"" Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog: September 2014

Thursday, September 25, 2014

What To Do When You're Completely Blocked

Dear Fellow Writer,

I'm taking some time off this week - a risky thing to do when your mental well-being relies on regular writing.

As much as I've enjoyed catching up on the gardening and sorting through my electronic leads bag, I'm Jonesing over my lack of word output.

Please, encourage me to get back to writing by pre-ordering my next novel!


Rob new book

Thanking you in advance.

Keep writing!

Rob@easywaytowrite.com


What to Do When You're Blocked

What to do when you're blocked

Call a plumber.

Seriously, there are times when the muse disappears; when all the words in the world seem to have gone on vacation - or at least to a place just out of reach. 

No signal, in mobile parlance.

The thing is that when you're writing for a living you can't afford to spend long periods blocked. It's just not an option. 

Plus, it's kind of absurd.

If you worked in a hospital, you wouldn't be able to complain about Doctor's Block. Similarly, if you were a childcare provider, you'd be laughed at if you said you had Nanny's Block. Only writers, self-servingly, have a name for something they're not doing… 

Listen, you can't let yourself believe that writer's block exists. 

It doesn't.

There are in fact only two mental and physical states that are relevant to you from now on.

Either you're writing - or you're not writing. 

In the former state, you are a writer. In the latter, you're not.

Get used to thinking like this. When you're not writing, you're not a writer - so don't boast about being one if you're not actually writing. 

This way of thinking helps to prevent blocks because the main reason why blocks occur is kidding yourself you're a writer when you haven't written for ages.

If you hadn't been to the moon or outer space recently you wouldn't keep calling yourself an astronaut, would you? You’d think of yourself as a former astronaut, right? It's the same idea. Don't call yourself a writer unless you're writing every day. 

Otherwise, you're a former writer - until you start again.

Now that little lecture is over, what do you do if you're not writing during your writing time?

Simple: write your way to a solution. 

Imagine it's Tuesday morning and yesterday was fine. You got lots of things done. Today, it's eleven o’ clock and you got nothing. You can't think of anything to write about.

First, consult your time schedule. 

Write down the question: What am I doing here now? 

Answer this question in writing. Something like, I'm supposed to be writing a blog post about butterfly collecting - or whatever.

Next ask again, in writing, Where should I start? 

Even if your answer is, Beats me, write it down anyway and keep asking yourself questions in writing and answering them in writing until - as it will - your urge to write kicks back in.

No amount of thinking helps a block. 

Indeed, thinking makes it worse.

More than a decade ago, I was blocked for about a year, determined to work through the block in my mind. I thought if I could just use reason for long enough, a solution - a revelation of some sort - may occur to me. 

It never did.

At the time I was part of a writers’ group. I got blocked because a couple of writers told me that the story plot of my then novel was too subtle for most readers – and/or on occasion too obscure or complicated. 

I kept going over in my mind how I might deal with these issues. I kept thinking I would be able to write when the solution occurred to me. Trouble was, the opportunity to write never arose because I was too busy wishing for an answer, trying to summon up a solution that would never arise without more writing.

Now, I wonder what on Earth I was so blocked about. 

Why did a couple of casual observations make such a dire impact?

The truth, I'm guessing, is that my obsession with those other writers' comments actually masked a deeper insecurity I felt about my abilities: insecurities that had little to do with the work. 

Luckily, after the year was up, I just started writing again and ignored my insecurities.

I realized, as soon as I started writing, that what other people think is irrelevant when you're writing. You can't let what other people think bother you, especially if it stops you from completing a manuscript. 

You just have to get on with it. And banish your own internal critic too. He's not doing you any favors either!

The simple fact is that unless you finish writing projects, you can't know whether you're any good anyway. 

Plus, you won't get any better unless you finish projects on a regular basis.

Looking back is how you judge your progress. 

Looking forward into the void does little but scare you.

You have to feel your fear and do it anyway, as the life coach, Susan Jeffers, famously once said. 

Talking of famous quotes, John Braine once said:

“A writer is one who counts words.”

If in doubt, count the words you write as you go along, once every five minutes if necessary. 

