Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

Well I suppose the holiday period is nearly over and it's time to think about getting back to work.  I know you may be already there.  It's a tricky time of year - what with the largely self imposed pressure to re-evaluate things and perhaps set new goals for a new year. My feeling is that if we're sure we know what we want and work towards it a little every day, we shouldn't need to overly beat ourselves up.  Just get on with life and our goals will take care of themselves.  Assuming you know what you want of course, which can, for some of us, take a lifetime to work out!   Click on the link below to get today's New Year offer. THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: Other People's Books   Rob Parnell For a struggling writer, there's nothing worse than reading a great book. Finding an author who is patently superior to yourself can be a most humbling and depressin...

Write from the heart - that's all you really need to do. Never try to second guess the market or try to be clever with your audience - or those who would help you achieve your aims. Be true to yourself and be honest with your readers - because that's the only way to create anything of value and to sustain an artistic career of any kind. It's easy to get fooled by the system into thinking that you work to get paid, therefore you can write anything for money - but it doesn't really work like that. Not with art anyway. Not with anything creative. Creativity requires more than just turning up and punching the clock. Writing, painting, sculpting, playing an instrument, making movies, anything that requires personal expression, needs a soul at work. Your soul - your time and passion and commitment. That's what creativity of any kind demands: YOU...

Dear Fellow Writer, Click on the link below to get this year's Santa Stampede specials! Keep writing! THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: Current Thoughts On Writing Rob Parnell You've probably realized that recently I've been shooting my latest horror movie. It's called First Cut - and is kinda like a cross between Amityville and The Shining - but without the supernatural elements. I think the horror is more scary because it's reality based. The story is constructed on the idea that a failing relationship doesn't take much to push it over the edge. We've all been there. At the end of a relationship nothing we say to each other works. Everything rubs us up the wrong way. Our goals are misaligned and we have difficulty connecting. In the movie, Jess and Doug are living separate lives and hate each other with a passion. Every comment is meant as a barb to bait the other...

You can wait for days, weeks, months sometimes for it to strike. It seems you can’t will it, force it or otherwise pluck it out of the air. It’s actually hard to know exactly what it is! But when inspiration strikes, it hits hard. Excitement fills you. You’re convinced – there’s a surety inside you – you are on to something . You’ve just had the most original and enlightening thought anyone in the world has ever had. And then what? Do you act? Do you rush for a pen to jot down the idea? You should. Sometimes even the best and most profound ideas are fleeting. But sometimes not. I’ve noticed over the years that when you get a really good idea, it tends to stick. Not only that, it can literally change the direction of your life. Think about this: You’re an author. One day, a character occ...

Dear Fellow Writer, Here's a complete list of all the Easy Way to Write resources now on special offer , all re-packaged to make them super easy to download. If you'd like to purchase all of my writing resources in one extra special deal, go here. Click on any of the links below to access the special deals! The Easy Way to Write a Novel Fiction 101 The Writer and the Hero's Journey Romance Writing Writing for Television Horror Writing Complete Writers' Online Guide Fantasy Writing Bestseller Writing Copywriting Course Screenplay Writing Children's Book Writing Easy Cash Writing Autobiography Writing Nuts and Bolts of Writing   Short Story Writing The Art of Story   Thriller Writing Self Editing Writing Success Show Don't Tell The Write Stuff Character Creation Keep writing! THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: How An Author Disappears From View Rob Parnell There's a difference between a...

Writing Advice from a Living Legend  Joss Whedon is most famous for creating Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spin-off Angel and the short-lived but much-loved Firefly series. But the writer and director of The Avengers has also worked unseen as a script doctor on movies ranging from Speed to Toy Story. Here, he shares his tips on the art of screenwriting. 1. FINISH IT Actually finishing it is what I’m gonna put in as step one. You may laugh at this, but it’s true. I have so many friends who have written two-thirds of a screenplay, and then re-written it for about three years. Finishing a screenplay is first of all  truly difficult, and secondly really liberating. Even if it’s not perfect, even if you know you’re gonna have to go back into it, type to the end. You have to have a little closure. 2. STRUCTURE Structure means knowing where you’re going; making sure you don’t meander about. Some great films have been made by meandering ...

Dear Fellow Writer, Just spent the week filming my new short movie: First Cut. It was fascinating to see the script become real. The actors - Cherie and Adrian - actually became the characters in the story: they spoke the parts and moved - and bled profusely! - around the house (which doubled as our set!) and we all had a blast as we cobbled my horror story together in over 300 individual scenes into what will hopefully become a fabulous piece of (albeit short!) gritty cinema. Now it's all down to editing the thing together - which might take a while - as these things do. If you want to see what happens when a piece of writing actually gets filmed, then I can't recommend making movies highly enough. Keep writing!     NB: Apologies to everyone who sent me emails with questions that I haven't been able to answer recently. It's been a busy week! THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: Responsibility in Writing   Rob Parnell ...