Fi Phillips

During the current rewrite of my novel, I found that it was necessary to cut certain scenes, chapters and characters. It was all a little sad, and scary, and brain-wrecking, but I can see that the story will benefit from all these changes. In her article, Does it serve the book? Killing your darlings is a mark of writing maturity , Roz Morris discusses just this topic. Have a look.

Firstly, apologies for the delay in posting what was supposed to be a  Tuesday Choice Words article. A hospital appointment distracted me for the day. I'm fine, although a little tender and light headed, and raring to get back on the horse (or should that be a unicorn?). Perseverance is an important part of my life. I persevere as a parent to keep my children safe, healthy and happy. I persevere in trampling though the tangles that life throws in my way. I also persevere in my writing, even when I want to tear my hair out over a plotline or a paragraph. Isn't that what human existence is about, essentially, striving to continually move forward? In her article, Acme Anvils and the Long Unicorn Ride to Publication , Beth Cato discusses how she persevered with her own writing journey through agent and publisher rejection, penning her books, and the fight against self doubt. This is a topic that affects most of us writers. Have a look.

We all have our own writing routines, our methods of getting the words down on the page (or up on the screen). For me, it's a pad and a pen, alone and in relative silence (ok, so the washing machine may be burbling in the background and the dogs next door are probably howling). The Trickster Prince has his own way of writing and talks about his method in The biography of a book chapter: a short photo essay .

I'm currently working on a murder mystery play that is set in a shed. Okay, it's a large shed, but still the scenes have to keep the play interesting in the way that they utilise the space so I was delighted to come across 6 tips on making similar scenes feel different  on The Other Side of the Story. Have a look.

I don't know about autumn being almost upon us. It feels more like winter this morning. Having said that, September is always a welcome re-start to my year, a time to find new approaches and refreshed energy. I've been a long time fan of writer Steven Pressfield so I was delighted about the news of his latest writing advice book and the related Foolscap method . This is one I'll be using for all my future novel planning.