Fi Phillips

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...

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...

It was back to work for me today and I have to say that 2018 feels very different to 2017. Maybe, it's the 'new year vibe' with all its associated intentions and resolutions or perhaps it's starting the new year in a new home. Whatever it is, I feel motivated and raring to go. January, never mind 2018, is a very different world to the one I lived in a month ago. I've joined a new Facebook group for creatives which encourages its members to assign a word to 2018. My word is 'growth'. So what am I up to in January? My main focus will be setting up my copywriting business. Although I started down the freelance copywriting path in 2017, this year I want to solidify that path with an actual named business. I also want to set up my business in the right way this time round, not just flitting around the issue and missing critical areas that tripped me up further down the line when I was setting up Murdering The Text . There's legal steps to take, a we...

The festive season and the end of the year are coming up fast. It's almost time to shut up shop, reach for a mince pie and turn on the Christmas lights. 2017 has been an incredible year for me personally but, like the rocky terrain in the title image of this post, it's been a challenging one too. I've learned so much, set myself on a steep learning curve, and met people who have changed my view on life (and my future) forever. So, with my goals and plans for 2018 firmly in hand, I thought I'd look back over the last twelve months. January, February and March Many people have slammed the door on 2016 as a year of divisiveness, hate and loss. I have to agree that yes, it's been all of that, but for me it's also been a time of growth and realisation. Not all of that was comfortable, for the world or me personally, but no worthwhile change was ever achieved from a place of safety and comfort. Challenging times bring out the best in people. Looking...

August is always a mixture of a month. On the one hand, it's summer break and my teenage monsters are off school. They're of an age to keep themselves and each other happy (aside from the bickering) but I try to get them out of the house (and away from their computers) most days. They're good company, and with our dog in tow for some of those outings, I enjoy our summer adventures. The downside is that my work schedule is massively interrupted. I'm lucky to be self employed, working from home and able to arrange my hours around my family, but it means early work before everyone else is up, and working some evening hours too.  So, aside from the adventures, I'll be juggling my time this month to include: ongoing copywriting work along with some training I'm taking on the subject too, finding new clients for my scriptwriting business plus adding more value to my existing clients, working on my novel, and investigating setting up a new writer/co...

It's almost summer. How did that happen? I'm not complaining. My dog walks are more pleasant when I don't have to drag the pooch through the rain, and it's nice not to be bundled up in jumpers and big coats. Last week, I finished the murder mystery play I was writing and that'll soon be winging (or whatever emails do) its way to its client. More news about that later this year. This month, the copywriting continues and, after the month and a half of murder mystery-ing, I can return to my novel.  The birds are singing, the air is sweet, and life is good. What are you doing this May?

I've always had a specific approach to getting writing done. I write. Then I wander around, get a coffee, do some housework, while I think about the next stage in my my writing. Then I write some more. I've always done that, whether working on a play, my novel or these blog posts, and it's been an effective way to get things done in the past. It doesn't work, however, when you're writing to a time limit. I have 20 minutes to write this email, or I have an hour and a half to turn this bullet list into an informative piece on productivity, all under the remit of a client. When it's my own time, it's fine to have those 'brainstorm' walks but when I'm writing for a client who doesn't want to pay for any more time than they have to, the wanderings are out of the question. It's a new puzzle to solve. I need more focus within a tighter time frame. I have to 'parent' myself like I do my children as I drag them through the door ...

After an introductory month to my new role as freelance copywriter in February, I'm now set firmly on the course of this fresh career path. With plenty of work on the way, I'm enjoying the challenge of writing for a different arena. Writing to order isn't new for me. Plenty of my murder mystery plays were commissioned by customers. Being economic with time and wordcount, however, is something that I haven't had to deal with much in the past but it's a new development that I'm relishing. Murdering The Text This year, I will have been writing murder mystery plays for twenty years. Twenty years! How did that happen? To celebrate this impressive anniversary, I'm writing a new, as yet untitled murder mystery that relates back to the original script that started this journey. I already have a cast, a setting and a decade (the 1980s). I'll let you know when the script is finished and ready to be performed. Shadowbinder I'm still working on the re...

Last month was stupidly busy and productive but as the days passed, it all felt like the tag end to 2016. There were strings to tie off, chores to finish and niggles to appease. This month feels like the real start to the year. My job search has led me to a new path for not only my income but also my writing career. With a new contact in hand, I'm moving into copywriting as another string to my creative bow. Like the door at the end of the alleyway in the image (left), it all looks very promising but until I've stepped over the threshold I won't know exactly where I stand with this new development. At the end of last month and the beginning of this, my daughter and I were involved in a pantomime with the local amateur dramatics group . We enjoyed it immensely, although we were exhausted by the time we helped pack everything away (scenery, props, even a mobility scooter). We made new friends and I rediscovered the buzz of performing. Returning to the stage has also rem...