Fi Phillips

How did you come to be writing your book? What inspired your story? I was speaking to a friend recently, someone I've known since I was a child, and although our paths have parted, we've always held faith with one truth in our lives - we are writers. Recently, she started to write a novel. We've discussed its development over the phone and one thing became clear the more we talked - the inspiration for her novel is linked back to the loss of a well loved individual in her life, not necessarily the loss itself but the place in her mind and her younger life that the experience has led her to remember. The result is that she has an inspiring story to tell to an agent or a publisher about how her novel came about when she decides to seek publication, with a defined theme too. That got me thinking about my own novel and the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I don't have that same inspirational clarity. I honesty can't tell you what inspired me t...

At the end of the road where I live is a fenced area of grass. It isn't very big but it houses a family of immense oak trees and a scattering of bushes and rowan trees. Most mornings you will find me there, walking my dog, perhaps talking to other dog-walkers, or just on my own with my pooch. There are roads on two sides of it, houses on the other, and I can hear the traffic and the airplanes from the nearby airfield. This is no countryside haven but it's one of the places where I go to think. It is my inspiration walk. As I follow my dog between the grey trunks of the oak trees, I think. Sometimes, I don't purposefully think. I just let my mind run away with me or I listen to the birds in the trees. I breathe in the air and allow myself to be. More likely than not, an answer will come to me when I'm walking there, or an idea, even if I'm not thinking about anything. I know that not everyone has such a place to go to. In fact, not everyone likes being in...

A little red devil just hanging around on a street corner. This was taken in York over the summer. It's easy to put your head down and miss so many of these little details that adorn that city.  Is he friendly? Waiting for someone? On holiday? What do you think? What does this image inspire you to write?

This image was taken from my back garden tonight. What do you think? UFO? Hovering helicopter? Angel? Or just the moon. What does this inspire you to write?

The second writing exercise I ever posted on here was called ' Through the Window '. This month, I'm using another kind of threshold for inspiration - a door. Closed doors. Open doors. Locked doors. Hidden doors. An image and a description of any of these can tell a story in itself. Some doors make us feel uneasy. Others welcome us in. Today, I'd like you to choose one of the door images below as your inspiration. What story does your door  tell?

This month's photo inspiration is an image taken on my birthday trip to Venice straight after the new year (which is why I haven't posted until today). There's a burnt-out candle, Christmas decorations, two finished hot chocolates and one biscuit remaining. A lone figure stands at the bar in the background. What does this inspire you to write?

Early one morning last week, while my family remained warm in the house before school and work, I ventured outside to leave the bins for the refuse collection. It was hardly a romantic or glamorous start to the the day but when I looked up, I saw this. In the midst of the lightening sky, a crescent moon and a star (or is it the space station?) sat shining alone together. It was one of those skies that made me pause (and obviously take a photo). What does this sky inspire you to write about? New beginnings? Peace? Partnership? Let me know.

I recently walked into my study and noticed that there was a white smear on the window. When I looked closer, I found this.  Can you make it out? It's an imprint of a bird that must have collided with the window. You can see its beak, breast feathers and the feathers from an outstretched wing. I checked the garden but there was no dead or injured bird, and no sign of feathers either, just in case a local cat had taken advantage. The imprint was created by something completely normal but it signifies a suspended moment in time, a reminder of the past, a ghost. What would it inspire you to write?

This month's photograph was taken during a walk in the Grosvenor Park in Chester with my children. I can't find any information on the archway anywhere. It is simply described as a 'relic'. There's a smaller archway to the right hand side and behind me is another archway. Looking at the three together, it was probably the two ends of a walkway at one time, but why the very small arch? What does this image make you think of? The people who have passed through it? The building it was originally a part of? The era of its creation? What would this inspire you to write?

It's summer in the UK and with it, fun fairs begin to crop up in the most unexpected places. In case, you didn't know, this is a Helter Skelter. You run up the stairs in the tower and slide down the outside on a sack or mat. What do you think about this image? Does it bring back warm childhood memories, or perhaps thoughts of your children? Look a little closer. Stepping  through the open yellow door takes you into darkness. Who waits at the top? Where is this, with it's forest surround? Joyous childhood ride or scary trap for the unsuspecting? What does this inspire you to write?

Aqua Notes - www.myaquanotes.com I don't know about you but the moment I turn on the shower or lie down in the bath, my muse comes knocking, well, splashing or poking, you know what I mean. Of course, I don't have anything to take notes on when I'm in this situation. My children long since outgrew bath letters. I do my best to keep the ideas in my brain but often I forget some details. Aqua notes must surely be the answer. They're waterproof, to the point that you can use them underwater, and recyclable too.

