in the autumn. What's the rush to get to the end of the year? It'll be here soon enough. I'm busy this month, with work, with writing and with saying farewell to something that's been a major part of my life for over two decades. And no, I don't mean my husband. Bye bye Murdering The Text Back in 1997, I wrote my first murder mystery play with co-writer and friend, Janet, as a way to raise funds for the amateur theatre group we were involved in. Little did we know that it would turn into a business that would serve other amateur th...

Is it just me or has it got chilly since October started? Brrrr. I had to root out my slipper boots because the dog won't let me use her as a foot warmer when I'm working. October looks to be a full month - lots to do, lots to decide and lots to enjoy too. Haven Wakes That's the new title of my middle grade futuristic fantasy novel. What do you think? After finishing the latest (and hopefully last pre-editor) draft, I've been submitting my novel to literary agents in the UK. I've had one rejection so far but I'm not letting that dishearten me. Preparing for November - or not? NaNoWriMo will begin again in November and I'm in a bit of quandary over (a) whether to take part, and (b) what to write if I do NaNo this year. The Camp NaNoWriMos have always been really successful for me and given me a real boost each time I've taken part, but I've never yet succeeded at the 50,000 word count of NaNoWriMo. I think it's to do with the time ...

Image courtesy of Comfreak on pixabay.com The purpose of this month's writing exercise is to become more familiar with your protagonist and antagonist. Here goes. If your protagonist and antagonist were in each other's shoes, how would they act differently? Would they act differently? What does this tell you about each of these characters? Let's look at an example - how about Harry Potter and Voldemort? If Voldemort/Tom Riddle had been orphaned and brought up by cruel relatives, would he had become a well-loved friend, hero and inspiration to others? If Harry had experienced Voldemort/Tom Riddle's upbringing, would he have followed a power-hungry path of evil? Are your character's actions based on their upbringing and background, or do they have the choice to carve their own paths? What would they do if they swapped lives?

Every year, September marks a fresh new start for me. The teens return to school. I've had a rest and change of scenery over the summer break, and I approach my workload with a new level of enthusiasm. After submitting my novel to a literary consultant at the beginning of the summer, I received the resulting report while I was away in Corfu with my family. Yay for roaming data! I spent the next few days (in between cocktails, losing at pool to my son, and boat trips) constructing a plan on how to approach the next draft of my novel. The report was provided by the Faber Academy and I have to say that they hit the nail on its well-worn head with their advice. They flipped my indecision over the way forward for my novel into certainty over what path I should take. Thank you, Faber Academy - you are my heroes. I'm therefore setting myself a NaNoWrimo-esque self challenge in September to complete the redraft of my novel. I've set myself a daily chapter-count (1.7 chap...

Wow, the summer holiday break is racing by in a blur and it's been incredibly busy so far but that doesn't mean that I haven't searched out some choice writerly words for you. First off, I have an article from Tim Grahl of Book Launch entitled Publisher Questions: What to ask before you sign a book contract . I'd love to be at that stage but this is a good reference article to file away for the future. It took me a while, and a lot of coffee, to write my About Me page. As an unpublished writer, I just wasn't sure what I could or should say. In How to Write an Amazing About Me Page , Autocrit answers all of my (and probably your) questions on this topic. Finally, here's some wise and choice words from writer, Alexa Donne.

It's holiday season here in the UK so I'm going down an obvious route with this month's photo inspiration - the seaside. There are three photographs to choose from, with differing aspects or view of holidays by the sea. Some are sunny. Others have grey skies. Choose the one that catches your eye. What does it inspire you to write?

Last month, I told you that I was taking part in Camp NaNoWrimo in July with the target of completing the (probably) final draft of my novel. I got off to a good start but as I had to write a number of completely new chapters, my progress slowed down gradually. Still, I kept ahead of the required wordage and saw my wordcount build each day. Taking part in an organised writing session with accountability partners helped keep me inspired and motivated, and the daily messages and advice from the organisers only added to this. On 29th July, I reached my target and completed my draft. Yay! My novel is now with a reader at Faber Academy for a full manuscript read-through. Having added new chapters, I'm aware that this isn't my final draft but it's close and I'm hoping some experienced advice can pave the way to my manuscript being agent-ready very soon.

