Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

Things are fairly quiet around here at the moment, which is great because I'm working on a YA novel - not furiously, just a gentle couple of hours a day. I'm enjoying the process rather than approaching it like a competition. I'm also spending an hour a day editing the suspense novel I'm publishing soon. Again! Just trying to make sure it's the best it can be. I read a blog this week about a mother who was having difficulty finding time to write. I sympathize. I do understand that time is the writer's enemy. And we need to find our own ways to conquer it. Her solution was to write for ten minute bursts in between other responsibilities (children, in other words). I admire and applaud Katherine Grubb's tenacity and commitment to her novel. I attended a writer's workshop last Saturday night. (Clearly no rocking out in clubland for me anymore!) The guest speaker was a successful editor for a well known publishing house. It was fascinating to have so many s...

Rob Parnell It's one of those bizarre phenomena - the way writers see-saw between a love/hate relationship with their own writing. You're in the throes of a story or an article - you don't want to stop because you're feeling inspired. Each word and phrase seems to resonate with profound meaning. The drama and/or the thought process seems to be unfolding well - and you're on a high. Finally, it seems as though the hotline between your thoughts and the page are in sync - you're writing well and all is right with the world. This feeling can last a few hours, even a few days... ... until you look back at what you've done. Then the angst sets in. The writing you thought was superb suddenly seems clunky and inadequate. The phrases you particularly liked now seem awkward and ill-formed. Worse, your intellect seems exposed: you feel as though your writing shows you to be the hack you never wanted to be: the metaphors lack depth and the imagery is weak. The writing d...