Fi Phillips

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.

It's autumn. The trees are shaking off their greenery. My morning journeys are wrapped in fog from the fields that I drive past. There's a chill in the air even when the sun is shining. I can feel it in my bones (or maybe that's a touch of rheumatism). Everything is on the shift. This month's exercise is inspired by a word that, for me, denotes this time of year. Change is ever present although sometimes the change is so gradual that we don't notice it. On other occasions, change can be brutally quick, shocking even. If you were to write about 'change', what would your story tell me? Who would it be about? What would be its tone? How does change inspire you?

Over the weekend I was delighted to discover that Dawn Brazil of Dawn Brazil's Brilliant Babbles about Books blog had awarded me The Versatile Blogger award. As somebody who juggles her life between motherhood, business and a wee touch of leisure (plus there's a husband somewhere in that mix), it's great to hear that other bloggers see me as versatile too. So to follow the rules of this award, I have to mention, thank and link to the award giver which I think I've done now. I also have to tell you seven things about myself. Here goes. I was originally supposed to be born on Christmas Day but I kept my parents hanging about a few days longer. Well, they say that the good things in life are worth waiting for. When I was seven years old, I stood at the top of my road and thought 'This is the most mature I will ever be'. I still hold with that opinion. I like change. By this, I don't mean that I want to continually be moving house or changing relationships....

Sometimes you can look at a seed and know exactly what it will grow into. Other times it's more a case of the ugly duckling who grows into a beautiful swan - who knew? Either scenario is fine as long as you allow your youngling idea a little room to grow. The idea for my novel is an excellent example of the duckling and swan scenario. What started out as a Tolkien-esque fantasy novel took several turns before I moved it to a new setting - a version of our future. As soon as I made that change, the novel took on a new, refreshed identity. One of my favourite characters, Born started out as a bit part - an assassin who would fail and die quite early in the novel. From that, her character developed emotionally, falling in love with another villain and ultimately being destroyed by his death. In the current version of the novel, in it's future setting, she's different again. Don't be afraid to let your story and characters change if they're not working. It's all pa...