What am I doing in August? I'm giving in to the summer. Or to put it another way, I'm going on holiday somewhere hot. The month of August will therefore be a little work-quiet for me. I'll be downing tools and picking up a suitcase instead. One of the benefits of going away and being away from the call of my laptop and work is that I can get some actual, quality reading done. Bliss! Having finished the latest draft of my novel (more news about that in my next blog post), I may spend a little time working out the plot for my next novel. Apart from that though, the focus will be on building memories with my family and relaxing. So whatever you do in August, have a wonderful month. P.S. There will be some more blog posts this month but they'll be scheduled to appear while I'm away.

Wow, July is almost over and the school summer holidays are in full swing. There's so much going on but I've still managed to find some choice writing advice for you. The first is an article by Rae of Barely Hare Books - What is a Character Arc? And why does your character need one? The 'character arc' topic crops up time and time again in writing advice but Rae's article really breaks the notion down into an easy to follow read. Have a look. Following (a lot of) changes to my novel, I'm struggling to come up with a new book title so I found How to title a book: What do good book titles have in common? by the folks at Reedsy really useful. As you know, I'm taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo this month and as part of their Camp Care Package, they provide some brilliant writing advice videos. Here's one on interviewing your character. And here's another on World Building.

I recently came across an article that I thought was called 'How to grow a writer'. When I re-read the title, it actually said 'How to grow AS  a writer'. 'How to grow a writer' stuck in my head though so here it is. How to grow a Writer Plant a seed of imagination. Water with cups of tea or coffee until the seed is firmly rooted. Feed your seed with plenty of well-digested reading matter. It doesn't matter what type of reading matter you use (fantasy novels, life poetry, short stories). In fact, varying your reading matter may well strengthen your growing writer. As your writer begins to branch out, don't forget to strengthen its growth through regular sessions of penmanship. Regular is the key word here. At this point, don't be tempted to prune the writer. Once your writer's roots have begun to spread, re-direct them to safe zones where they can be further nourished and encouraged. Don't worry if your writer's roots meet o...

The short version July will be a bit of a crossover month as the summer holidays start. With two teens at home, I'll be juggling work, writing and teenage entertainment. The long version I've taken it on myself to take part in the July Camp NaNoWriMo . What that means, in practice, is that in an attempt to finish the final draft of my novel, I need to redraft at least 9 pages each day. So far, I've completed 80 pages out of 250. Fingers crossed I can keep this level of progress going throughout the month. There's plenty of work on the horizon thankfully, most of it providing content for online articles. Thankfully, I can rejig my hours to work around the summer holidays. That kind of flexibility has certainly come in handy over the last couple of weeks as the hot weather has reduced me to drowsy delirium most afternoons, prompting me to move my afternoon slot to the early evening when it's cooler. The summer holidays kick off on 20th July, carrying ...

It's June already. Summer is here and I'm suffering as usual with hayfever. Still, it gives me an excellent excuse to stay at my keyboard and find some excellent writing advice to share. First off is this article from Kathryn Evans on Notes from the Slushpile - Highlighting the Heart of Your Story with Motifs . I found this an incredibly useful way to approach my novel and I've already worked out my motif, its significance and how to include it in my story. Second is this wonderful article from reedsy, What is Chekhov's Gun and How to Use It . Finally, I've been following Rae Elliott's website Barely Hare Books for a while now for its excellent writing advice. Here's Rae herself being interviewed by fellow writer Hannah Heath about her books and her writing process.

