
Rachael Phillips is a storyteller at heart, bringing her creativity to life as part of an indie game studio.
With a background in marketing, advertising, video production, and professional photography and videography, Rachael’s career reflects her passion for visual and narrative art.
She and her husband Roman have been married for seven years and live in Texas with their two dogs. When she’s not writing, you can find Rachael cooking, reading, hiking, organizing something, playing video games, or tackling home improvement projects with Roman.
Rachael’s life is full of fascinating stories: she’s performed ballroom dance in Las Vegas, won a dance contest on a cruise ship, appeared as an extra on HBO/Max’s Love and Death.
She has traveled to nine countries and wrote an original Wattpad story that captivated over a million readers.
Her love for storytelling and connection shines through in all she does.
Meet Rachael Phillips!
Do you have any inspirational quotes you live by?
Yes!! Two immediately come to mind. They’ve shaped my life for over half of it. Though I’m not entirely sure who said either of them!
First is, “Don’t complain about things you’re not willing to work hard to change.”
To me, feeling the need to complain is a symptom of not doing something I actually want or need to be doing. I have to step back and get honest with myself about how I’m spending my time, which isn’t easy.
The second is, “Self-discipline is having compassion for your future self.”
When our surroundings are massively over-stimulating and peace is elusive, it’s easy to focus too much on instant gratification, and not enough on long term sustainable fulfillment.
I’ve been slowly learning to train my brain to be addicted to the hit of dopamine that occurs when I do something loving for myself in the future (e.g. go to sleep at a reasonable time, move my body, eat foods that nourish me, etc.), rather than relying on instant gratification for dopamine, which can lead to me making decisions that feel like what I want in the moment, but counter my actual goals!
What was the first piece you ever wrote? (if you’re comfortable feel free to tell us a little about it).
The first story I ever remember writing was a screenplay that I hand wrote in a notebook when I was about ten. It was called “Kids Wars,” and it was essentially a Star Wars fan fiction that I wanted to film with my friends, who I casted. The Sith Lord villains were named Darth Rage and Darth Fang, and their evil machinations took place on a planet called "Zoolicrath."
I haven’t thought about that in so long, such a fun memory!
What’s the biggest plot twist you never saw coming? (In any form of media)
The ending for the movie The Book of Eli!! Had me absolutely SOBBING. Wrecked. And, of course, the two plot twists in the movie The Sixth Sense.
What are some helpful tips you would give a fellow writer who’s having a hard time plotting, developing, etc.?
Read!
Watch movies and shows!
Go to an art gallery, or a play, or a ballet.
Play a video game with a great story.
Basically, consume the results of other people’s creativity, and STUDY it.
Note how it makes you feel, and see if you can determine why, and what caused it.
Another helpful tip is instead of focusing on developing a specific character’s plot line or actions, develop the world around them. What interesting events can occur? How would they respond? To me, this makes my plotting feel more natural, versus feeling like I’m just moving my characters from point A to point B with no clear reason other than “because that’s what’s supposed to happen next.”
What would you tell your younger self not to care about?
Never worry about writing the “wrong” thing. There’s no such thing as “wrong” or “wasted” writing!
A friend of mine put it beautifully. She said, “Just like an artist sketches many lines before selecting the ones that will become their masterpiece, an author must write many words before selecting the ones that will become their story.”
I love that analogy so much. For me, it works. Being unafraid to write something “bad” and instead just trying things out has brought me so much freedom and progress as a writer!
What is something that you’ve learned and grown from over the last year?
Starting my writing account in July! The friends I’ve made have been absolutely delightful and the accountability is immensely helpful. I would not be to the point I am in my first draft without all the encouragement and inspiration I gain from them! Including you, Kara!!
Additionally, as I’ve been writing the first draft of a novel this year, I’ve learned that setting small, achievable, compassionate goals causes me to accomplish far more than if I set lofty goals just for the sake of what sounds good to others.
What is your loftiest goal you’d like to reach as a writer?
To make a living writing the stories I want to tell!
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Have a question you'd like to ask Rachael? Leave a comment below and I'll make sure it gets to her!
Want to learn more about Rachael? Visit her today: @therachaelphillips
And if readers want to find me, the best way to do that is through Instagram & send me DM's there as I'm the most active on there.
What would you like to learn about from other authors? I'd love to know your questions! I have more authors signing up for Meet an Author Monday series every day.
Are you an author or writer? Would you like to be part of the Meet an Author Spotlight? Let me know, I'll send you some questions and we can get started.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon!
All the best,
Kara
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