Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

Become a Freelance Writer in 2017 They say it takes about a month to change a habit. That's why rehab centers use a 28 day program. A month is roughly how long it takes for the body and mind to adjust to a new set of rules and circumstances. There's no real cure for an addiction. The best therapists know that replacing a bad habit with a new obsession is way more effective than simply denying an urge that will no doubt resurface. The reason why most drug addicts go back to taking drugs is that, even though they may have rid themselves physically once, their situations, their daily lives, their friends and influences conspire to get them back on the road to their ingrained obsessions. Our brains are chemically designed to associate pleasure with familiarity. This is why self-destructive behavior can be so frustrating to observe - and counter. This is why too, if you sometimes have a defeatist attitude towards your writing - one that may tell you that you'll never succ...

Visit Rob Parnell's Writing Academy   to get FREE resources for aspiring writers. I recently conducted a survey of certain of my Writing Academy students - via mail. You know, using real post, with stamps!  I did this to find out specifically what OFFLINE writers feel about writing - to see whether their worldview was different from the thoughts and feelings of ONLINE writers. I think you'll be surprised, shocked even, by the results. (Big mega shock: 73% of OFFLINE WRITERS don't use the Internet at all!) Right. The first thing you have to remember about surveys is that the data may not be a totally accurate reflection of reality.  Most surveys are, in fact, just a reflection of the kind of people that fill out surveys! For instance, this survey was sent out to thousands of writers, of whom only 10% responded.  Therefore the views of this other 90% might be completely different from the hundreds that took the time to mail me their ans...

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. Read a lot. Read everything. Analyse writing and writers. Study what works, what doesn't, wonder why and learn from it. Realize too that the published writing you see has probably been worked and reworked over and over to appear effortless. Don't assume professional writers get it down perfect every time. They don't. Their work has been analyzed, edited and beaten into shape by themselves and other editors. 2. Study Your Own Writing Study every word, every sentence, every phrase. Are you maximizing the effect of your words? Could you say the same thing a different way? Don't just blindly accept your words as perfect. Professionals know there is always another way of stating something, setting a scene, explaining an emotion. Too many novice writers fall in love with their words, refusing to accept there m...

Today sees the launch of  Anatomy of the Modern Bestseller It's a step by step course for creating and writing a fiction bestseller, based on studying five of the bestselling novels of our time. You're going to want to get this! (Especially as it's only nine bucks.) Rob Parnell The Writing Academy Anatomy of the Modern Bestseller I don’t know about you but during my life, I have spent a lot of time wishing I could create a bestselling novel. You know what it’s like.  You see a book selling bucket loads. You eventually read it to find out what all the fuss is about.  You quite like it but a small part of you is thinking,  “I could have done that.”  You don’t mean it in an arrogant way. Just that, it’s got words you know, strung together in a way that’s not dissimilar to what you might do, and there are a whole bunch of characters and a story line that doesn’t stretch much beyond what you could have imagined. ...

I don’t do as many live seminars as I used to but when I do, the most popular topic is my Art of Story course.  I once gave a whole day over to the course with a live audience, slides, and an intense Q&A. It was great fun. Plus I got to go to Singapore to give it, which is a lovely city in the springtime. The best part about The Art of Story is that it’s a fun way for writers and authors to learn something new. Plus the substance can be easily implemented immediately after the course and turn amateur writers into seeming professionals instantly.  It’s all about structure , you see. The Art of Story shows you what the greats, the classic literary authors, and modern bestselling authors have known all along: that structure IS story.  That even a bad story well told will be considered brilliant. And that, conversely, a good story told badly just won’t work. Ask any Hollywood producer if you don’t believe this is true! The story-telling structure that is...

Purge by Rob Parnell Recently I met an editor online by the name of Peter Wilson.  I can’t quite remember how we began talking. I think he emailed me a question about one of my Academy courses and we hit it off. We got to chatting.  I was interested in what he had to say because he said he’d been editing a detective thriller that had just been released on Kindle.  It was a genre piece and I wondered if he might be interested in editing my next detective thriller, at the moment called, All The Right Reasons .   Peter said he’d be interested and where was the manuscript?  I had to break it to him that although I’d finished the first draft, I wasn’t ready to hand the story over to him yet.  You see, that’s the thing with work in progress manuscripts.  The author has to do everything he can to make the story AND THE TEXT perfect BEFORE he hands the MS over to an editor. That’s the way of the professional: make your manuscript PERFECT b...

As part of the roll out of my new Writing Academy, I want to give you access to a FREE fiction writing course. It's HERE.  And it's FREEEEEEEEE! If the above link isn't working use the one below - click or copy n paste: http://rob_parnell_writing_academy.thinkific.com/courses/free-easy-writing-advice Enjoy! Rob@easywaytowrite.com Your Success is my Concern Rob Parnell's Writing Academy What to Look For In a Writing Mentor First of all, you have to decide what you need. Look at your writing critically, decide where you are deficient, define the areas where you need to sharpen your skills, and outline the specific writing goals you want to achieve. And by specific, I mean  very  specific. Is your problem grammar, characters or plotting? Sentence construction or style? Maybe it's motivation or just finding the time. A good mentor can help in all these areas - as long as they know what you need. When...

You've finally made your pile.  People respect and admire you.  You've got the cars, the house, the kids' education is taken care of, you're taking your holidays in all the best places and... what then? Most people don't think past the 'getting'.  They just assume their lives will be so fulfilled by being rich that it won't matter what they do with their time when they get there. Common sense should tell you that it's not going to be like that.  It's human nature to always want more.  So what's the answer? Well, here's a rough guide to living life AFTER success! 1. Move On Up You're gonna have to set bigger goals.  Achieving what you want is good yes but, guess what, only for about 3 seconds.  Life can only be fulfilling when you're in need of something - when you want something so much it pulls you out of bed every day. 2. Move On Out You've got to take bigger risks. ...

There's really only one duty a writer has - and that is to constantly strive to improve. Ask any seasoned writer and he or she will 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.  Read a lot.  Read everything.  Analyse writing and writers.  Study what works, and what does not, wonder why and learn from it all. Realise too that the published writing you see has probably been worked and reworked over and over to appear effortless.  Don't assume professional writers get it down perfe...