This July, I'll be joining Camp NaNoWriMo in an attempt to finish the final draft of my novel. I've taken part in the full-on NaNoWriMo in past years and a couple of spring camps too, but never in the summer. What I like best about Camp NaNoWriMo is the support I receive from other writers in my assigned (virtual) cabin. It's great to feel we're all tackling our writing challenges together. There are some brilliant writing resources from camp counselors too with advice on the writing craft. If you're in need of a little (or a lot of) motivation to speed through your work in progress, why not give Camp NaNoWriMo a go?

It's going to be a busy month with two family birthdays, Father's Day, client articles to write and a murder mystery to finish off for another client. Add to that the fact that we won't be having our normal June getaway because my daughter has exams and I don't think there'll be much of a chance for a breather this month. Having said that, I like busy. Busy pays the bills and keeps away the boredom. All that 'busy'  means that this month, more than most, I'll be planning like crazy. Here's my tick-list for June: Buy presents: For my son that'll probably be Overwatch related. Zenyatta is his current favourite character to play, plus he's now got a bank account and is very keen to earn interest on his money. My husband has had his main present already so we'll be looking for a selection of smaller offerings for his birthday and Father's Day, but nothing gimmicky so I'll be steering the teens away from the comedy socks. ...

Okay, hands up, I admit it. I have been decidedly absent from this blog in May. Profuse apologies but penning a murder mystery play for a client, along with other client work too, has kept me busy. But here I am, dropping in before the end of the month (just) with some deliciously choice words for May. First is this article from S M Metzler, guest posting on Barely Hare Books - 6 tips for effective character development . I especially like the advice on character arcs. Puzzled over the benefits, downfalls and just the differences between beta readers, editors and ARCs? There are plenty of answers in The Book Designer's (obviously) Beta Readers vs Editors vs ARCS . Have a look. Finally, here's a video from writer Chris Fox on 'Making it as an author in 2018'.

May marks the end of spring and the beginning of summer, fitting in two bank holidays (if you're in the UK) and so two short weeks that makes it feel like holiday time is on the way. It's as if life is telling you to slow down for a while and take a break. Except, I don't feel like taking a break. I want to race on, head down, and get on with all the good stuff 2018 has thrown in my path. This has definitely proven to be a year of 'new' and 'motivation' so far. Murdering The Text Running along with that feeling of motivation is my plan to write two new murder mysteries this year. The first was an idea that came to me while looking back over some old pantomime photos. The second idea came from a discussion with a customer about a murder mystery they want me to write for them. Fi Phillips Copywriter This month, I'm on the look-out for new customers to bolster my income from my current customers and I'm working on a freebie for subscribers...

Progress on my novel is coming along nicely and by the summer, I should be starting back on the submitting to literary agents trail. Am I the only one who finds that process scary? According to Write It Sideways, while the process may be a tad terrifying, it's also good for you. Check out their article - 5 reasons querying is good for you to find out more. On a completely different note, writer Suzanna Williams asks, Real life doesn't make sense but does fiction have to?  Finally, I have a video from Piers Blofeld, who is a literary agent himself from Sheil Land Associates, on the 5 types of rejection (and what to make of them).

Most days, in between school runs, you'll find me tapping away on my keyboard but from time to time, especially if I've finished a sizeable piece of work for a client, I'll escape from my desk to the welcoming hubbub of my local coffee shop. Surrounded by fellow coffee drinkers and with a flat white before me, I'll switch off the office-mode and indulge in some much-needed and unadulterated creative time. Here's how that little space of caffeinated freedom helps me to be a better writer. 1. It forces me to exercise my memory and my imagination After a shoulder injury a couple of years ago, I can't manage the weight of a large handbag pulling me off balance. Instead, I use a small cross-body handbag. This forces me to pare back what I carry around with me. My large writing notebook is out of the question, as is a tablet, never mind my laptop. Instead, I have a small notepad and a handful of pens. I could use the cafe wi-fi to access the internet but I...

This month's photo inspiration is an old photo that I own but I thought it might get your creative cogs turning. Ther are three women in the photo having tea in the garden. What is their relationship to each other? What do they think of each other? Whose garden is it? Whose dog is it? Why has the photograph been ripped into pieces? What does this inspire you to write?

