Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

    I have a novel to get out. You might remember I told you about it during its creation. It’s called “HERESY” and it’s basically, to all intents and purposes, done. Finished. Just need a final proof/copy-edit to make sure there are no glaring errors and no embarrassing typos. Then formatting the text for publishing. Done the cover too. Mostly. I guess you can tell, in reality I’m a long way from completing the novel but I kid myself there’s not long to go - mainly to make myself feel better! Fact is, finding enough time to edit, proof, and polish a novel is probably the hardest part of book writing for me. Especially if you’re a busy boy. I usually like to fit things like writing in between other duties like making a daily TikTok video, watering the garden, sorting out my Academy admin, making lunch and beverages, eating, washing up, tidying and hoovering, walking the dog, rehearsing music for upcoming shows and squeezing in my daily swim. Now, I know you’re probably thinkin...

    So you’ve written a book. Now what? Of course I’m talking about a self-published book because a traditional publisher (like one of the Big Four) would likely already have a plan which you probably wouldn’t be part of. Let’s say you’re printing up your own copies and you don’t really know what to do next. Before we start I should tell you that for over twenty years I’ve run my own publishing company and therefore have lots of experience in this arena. I’ve helped many authors promote their books and guided many writers through the myriad of possibilities. One thing I can tell you is that there are hundreds of ways to promote a book and eager self-published authors end up trying most of them. Ignore the net for a moment and understand that marketing in the real world is a complex business operation that requires brainstorming, strategizing, organizing and lots of labor intensive work with long hours pursuing many avenues, none of which are guaranteed to make sales or in real...

  I was reading a newspaper the other day. Yes, an actual piece of print with words and black and white pictures. Inside, there was an interesting article about the idea that optimists don’t make very good financial decisions, mainly because they tend to believe the best will happen. In reality, the article said, optimists can easily lose money because of their sometimes irrational, rose-colored, faith-based decisions. Though the idea makes sense, it sounded more likely the author had an agenda to me. Or maybe her editor thought the angle would make an interesting read. But the more I thought about the idea, the less impressed I became.   Because the whole idea implies that only the sad and cynical make sound financial decisions. So that, even if you’re depressed and pessimistic, you’ll apparently have lots of money. And I guess they revel in the righteousness that often accompanies pessimism. But if you think about it, you can’t destroy or even offend an optimist because by d...

  Whenever I get stuck, I invent a three-step rule to help me out. Using this discipline has helped me complete a dozen novels, fifty writing courses, and over three thousand articles in the last twenty years. Most of all, the practice has helped me stay sane. I recommend you do the same. As a general example, if I find myself obsessing over the past or beating myself up over a mistake, I use this 3-stage mind shifter: 1. Stop 2. Now 3. Forward. I find this helps me back to the present and keeps me focused on being real in the moment, instead of getting trapped by regret. As far as the writing goes, the 3-pointer I use if I get stuck or stressed is this: 1. Relax 2. Review 3. Rework I find this is a useful way to remind me the writing problems I face are often the same. Stressing doesn’t achieve anything. Sitting back and quietly reading what I have will help identify the issues, then reworking the text or the story, no matter how loathsome and dreadful, is generally the best way t...

I’ve heard authors say that in fiction, the future will be dominated by heroes of questionable ethics and/or moral ambiguity. I’m not sure this is true. My instinct tells me we want heroes to be ourselves on our best days, not our worst… Many of us can readily relate to a loser, especially if they’re a winner in disguise, something we wish we were, or could be. It’s the difference between the function of classic heroes against the appeal of anti-heroes. When it comes to creating fiction, there’s likely a time and place for both. The trick is to know when and why… The classic fictional hero has a template: he or she is strong-willed, motivated, attractive, morally sound, and, in the context of a story plot, driven by a worthy agenda. It’s interesting that women are more likely to be flawed these days. In The Girl on The Train , for instance, the heroine starts out as a sad drunk with an empty life who, through her investigation of a mystery, becomes focused and smart, enjoying a life wi...