Fi Phillips

The second chapter of my novel Split introduces the other main player, Steve Haven. Steve is one of those disgruntled people who always seems disappointed in life and themselves. 'Steve Haven pulled at his shirt collar for the twentieth time since leaving his flat. With his other hand, he hugged his umbrella to him like an amulet against the elements. His feet, clad in new shoes that rubbed at his heels, moved erratically over the pavement in an attempt to avoid the puddles. I hate the rain, he thought, almost as much as I hate wearing a suit. He tugged at his collar again. I hope you appreciate the sacrifice I'm making for you, old man. The Corporation had offered to pay for a hearse. "You're his only family, Steve," Miss Palmer had said. "It would be the proper thing to do." He had declined of course, explaining that he'd rather slip in and out unnoticed. "I'm not good with people." She had sighed, the way she always did when he dis...

"There's a rainbow in the sky all the time, don't be blind." Rainbow in the Sky, Ziggy Marley Even on the dullest of days, weatherwise or emotionally, a rainbow can cheer us up. In Chapter Two of my novel, Split , one of the main characters is pulled from the misery of a rainy day in this way. "The lights changed and he was jostled along with the flock of pedestrians crossing the road, grey normal people going about their grey normal lives, all in a state of denial. He turned a corner and the sun came out, so bright he had to close his eyes. A warm hand touched his own and he yelped. The child couldn't have been more than seven years old. Her dark blonde hair was tied back off her face with a yellow ribbon and her long purple coat, an ill-fitting hand-me-down, almost touched her boots. She beamed at him with sky-blue eyes. "Isn't it beautiful?" "Sorry?" Steve was still kicking himself for crying out like a baby. "Up there." H...

So I've written the life histories of my characters. I have a good idea of what they look like. I've even thought of actors who could play them in a film. Sometimes though, even after carrying out these useful exercises, my characters still lack a focus. They're this and that but none of it really knits together to make a whole. A couple of weeks ago, while working on Split , I came up with an exercise that, so far, has worked for me with each of my characters. It may not be new and my memory is possibly dredging up this method from past reading but it's an idea that has helped me immensely whenever I am struggling with one of my characters. Sit your character down and, examining him/her/it from all angles, decide on a word, one word, that describes the essence of that individual. What is it that drives/scares/inspires them most? I'll give you some examples from Split . Hartley Here's a description from the first chapter. 'At a richly coloured, sturdy desk t...

One of the main incentives for starting this blog was to use it as a companion to my novel writing - a way to discuss thoughts and ideas as they arise through the creation of my novel, talk through progress and think up answers to any problems that I may come across. 'Split' is the first of a series of fantasy novels. The world of Split is a version of our future when society still doffs a cap to religion but the main culture is based around technology. Magic also exists in this world but after a supposed terrorist attack is outlawed. The idea for 'Split' started out as a Tolkien-esque fantasy story that featured wizards, angels, elves and monsters. I toyed with the idea for many years, even completing the novel in this form. I still have the original typed manuscript. Still, it never felt right or complete. A couple of years ago I got the idea to set my novel in a future world and what had been titled 'The Crystal Prince' became 'Split'. Suddenly the st...