I recently cut through our  village graveyard on the way home from a morning chore. As a child, and a teen, I found graveyards rather scary places to visit but now as an adult, they've taken on a different persona, something much more comforting - a garden of memories. What does this photograph make you think of? Does it raise thoughts of ghosts, or families gathering together to remember? What stands out to you? The words on the gravestones, the shadows, or the flowers left on the grave? What does this image inspire you to write?

Writing the second book of my children's fantasy trilogy, it's become clear that my 'villain', and that individual's motivations, is going to weigh heavily on how this and the final book shape up. Steven Pressfield discusses how to let your antagonist or the concept of antagonism mould your novel, especially genre choice in Go Dark .

On the way back to the car after a family walk, I came across this signpost and it struck me how the name of the street, 'Paradise' didn't really match with firstly, the condition of the signpost and secondly, its location in an area of city terrace houses. Even though I'm not a Christian, for me the idea of Paradise still links to the original, biblical idea (ideal?) of a beautiful garden, not a built-up row of red brick dwellings with tiny amounts of outside space. How could this be Paradise? Perhaps, the mistake is in my thinking. Perhaps, each of us has a different idea of Paradise: a break from the children and some adult conversation, freshly laid, untouched snow, or the buzz of the city. Where could you find an unexpected Paradise?

The new school term starts next week for me and my children, a return to normality, a new normality for my daughter who is entering high school. The weather has turned cold but is sunny enough to allow us to still get out. Recently, we found ourselves at the play park that you can see above. Play parks are wonderful places. Obviously, they provide a world of entertainment  for children but they're more than that. They're a meeting place for all ages - parents with their children, teenagers with nowhere else to go, and grandparents sharing times with younger generations.  I took this photo on a random whim and it wasn't until I got home that I realised how much I had captured. Look at the people on the benches. I remember there being a number of teenagers in the park but there were also parents whose children played beyond the reach of my photograph. It was the end of day, hence the placing of the tree's shadow. The play park sits on a busy city road but the...

I don't know about you but I have a contrary muse. Sometimes, she's happy to sit in the house with me. Other times though, she refuses to stay indoors. She sits on the doorstep, shaking her head at my invitations and beckoning me outside. Even then, she may well skip off down the street with me jogging behind. Ok, I don't jog, but I do have to go in search of my muse on occasion. Sometimes, nature does it for me - the park, the countryside, even my own back garden. On other occasions, I like the city with its mixture of traffic, footsteps and overheard conversations. The hubbub of a coffee shop can inspire me. Being surrounded by books in a library or bookshop can do it too. The point is that on occasion, your creativity needs a change of scenery to fire up. It needs a new kind of input, be it overheard conversation, fresh air or the colours of the high street. More than just adding new inspiration, it can give us a fresh perspective, especially if ...

A couple of days ago, I was putting out the rubbish when I saw this fine fellow. He's a Blue Adonis and apparently rather rare in the UK. In a messy corner, perched on an old grimy tennis ball, it was the vibrant colour of his wings and body that caught my eye. He was a flash of magic among all the jumble. Butterflies have long been the symbol of transformation and new beginnings waiting to unfold. They are often seen as magical, which isn't surprising when you think of the hidden metamorphosis that takes place when a caterpillar changes into a butterfly. So this is my monthly photo inspiration  - a butterfly, a splash of magic, a sign of transformation. What does this image inspire you to write?

It's half term holiday here. My husband has taken the week off too. I have one script to finish and another one to start. My children keep reminding me that there's a world outside the front door (park, softplay, McDonalds). I am therefore becoming very adept at juggling (and nowadays my children are old enough to land on their feet if I drop them). So this podcast (with transcript) from Steven Pressfield - Family Pressure - came just in time.

Today's choice words are from the wonderful Marie Forleo in this video from her Q&A Tuesdays - When Inspiration Backfires . How to be creative - PBS Digital Studios

It's a bitterly cold day here. After a muscle-numbing walk to the shops and back, I'm happy to cosy up at home with my keyboard and a cup of tea. As both a writer and  a reader of murder mysteries, I decided to sign up for the Crime Readers Association. Their website brings not only news of new crime fiction but also some wonderful advice from crime writers. The Question Authors Dread is a fascinating article on the CRA website from writer, Chris Simms. The wonderful Stephen King talking about 'how he gets inspired'. It's a little long (53 minutes) but worth the watch.