Easter has been and gone. The chocolate eggs have been chomped and digested. I've started a new diet. What else is going on at Fi Central? Working on my novel Now that I'm working full time hours, any non-paid writing is being put off until evenings or weekends (including these blog posts). For a long time, I felt blocked with my novel. I could blame my lack of writing on how busy I was with my new business , or school holidays, or just needing 'thinking space'. I won't call it writer's block because that always seems like an excuse. I prefer Steven Pressfield's term 'resistance'. And boy, was I resisting planting my bum on that seat to work on my novel. There was an element of self doubt involved but the more I drilled down into why Inner Fi didn't want to write, the more I realised that with money coming in from my new business, the motivations to be a novelist had changed. Having my novel out there is no longer about earning a ...

This month I have a writing prompt for you, or rather two writing prompts. Use either or both, it's up to you. Here they are. and Images courtesy of: Tim Foster on Unsplash sharonshuping0 on Pixabay

Spring is sprung de grass is riz I wonder where de boidies iz It's true! Spring is finally upon us. The grass is going rampant in our garden. However, the noisy pigeons that sit on the roof of our house and coo loudly first thing on a morning leave me in no doubt where de blummin' boidies iz. Facebook is in the news again (when isn't Facebook in the news?) about the Cambridge Analytica 'situation' but I'm more interested in how Facebook's algorithm changes will affect my page's visibility. Fauzia Burke discusses just this topic on the Writers Digest website in How Upcoming Facebook Updates Will Impact Authors . I've also come across a brilliant article on Three Different Ways to Approach Blogging as a Novelist from Aliventures. Finally, I've a video for you from the Creative Penn on how to find time to write. Enjoy the Spring.

How did you come to be writing your book? What inspired your story? I was speaking to a friend recently, someone I've known since I was a child, and although our paths have parted, we've always held faith with one truth in our lives - we are writers. Recently, she started to write a novel. We've discussed its development over the phone and one thing became clear the more we talked - the inspiration for her novel is linked back to the loss of a well loved individual in her life, not necessarily the loss itself but the place in her mind and her younger life that the experience has led her to remember. The result is that she has an inspiring story to tell to an agent or a publisher about how her novel came about when she decides to seek publication, with a defined theme too. That got me thinking about my own novel and the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I don't have that same inspirational clarity. I honesty can't tell you what inspired me t...

This is how March started where I live - snow. My dog loved it. My teens loved it (and the resulting days off school). Being self employed at home, it wasn't quite so popular with me. Theoretically, as a home worker the weather shouldn't affect me but with the teens home two days out of the last week, my dog constantly nagging to go out so she could roll in the snow (and then gift it to the rest of the house by shaking herself over anyone nearby and jumping on the sofas), and the fact that our unfinished house isn't the easiest to keep warm, I was a tad disturbed and disgruntled by the plentiful supply of snow. Having said that, the snow is almost gone and today is grey and drizzly. Maybe the snow wasn't so bad after all. This month, I launched the website for my new copy and content writing (with a side order of social media) business. You can find the website here . I'm also on Facebook and Twitter , and posted my first introductory blog post on the day...

The word for 2017, so far, has been 'busy', in a good way. I'm not the only one living the busy life either. My email inbox is full of inspirational writing goodies so this month, I've three treats for you. Suzannah Windsor Freeman's blog post, 3 Things Small-Space Living Taught Me about Writing talks about overcoming challenges but also about getting back to the basics of writing. Elizabeth S Craig shares wisdom drawn from her personal experience in 5 Things About Being a Writer. Finally, Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn shares her thoughts and advice on self doubt as a writer. How to deal with self-doubt as a writer The Creative Penn

If January was a gift, then February is a gem waiting to be chipped from a wall of rock. In other words, there's a lot of good stuff ahead but I'm going to have to work hard to get it. I'll be drinking plenty of (decaf) coffee and tea, researching much, putting plans into effect, and generally living with my nose to the grindstone. And I'm loving it! Copywriting I've started on the website for my new copywriting business. I love this stage of any project - the beginning where you bring together all the resources you'll need and plan away. Having said that, I find it all too easy to switch into magpie mode and become distracted by all the shiny things. "Ooh, pretty Wordpress theme. Look at the colourful photos. Should I make a video?"  I'm rather proud of my logo. Have a look. Murdering The Text Although I'm shelving my next murder mystery play until my copywriting business is up and running, the idea pokes at m...

