Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

Dear Fellow Writer, Hurry!   My Complete Guide for the 21st Century Writer is starting now - get yours HERE! The Write Stuff is my first writing course in almost two years - and there are tips and tricks in it I've never told anyone! We live in a different world from the authors of the past. We must learn to adapt if we're to achieve writing success that will support us. Even with publishers and book stores closing down around us, there are new and fabulous opportunities arising... but are you ready? Be prepared - get ahead of the game. Get The Write Stuff.  NOW! Keep Writing! Rob Parnell THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: Ideas & Inspiration Rob Parnell There are two opposing viewpoints when it comes to getting ideas for artistic projects - views that seem diametrically opposed. The first, the most common, is that good ideas are somehow hard to find. That unless you are divinely inspired - something that only happens rarely - ...

Dear Fellow Writer, When you believe nothing is impossible, you can make things happen. When we're young, we are naive and unfettered by notions of things being too hard or impractical. Before we grow up, our world is simple, uncluttered by experience, and our imaginations can run free. And we run bravely, blindly some might say, into the future, fiercely determined to succeed. And often times, against all the odds, we do succeed. It is only life that makes us weary, bitter and discouraged. Surely then, achieving our dreams is about constantly reorganizing our own world into a place where our dreams can become real.  Because we are not victims of reality, we are makers of it. Once you believe that - and act upon it - there is nothing you cannot achieve.  You are not only as old as you feel - but as young as you think. Today's SPECIAL: Everything you need for Online Writing Success Keep Writing! Rob Parnell ...

Dear Fellow Writer, It's a beautiful day here in Adelaide - Australia's best kept secret. Did you know that the weather here in South Oz is exactly the same as Los Angeles? Except the air quality is much better and we have only a little more than a million people clogging up the entire state. And did you know we did all the effects for The Hunger Games here too? Not only do we have artistic expertise and oodles of the latest technology, we have the Holy Grail for Hollywood: cheap labor! I shouldn't keep selling the place - it's a secret, remember? Today's SPECIAL: How to Edit Your Writing for Success - the Easy Way Keep Writing! Rob Parnell THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: How to Write an Effective Press Release Rob Parnell Writers of books, fiction or otherwise, often forget that the best way to get free publicity and interest from the media is to write and circulate your own press releases. It's becoming a bit of a growth i...

Dear Fellow Writer, Good Friday and all the bars and bottle shops are closed in Oz. The only day of the year when you can't buy a drink for love or money... Have a great Easter. Today's SPECIAL: How to Write a Modern Bestseller - the Easy Way Keep Writing! Rob Parnell THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: How to Write a Song (with Lyrics) Rob Parnell I get a lot of young writers asking me how they can break into the music business by writing lyrics for musicians. Sad to say, this not a real option or valid career path. Unless you're the personal friend of a pop star who's having an off day. Gone are the days when lyrics are written separately from the song.  Back in the 1930s and 40s maybe it was sometimes possible to get by being a poet cum lyricist...  In the 1970s a certain Bernie Taupin used to write lyrics for Elton John but by the 80s, Sir Elton realized half his royalties were being given away for something any semi-decent ...