Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

Tis Friday - end of the week, beginning of the weekend. Time for fun and frolics. Today's article is about writing Horror - a much misunderstood genre, as I recently learned from a room full of people - not writers - that told me they never watch horror movies or read horror stories. For an ardent fan of the genre, this is like saying you don't like breathing... I explain why below. The above title comes, famously, from Joseph Conrad's short story, Heart of Darkness, later reworked for Francis Ford Copolla's movie, Apocalypse Now. It's used to describe - in the book and the movie - something so awful that it is beyond description. It's potent because just the words have the power to evoke our darkest subconscious fears - without actually showing us anything. Clever trick. Horror fiction - especially in the movies - balances the desire to show and describe horror images while at the same time leaving something to the imagination. There's an irony here. Becaus...

Our thoughts go out to all those in Queensland Australia, hit last night so heavily by Cyclone Yasi. We hope all those displaced will soon be able to rebuild their lives. We'll be there for you. Many writers and writers' groups in South Australia have already pledged support, emotionally and materially. We too, wish you well. Ask any successful writer. You can't be a great writer unless you read voraciously - and for all the right reasons. There is a huge difference between reading for pleasure and reading as a writer. Sometimes this is a subtle difference - and actually quite hard to delineate and practice. As a writer, you'll find you'll need to constantly remind yourself that reading is, for you, a form of study - not just of the information you pick up but, more essentially, the way that information is related. Reading for Pleasure Many writers start writing as a way of giving back. Over time, they receive so much pleasure from reading that the natural extension...

A student contacted me the other day to say that she'd been reading some bestselling books to inspire her - but that unfortunately it was having the opposite effect! She said she was feeling very intimidated by the way these bestselling authors spun words, described everything so beautifully and really got her involved in the story. She came away from reading feeling depressed that she could never compete, that she would never be as good as these other writers. She asked if I might read one of these authors, dissect their style and tell her how she might emulate these great writers. I flinched inwardly. I couldn't help myself. Because I make it a rule NOT to read great authors when I'm writing a novel - for exactly the same reasons as my student! A long time ago I discovered that reading writers like Stephen King, Robert Harris, Michael Chrichton and James Patterson stopped my writing in its tracks.  These guys write with such flair - they make it seem so e...