Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

We all know what it feels like to be inspired. You get a great idea and suddenly your heart feels lighter. Your body feels more energized. It seems like nothing is impossible. Your new project suddenly seems urgent. You want to get it done before anyone else has this marvelous insight. It’s the brain’s equivalent of the “runner’s high” - where serotonin and endorphins rush through the body and make you feel invincible. The great thing about feeling inspired is that it can make you work hard. But generally only for a while. That’s the problem. Just like that runner’s high, the feeling of inspiration doesn’t last. I once got that runner’s high and it lasted all day.  Completely out of character for me, I went for a jog along Henley Beach in South Australia one morning, pushed through some resistance and then suddenly felt utterly fantastic, optimistic, full of life - a sensation that lasted for hours! Of course I tried the same trick the following day b...

Went to a  Society of Authors  drinks party the other day - met some lovely writers and their partners. It was in the back room of beautiful old colonial building, replete with wood beams, deep carpets and sweet staff to help the night along. We met a writer who had the dream happen to her. You know the one. You spend a decade or so trying to write a book, in between work and life, finally getting it done. You send it out and it's immediately picked up and published to great acclaim by the first major publisher you submit to... I mentioned to her at this point,  "You know that never happens?" "Yes,"  she said.  "And I feel awfully guilty." "No need,"  I said.  "Writers need proof it can happen. Just to keep us going!" We met other writers at various stages in their careers. Some unpublished, some having books coming out of their ears. It takes all sorts - and curiously I realized it's next ...

The other day, a writer friend of mine told me her publisher recommended she read a certain book to get the flavor of what they liked to publish. Eager to know, my author friend rushed to find the book and devour it... only to feel disappointed - and confused. She wondered what it was about this book the publisher liked. The story wasn't great. The writing was average. Some of the pacing seemed awkward. Then it hit her. It was the ATTITUDE of the protagonist that gave the book its appeal. The hero was feisty, quick to anger, even spiteful and yet somehow lovable. It's no secret that I believe the key to good story telling is 'character'. It should come before everything else - before plotting, before story, even before putting pen to paper. If your characters aren't real to you, their stories will never work. And while I've spent much time elsewhere talking about the importance of creating believabl...