Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

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...