Fi Phillips

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...

There is a wonderful chill in the air to accompany the still blue skies here in North Wales. Autumn is almost upon us. My children return to school tomorrow. The wheel turns a notch further and daytime peace will soon return until the mid term holiday. Whatever kind of writing you do, it's well worth reading the introduction to DIY MFA's Lit Loft - Develop Effective Writing Habits .