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...