Fi Phillips

Every year for my birthday, my husband buys me a subscription to Writing Magazine . My issue arrives at the beginning of each month and I immediately sit down with a coffee to read the opening articles. Each issues includes writing advice from professional writers, competitions, industry news and events. I wouldn't be without it. Any writing friend would be delighted with a subscription. Visit the website for more information.

I am a very happy writerly person. Yesterday, I received my September copy of Writing Magazine (my husband bought a subscription for me for my birthday - lovely man). If you turn to page 42, Under The Microscope, you will find me, or rather the beginning of the novel I'm working on. The author James McCreet critiqued the first 300 words of my novel very constructively. If you get a chance to buy the magazine, do tell me what you think of my extract and James' comments. Roz Morris from Nail Your Novel has written an interesting article on her blog - How to stop back story slowing your novel . It's well worth a read.