Fi Phillips

That's it. My writer website is now up and running - yay! What that means is that I won't be posting to this blog anymore. If you'd like to follow my book publishing journey, and especially if you'd like to subscribe to my newsletter, head over to my new website. You can find it here . See you over there very soon.

So when I announced in January that I was putting the blog on hold while I worked on my next novel, I had no idea how 2019 would develop. I can now announce that I've landed a publishing deal for my novel, Haven Wakes, with the lovely folks at  Burning Chair Publishing . At the moment, I'm working through edits on my novel before handing it over for a developmental edit (excuse me a moment while I get all giggly - ahem - better now). The plan is to release my novel in the summer. At this point, there's no book cover to share with you but as soon as there is, I'll be plastering it all over my website and social media. That leads me onto my next piece of news. I'm developing my writer website in readiness for the launch of Haven Wakes. As soon as it's complete, I'll let you know because at that point, I'll be moving this blog over there. So, phew! What a ride this year has taken me on so far. Long may it continue. P.S. If you want to get an ...

Memory is a random beastie. Some of my most vibrant and heartfelt memories are of events that have little true importance. They aren't of choices I made that changed my life forever. They're rarely connected with anything that is newsworthy. Now I think of it, they probably wouldn't impress anyone other than the person I was in that moment. One such memory instantly pulls me back into the mind and heart of my younger self. I was six years old. I had three friends - A, A and J. Being an only child with parents who had kept me to themselves in the years running up to school, A, A and J were my first real friends. I trusted them completely, as six year olds do, and as such played with a joyful abandon at whatever imaginary game we chose. Sometimes, we would play characters from our favourite TV show - Alias Smith and Jones , a Western TV series about two cowboys on the run from the law. A and J would play the named characters. The other A would generally play a g...

First off, Happy New Year! The first almost three weeks of 2019 have sped by at a rate of unforeseen, well, speediness. The holiday season, besides a chance to spend lots of time with my family, was very much a period of thoughtfulness and reflection. The image for this blog post is incredibly pertinent because, after all of that thoughtfulness, mince pies, and reflection, I've decided that 2019 will be a fresh start for my writing. Haven Wakes, and its following novel Haven Journeys are, if not shelved, put on hold for the time being. I've polished and pushed the first novel as far as I'm able for the time being and I don't want to further develop the following novel until I'm sure what is happening with Haven Wakes. So where does that leave me as a writer? My content and copy writing business still continues successfully and the plan for 2019 is to increase my customer base and the variety of work.  However, the dream is still to b...

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'.