This month's photo inspiration is a shot I took while out walking the dog. It was one of those days ('brisk' as my father would have called it) that pinches your cheeks and hurries you along. The grass was crisp over the frozen soil beneath, and as my dog investigated a nearby tree, I took a moment to, well, just take a moment. Normally, I look up. On that day, I looked down. Peering up from beneath the layer of frost were three daisies. While the winter world lay dormant and still, these tiny flowers dared to show their faces. This year is all about (more) change for me and these daisies, surviving in the chill, reminded me that to make progress, I will have to run the risk of poking my head outside my comfort zone. What do these daisies in the frost mean to you? Survival? Hope? Perseverance? Let me know. I'd love to know what they inspire you to write.

Now that my teens have returned to school and my husband and I are settled into our working routines, my morning dog walks have fallen back into place. As soon as I get home after ferrying my teens to school, the dog takes her usual stance in the hallway ready to be fitted out for her daily adventure. I have to admit that faced with a grey, rainy morning, the prospect of donning the wellies and baring my face to the elements rarely appeals, but once I'm out there it's a different matter. I enjoy the time with my (mostly) silent companion, pootling along muddy paths. Want to know why our time together makes me a better writer? Well, I'll tell you. 1. Physical health Life as a home-based worker can be sedentary to the extreme. Add to that the fact that I work on a computer and there's a recipe for piling on the pounds. I'm not old, but I do fall into the 'middle aged' category, so not everything works as well as it used to. I need to work harder ...

Photo by Miguel Bruna (with my wording added) Ever wondered what your storytelling superpower is? When I received an email from diy MFA asking just this question, I was intrigued. The email was two-fold, offering a fun quiz but then asking us to celebrate our strengths as a writer. My quiz result was this: The Underdog You are the quintessential underdog storyteller and your superpower is creating relate-able charaters who have a deep desire to change something in themselves or in the world around them. From rags-to-riches narratives to epic David-and-Goliath-style battles you craft stories with high stakes and compelling characters your readers can't help but love. I wasn't sure if I liked this to begin with but then, as I began to apply the idea of 'underdog' to my novel, I realised that my result was spot on. My teenage protagonist, Steve is bullied at school and when he's thrown into an underworld of magic and crime, he's way out of his d...

There's plenty of choice creative advice out there at the moment in the enthusiastic light of the new year. I recently came across a wonderful article by brainpickings,  Margaret Atwood's 10 Rules of Writing . It's not new but it's well worth a read. Have a look. In My Personal Zero Moment: How I became a writer  I mentioned that I'd signed up for Gabriela Pereira's diy MFA book club. Well, now I have a wonderful TED talk from Gabriela for you too. 'Creativity is a craft and it belongs to everyone' Gabriela Pereira of diy MFA

Today, I joined the diy MFA Book Club. Run by writer Gabriela Pereira, the Book Club is a way to improve your writing through regular prompts, work as part of a community of writers, and grow your audience. The first prompt arrived a short while after I joined and starts like this, How did you become a writer, word nerd? Gabriela explains her own 'zero moment' when she first started writing at school after her teacher became aware of her love of books. " I fell in love with writing because I loved reading. It was my love of literature, of getting lost in a story, that pushed me to put pen to page in the first place. I suppose that's why they say all writers must be readers first. I know it was this way with me." Now it's my turn to share. Here goes. How I became a writer To understand how I became a writer, you first have to understand the home I grew up in.  An only child, born to parents who were the age of most of my friends...