I find this dumb-sounding, mechanical activity quite therapeutic and reassuring if I'm feeling at all insecure - or if I think I might be heading for a block. 

Try it and…

Keep Writing!

Rob Parnell
MY CURRENT AMAZON KINDLE BESTSELLERS:

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Make Your Writing Sparkle: Self-Editing for New Authors

Dear Fellow Writer,

Released today: Make Your Writing Sparkle: Self Editing for New Authors.

My wife, Robyn, and I, have co-written this new book for writers who aspire to be published. Our view is that there's a tangible difference between creative writing for pleasure and writing for publication. In this new Kindle book, we explain the difference.

Oh, and for the next 24 hours it's available to you for just 99 US cents! Click on the cover to find out more.

Rob and Robyn's new book

Keep writing!

Rob@easywaytowrite.com



Make Your Writing Sparkle

QUESTION: Do you know the single-most common reason for poor book sales and rejection from publishers?

ANSWER: That writers haven't taken the necessary care to properly edit their manuscripts.

Sounds crazy, doesn't it?

That, every day, thousands of potential bestselling authors throw away their chances of success over something so fundamental.

Robyn and I have joined forces to create a self-editing book that we believe every aspiring author will need.

If you've ever been told by publishers and/or literary agents that your manuscripts need editing (and you're not sure why), or if you're seeking the self-publishing success you feel you deserve, then "Make Your Writing Sparkle: Self Editing for New Authors" will be the component you absolutely must have - to take your work to the next level.

Let's face it, quality editing services are expensive.

Many new authors do not have the time, the money, nor even the inclination sometimes, to pay for editing.

And yet, without good editing, the average manuscript will be scrappy, underdeveloped, and most likely, not publishable.

You simply cannot afford to present less than perfect manuscripts to publishers and/or self-publishing sites like Amazon.

Be smart: learn how to self-edit your work.

The two of us have been in the writing business for most of our working lives.

Between us, we've had over two hundred (and counting) books and courses published all over the world, on-line and off-line.

Our websites and blogs are rated by Writer's Digest and other writing-industry experts as containing some of the best writing advice on the Net.

We give regular talks and host seminars on motivation, fiction-writing success and the realities of publishing.

Basically, when it comes to writing, we know what we're talking about!

But here's the kicker: Literary agents and publishers consistently tell us:

"99% of all the manuscripts we see from writers are not publishable." 

Why?

"Because 99% of writers don't bother to polish their work to a professional standard."

Why does acceptance and success remain so elusive for so many authors?

Simple: the majority of wannabe authors consistently destroy their own careers by submitting and self-publishing work that is not ready for the marketplace.

The fact is, if you don't produce good, well-edited, professional-looking work, you will always be part of the 99% of wannabes.

The following are some of the most important issues you must deal with when producing great work:

* Punctuation * Spelling * Grammar * Syntax * Clarity of Meaning * Readability * Style * Tense * Structure * Objectivity * Point of View * Show Don't Tell, and a host of other seemingly 'little' things that are literally separating you from your success.

To me, these so-called little things are so fundamental that, if you make mistakes in these areas, your manuscripts will never be considered worthy of publication.

Look, Robyn and I have tens of thousands of writers subscribed to our websites.

We have daily contact with authors and edit manuscripts on a continual basis.

Do you really think we would care so much about this issue if we didn't agree with the publishers and agents we deal with?

Because we too, know full well that 99% of new writers are sloppy and unprofessional when it comes to the basics.

Do we need to stress this to you again? We think so.

If you don't get the basics right, you will never get published and become successful, but, if you love your work enough to edit it properly, then you will be in the 1% that gets published. 

Too many writers make basic errors consistently throughout their manuscripts, and don't realize that this is the very reason they are constantly rejected, or that they go unappreciated by their readers.

Do the right thing for your writing: learn to self-edit with confidence by adding "Make Your Writing Sparkle: Self Editing for New Authors" to your e-book collection. 

Keep Writing!

Rob Parnell
MY CURRENT AMAZON KINDLE BESTSELLERS:



The Writing Academy

Welcome to the official blog of Rob Parnell's Writing Academy, updated weekly - sometimes more often!