Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

    Most of us dive right in with an idea we feel is the most compelling to begin a story. We will often think of a scenario, a concept, or perhaps just a sentence that could draw the attention of a potential reader. We might then make it to a chapter or two before we inevitably run out of steam and wonder where this piece of writing is headed. You may feel tempted to keep writing without any kind of a plan. Sometimes that seems like the right thing to do because we feel so good about the new reality we are creating. We get so pumped we cannot imagine that this good feeling will ever stop. Or, on some level, we know it will end but we don’t care, because this moment of surety and clarity is so powerful, all engrossing, sweet, and satisfying. But how do you sustain your enthusiasm for writing when this feeling goes away? First of all, you need to decide what you’re writing. A short story? Something longer? Perhaps an entire novel? Sure, write when you are inspired. Fill the pag...

A few weeks back I ran a poll to see if anyone was interested in being part of a Writing Academy community. The results were interesting.     Of all the people who received the email, only around a dozen expressed a positive interest in the idea but a few were very negative. In the past I’ve run surveys that have inspired hundreds of responses. So the low response rate for this one was stunning - but not as shocking to me as the emails I received talking about how online communities were nowadays nasty places to be - full of trolls and haters that writers especially would rather not meet.     Writers told me of their bad experiences. Of being victimized and abused. Of being made to feel small and worthless. They told me they would rather not get involved than have to experience this stuff. And I don’t blame them!     Now this is surprising. Some websites like Tribe profess that everybody loves online communities. They recently produced a la...

  I feel a bit sorry for Gen Z. Growing up at the beginning of the 21st century, they’ve never had it so good: a nice easy life where they’ve always had the net, 24/7 entertainment, podcasts, movies and TV shows, games and music galore, and the ability to talk to anyone in the world, for any reason, via social media. Now, when their school days are over, Gen Z are having to leave the nest and go out into the world, only to discover they have to get some soul crushing job. To work forty long hours a week just to pay bills that never stop: rent, utilities, food and drink, cable, internet, tech, and a million other micro-charges we’re hit with every day… Welcome to the Machine. Recent reports shows that the most desired job amongst Gen Zs is Internet Influencer. Wannabe writers are probably in the best position to tackle the job because, as we know, everything starts with writing - every podcast, social media post, and even those ten second blasts on TikTok all have to be written down...

    I’m reading Val McDermid’s books at the moment. I love her relaxed writing style that I know from experience is hard to create, let alone sustain. The one I’m reading at the moment - 1979 - is about journalism. It’s interesting because she seems to suggest that not all journalists in those days were very good writers and some cheated by getting editors, sub-editors, and even their assistants to write for them. No AI to help back then.      Ten years later - in the sequel, 1989 - the newspaper industry has already been swamped by willing freelancers, replacing journalists wholesale because they’re not unionized, don’t need cigarettes or toilet breaks, and they work harder for less money.     Perhaps Val intends to write 1999, 2009 and then 2019 and, if she does, I’m sure she’ll mention how journalism has lately been transformed into little more than rapacious clickbait, that reportage has sloughed away and all but died along with offline newspa...

    I know I’m probably two decades late but my partner and I have been binge watching LOST for the last few weeks and I feel inspired to comment. Plus, I know there’s a whole lot of websites out there dedicated to the many complexities of the LOST plot but I can’t resist weighing in for myself on some of the issues that this classic TV show made me consider. Especially the first three seasons. Now, you have to understand that the show was largely written on the fly. The first six episodes were executed roughly to plan but after that, the show was written with lots of writers putting their own ideas into the ring. That’s why the backstories of the various characters are so vast and complex, contradictory sometimes, even illogical. My main interest is in the sweep of the original premise. Because to me, LOST is about humanity and how we survive on this Earth. Its many stories represent a microcosm of all of us. After all, Charlie, the ex-popstar’s hit song featured in the show ...