Fi Phillips

Progress on my novel is coming along nicely and by the summer, I should be starting back on the submitting to literary agents trail. Am I the only one who finds that process scary? According to Write It Sideways, while the process may be a tad terrifying, it's also good for you. Check out their article - 5 reasons querying is good for you to find out more. On a completely different note, writer Suzanna Williams asks, Real life doesn't make sense but does fiction have to?  Finally, I have a video from Piers Blofeld, who is a literary agent himself from Sheil Land Associates, on the 5 types of rejection (and what to make of them).

The word for 2017, so far, has been 'busy', in a good way. I'm not the only one living the busy life either. My email inbox is full of inspirational writing goodies so this month, I've three treats for you. Suzannah Windsor Freeman's blog post, 3 Things Small-Space Living Taught Me about Writing talks about overcoming challenges but also about getting back to the basics of writing. Elizabeth S Craig shares wisdom drawn from her personal experience in 5 Things About Being a Writer. Finally, Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn shares her thoughts and advice on self doubt as a writer. How to deal with self-doubt as a writer The Creative Penn

Which writers have you learnt the most from? Which of those wonderful wordy folk inspire you? Personally, I'd have to say Mary Shelley, Stephen King and Neil Gaiman. Benison O'Reilly cites Charlotte Bronte as her literary example in What Charlotte Bronte Taught Me About Writing on the Write It Sideways website. This is the last Tuesday Choice Words until 2014.

We're having a mini heat wave here in the UK at the moment. I say 'mini' but my fingers are firmly crossed that it continues over the Easter break. Spring has sprung and is inspiring us all. Today I came across an excellent article on the Write It Sideways website - Giving Your Writing A Case of Spring Fever which ties our writing to this wonderful season. Please do have a look.

I do like it when inspirational gems drop into my email account. These three articles tackle different aspects of writing - dialogue, painting and animating 'pictures' in your novel, and distraction. Enjoy. Bubble Cow on Dialogue Beats Writers aren't Painters, they're Magicians by Nathan Bransford Distracted? by Write It Sideways

I'm a sucker for subscribing to emailed newsletters from writing related sites. The resulting mail is often disappointingly filled with comments on posts or requests to buy things but on occasion, a real gem wings its way to me so I thought I'd share a few with you. From the Write For Your Life blog, an interview with Nicola Morgan on how to write a great synopsis . From the Write It Sideways site, a guest post by Susan Bearman, ' Embracing the (Whole) Writing Process '. From the She Writes community, a guest post by Eugenia Kim, 'Romance of the Writing Life and Where the Writing Happens' . Have a wonderful weekend.