Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

Recently I've changed the way I write fiction. You know me. For years I've been saying the best way to get past writing blocks is to write your first draft quickly. Get the words and the story down first and worry about the editing later. This process certainly works if you're having doubts about your ability to actually get a whole book written. The principle of letting go of your inner critic is valuable - especially if you're prone to blocks. My last novel was around 90000 words, which I wrote very quickly. After the initial draft I sat down and then plotted the whole thing - a mistake to be sure but my feeling is that you have to do whatever works for whatever piece you're working on. Different MSS often need a different approach so that you don't go stale sticking to own self imposed routines. That's fine. Embrace change. Sometimes an idea is so strong you just want to get started - as I did with my last novel. I loved the premise so much I managed to ...

It's an old debate - one that never ceases to divide writers. Should you make a plan before you write - or should you just start and see what happens? An esteemed subscriber recently raised the issue again in the context of 'types' of writers. It seemed to her that genre fiction writers probably needed a plan in order to deal with the complexities of plotting - and cut down on editing in the subsequent drafts. However, she maintained, it was the more 'literary' writers that insisted that planning somehow stifled creativity. And that a good literary writer didn't mind editing for sense and structure after the first draft was down. She asked me which I thought was the best approach. Do Plans Work? It's hard to imagine a business succeeding without a plan - but clearly some do. Even very large businesses - which surely don't intend to go billions into debt, though it seems to happen all too often nowadays. Some would say that many marriages survive without ...

During some sleepless-night downtime, I was thinking about stories and what made them work, and what made them satisfying to read. I mean, pretty much anyone can sit down and write - but it takes a little extra thought to write a story that other people will care about.  And I wondered what that was.  Was there a secret ingredient? And if so, is there one word that could sum up what makes a good story? I believe there is. It's not form or content.  It's not characterisation or plotting.  It's not even talent. I believe you can sum up what makes a story compelling in one word: Survival. It's clear to anyone that studies short stories and novels, even autobiographies and other literary forms that good stories are made up of characters overcoming obstacles.  Without obstacles, there's no point in telling a character's story.  Without something to fight or yearn for, or dream about, the reader can't identify with and / or get involv...