Fi Phillips

Wow, the summer holiday break is racing by in a blur and it's been incredibly busy so far but that doesn't mean that I haven't searched out some choice writerly words for you. First off, I have an article from Tim Grahl of Book Launch entitled Publisher Questions: What to ask before you sign a book contract . I'd love to be at that stage but this is a good reference article to file away for the future. It took me a while, and a lot of coffee, to write my About Me page. As an unpublished writer, I just wasn't sure what I could or should say. In How to Write an Amazing About Me Page , Autocrit answers all of my (and probably your) questions on this topic. Finally, here's some wise and choice words from writer, Alexa Donne.

It's holiday season here in the UK so I'm going down an obvious route with this month's photo inspiration - the seaside. There are three photographs to choose from, with differing aspects or view of holidays by the sea. Some are sunny. Others have grey skies. Choose the one that catches your eye. What does it inspire you to write?

Last month, I told you that I was taking part in Camp NaNoWrimo in July with the target of completing the (probably) final draft of my novel. I got off to a good start but as I had to write a number of completely new chapters, my progress slowed down gradually. Still, I kept ahead of the required wordage and saw my wordcount build each day. Taking part in an organised writing session with accountability partners helped keep me inspired and motivated, and the daily messages and advice from the organisers only added to this. On 29th July, I reached my target and completed my draft. Yay! My novel is now with a reader at Faber Academy for a full manuscript read-through. Having added new chapters, I'm aware that this isn't my final draft but it's close and I'm hoping some experienced advice can pave the way to my manuscript being agent-ready very soon.

What am I doing in August? I'm giving in to the summer. Or to put it another way, I'm going on holiday somewhere hot. The month of August will therefore be a little work-quiet for me. I'll be downing tools and picking up a suitcase instead. One of the benefits of going away and being away from the call of my laptop and work is that I can get some actual, quality reading done. Bliss! Having finished the latest draft of my novel (more news about that in my next blog post), I may spend a little time working out the plot for my next novel. Apart from that though, the focus will be on building memories with my family and relaxing. So whatever you do in August, have a wonderful month. P.S. There will be some more blog posts this month but they'll be scheduled to appear while I'm away.

Wow, July is almost over and the school summer holidays are in full swing. There's so much going on but I've still managed to find some choice writing advice for you. The first is an article by Rae of Barely Hare Books - What is a Character Arc? And why does your character need one? The 'character arc' topic crops up time and time again in writing advice but Rae's article really breaks the notion down into an easy to follow read. Have a look. Following (a lot of) changes to my novel, I'm struggling to come up with a new book title so I found How to title a book: What do good book titles have in common? by the folks at Reedsy really useful. As you know, I'm taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo this month and as part of their Camp Care Package, they provide some brilliant writing advice videos. Here's one on interviewing your character. And here's another on World Building.

I recently came across an article that I thought was called 'How to grow a writer'. When I re-read the title, it actually said 'How to grow AS  a writer'. 'How to grow a writer' stuck in my head though so here it is. How to grow a Writer Plant a seed of imagination. Water with cups of tea or coffee until the seed is firmly rooted. Feed your seed with plenty of well-digested reading matter. It doesn't matter what type of reading matter you use (fantasy novels, life poetry, short stories). In fact, varying your reading matter may well strengthen your growing writer. As your writer begins to branch out, don't forget to strengthen its growth through regular sessions of penmanship. Regular is the key word here. At this point, don't be tempted to prune the writer. Once your writer's roots have begun to spread, re-direct them to safe zones where they can be further nourished and encouraged. Don't worry if your writer's roots meet o...

The short version July will be a bit of a crossover month as the summer holidays start. With two teens at home, I'll be juggling work, writing and teenage entertainment. The long version I've taken it on myself to take part in the July Camp NaNoWriMo . What that means, in practice, is that in an attempt to finish the final draft of my novel, I need to redraft at least 9 pages each day. So far, I've completed 80 pages out of 250. Fingers crossed I can keep this level of progress going throughout the month. There's plenty of work on the horizon thankfully, most of it providing content for online articles. Thankfully, I can rejig my hours to work around the summer holidays. That kind of flexibility has certainly come in handy over the last couple of weeks as the hot weather has reduced me to drowsy delirium most afternoons, prompting me to move my afternoon slot to the early evening when it's cooler. The summer holidays kick off on 20th July, carrying ...