Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

Art is not a race. Nobody wins by getting something out there first.  The work that succeeds is often not the most original. It is the work that is finely honed to perfection before it gets released. There's really only one duty writers owe to themselves and their readers - and that is to constantly strive to improve. Ask any seasoned writer and they'll tell you that getting better at the craft is probably the most fulfilling aspect of writing. Because you are effectively getting better at communicating your ideas - and placing your world view into the minds of others. To me this is an almost magical concept. So - constant improvement - how does one achieve it? Here are nine short tips: 1. Read Like it's Going Out of Fashion You've heard it a million times before. You can't love writing without first loving to read....

Dear Fellow Writer, Interesting that Fifty Shades of Grey was the bestselling book series of 2012.  Made an estimated $200 million worldwide. A profound success for a self published book - later picked up by Random House , of course. (And who ever said a respectable publisher would never touch a self published book. Hah!) Curious too that such a blatantly pornographic development of the Twilight story with all its disturbing sado-masochistic connotations should become so popular. Perhaps the appeal of 50 Shades is in the apparent powerlessness of the heroine. Though she's horribly abused and degraded by her 'lover', she finds him captivating and impossible to live without.  To me this is almost a metaphor for our relationship with the modern world. We all feel powerless in a sense, victims of a constant barrage of insanity, corruption and media exploitation that we eventually feel we can't live without. ...

It's often said we don't get what we want, we get what we need. And what we need is the stuff that keeps us sane, the reinforcement of what we believe in - whether it's true or not.  We need to believe that our view of the world is the right one - so we tend to attract the things that support our world view - whether it's wrong or right. If we want to grow and change for the better, making lists of what we want is not always that helpful - if we don't sincerely believe those things are achievable. Better to dream - to fantasize about the people we want to become - rich, successful, thin - and the benefits and advantages we will have when we become that person. THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: Know who you are and what you want and you're on the right track for success. According to recent studies, most people have very little sense of identity. They meander through life simply being - and exerting little real influence over...