Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

"Writing is a triumph of tenacity over common sense." That's what my mother says anyway. Her view is that any kind of writing is a "...very strange way of spending your time, Robert. Why on earth would anyone want to waste their energy doing that?" And this from a woman who reads like it's about to get banned. I've pointed this out of course. But though she loves reading, she thinks all writers must be a little weird to devote their lives to sitting alone and writing. She's a more sociable animal you see. Her idea of bliss is to be surrounded by any kind of people, all chattering and yammering over nothing in particular, simply enjoying the closeness of others. That, of course, is my idea of The Seventh Level of Hell. Not that I intend to be unsociable - or mean for that matter. I just prefer books and writing and creating, working on artistic projects - and if I do need to go out and communicate, I want it to be for a good reason - lik...

Are you struggling to achieve your dreams? Does it seem as if your perfect life is elusive? Does you feel you're never going to get what you want? If so, it could be you're missing something important. Here are some tips on how to create your perfect life by adjusting your inner perspective. You're Never Too Busy to Relax When we're stressed and caught up in the complexities of living our daily lives, it can seem as though there's never enough time to do everything. We're always chasing our tails, beating ourselves up over jobs not completed or done badly or tasks - like writing - that get squeezed out of our schedules. If you're like this, you have to stop. Literally. You must find time - half an hour to an hour every day, to unwind and get some perspective. I call it 'strategizing time' or more simply, 'time to meditate'. Meditation is not about assuming a lotus position and contemplating the universe in your navel. No, it's about delib...

What happens when you can't think of anything to write? It's funny because I've noticed this is quite a common problem - for the newbie and the professional alike, but usually for different reasons. Often the newbie will be flushed with the conviction that she's a writer. She feels it, she knows it in her bones. And yet when it comes to sitting down in her writing space, she wonders what she should say - exactly what should she focus on? What should she communicate - or at least commit to paper? The professional writer too can get stuck. He may have exhausted his current topics of interest and want to start on something fresh. Like the newbie, the professional may ask himself, what can I say that is of interest to my editor, my publishers or my fans? Both the newbie and the professional may get stuck on what to write NEXT. Create You Own Emergency Deadlines and external pressure work for the professional. Often working writers have no choice but to slog along on their w...