Fi Phillips

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 ...

Spring starts this month (20th March in the UK) but there are already daffodils and crocuses in the garden, and birds chasing each other around in an amorous fashion. I like spring. Seeing the buds on the trees and petals poking through the earth makes the world seem a happier place to live in. With the milder winters in the UK, I'm not sure if any of our animals hibernate anymore, but spring always feels like the land (and my motivation) is waking up. Writing Not a great deal to report here except that I'm getting on with what I was doing in February. I initially had a plotline for the whole trilogy but after making so many changes to novel 1, I had to rethink the entire story arc. I discussed part of the process of doing this in Cut, Paste, File Away and now I'm dipping back into novel 1 to make sure all the clues needed for the big reveal at the end of book 3 are in place. Literary Agents I'm still waiting on hearing from a couple of agents. The latest ...

Are you a self-motivator or do you need a nudge or a carrot to keep going? I'm a bit of both depending on the task at hand but over the years, I've come up with a number of ways to motivate myself. 1. Treat Yourself This is the 'carrot' I mentioned above. Promise yourself that when (not if) you complete the task, you'll treat yourself to something. What that 'thing' is depends of course on you. You might choose simply to have a cup of tea and sit down to read a book. You might decide to go out somewhere. You might even take yourself shopping for a new bag, book or other item. You know what kind of treat will keep you going (plus what you can afford in the case of a shopping trip) but make it something that really delights you and raises a smile. 2. Visualise the end result This is not to be confused with day dreaming. That way, only procrastination lies. You can visualise the end result in your mind, have an image on your computer screen ...

Do you cloud watch? When I was a child (an only child who regularly got dragged to gatherings where I was the only child), journeys home were often an inspiration. In the winter, the magic of the city lights would keep me entertained. In the summer, I would see islands in the clouds of the setting sun. I still sometimes stop and look at the clouds. On the school run, a couple of weeks ago, I saw these bird shaped clouds. Do they look like birds to you? Do you cloud watch? Do the pictures you see in the clouds inspire you? Why not stop today and look up. What do you see?

I'm a firm supporter of working out 'the rules' for yourself, not just in writing, but in life itself. Chuck Wendig discusses this in his own way in his article, In Writing, There Are Rules, And Then There Are "Rules" .

I haven't got to the stage of worrying about cover design yet in the process of creating my novel but this article, by J D Smith on the Writers & Artists website, explains  The Importance of Cover Design .

Spring has gone into hiding behind a rain cloud sky here. It's the kind of weather that sets a mood - grey, cold, hurried. In a novel, it would be a forewarning of something unseen on the way. Setting up the tension in your novel from Fiction University (the new name for The Other Side of the Story) offers more ways to create mood and tension in your writing.

I've been struggling with my novel writing over the last few weeks and when this happens, I always find it helpful to dip into the advice on The Writer's Village blog. This article,  Seven Quick Ways To Write Sentences That Sizzle  helped me finish the chapter that was causing me problems. Have a look. The first episode of Pan Macmillan's new book webshow - Book Break

Here's an interesting way to test your writing. Take the Writer's Diet Test . I used the first chapter of my novel and got "lean, no improvements needed" - phew.

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.

I've followed the usual Valentine's Day routine - present and card for my husband purchased from a store heaving with hearts, chocolates and romantic rhymes. We swapped cards and greetings this morning and there'll hopefully be some couple time this evening, if we can bribe the children to go to bed early. For the past twelve years, it's been the same, cards and pressies and romantic meals. I'm not complaining. I love my husband dearly - he makes me chuckle and inspires me to be a better person - but there were years before that dozen when I was single and the one love that I always clung to on those days was my love of writing. It's still there, although it now has to share me with a demanding family, but it gets its fair share of my time. I love to write for many reasons. Meeting new characters who come to me in the weirdest places. Seeing adventures in the most mundane circumstances. Moulding a story from the bare clay of 'what if' and '...

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

I'm struggling with a new chapter for the latest draft of my novel. I start and stutter and start again. This isn't writer's block because I know what I want to write and yet the words, the right words, either evade me or play annoyingly hard to get. I finally came to the conclusion that the difficulty was caused by the main character I was writing about. I need to get to know Blessing better, and as so often happens, a blog article popped into my inbox at just the right time to help me with this problem. 25 things a great character needs  has proved an incredible help in mapping out Blessing's character. Written by Chuck Wendig, it features on his site terribleminds  and is well worth a read.

I was recently watching a YouTube clip where Stephen King answered questions about his approach to writing. When questioned about the use of notebooks, he had this to say, "People say do you keep a notebook? And the answer is I think a writer's notebook is the best way in the world to immortalise bad ideas. My idea about a good idea is one that sticks around and sticks around and sticks around. To me, it's like if you were to put breadcrumbs in a strainer and shake it, which is what the passage of time is for me. It's like shaking a strainer, all this stuff that's not very big and not very important just kind of dissolves and falls out. But the good stuff stays, you know the big pieces stay." He then goes on to talk about how he had the idea for 'Under The Dome' when he was teaching high school in 1973 and how the idea was 'too big' for him and he was too young for it. He wrote about twenty five pages of the idea and put it away. We now k...

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.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland

Deacon Blue's new festive song - You'll Know It's Christmas

2000 Miles by The Pretenders

A song for today's Winter Solstice here in the UK. 'And Winter Came' by Enya

Something about Christmas by Christina Perri