Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

You may be surprised to learn that one of the frequent questions I'm asked is, "Am I too old to write?" And the funny thing is that it's not just 'older' people that ask me this question. Sometimes, new writers as young as eighteen and nineteen seek my advice on this issue - apparently wondering whether they've missed the boat if they're not studying journalism or creative writing or some other 'writerly' qualification by the time they're twenty. Of course it depends what you want out of your life - and where you think writing stands in the myriad of possibilities available to you - however old you are. The good news is that there are no barriers to writing success based on qualifications. A good writer is a good writer - as far as anyone is concerned, including readers, publishers, editors and agents. You're neither too old nor too young to write. If your writing is effective at conveying ideas, emotions and information, y...

"Writing is a triumph of tenacity over common sense." That's what my mother says anyway. Her view is that any kind of writing is a "...very strange way of spending your time, Robert. Why on earth would anyone want to waste their energy doing that?" And this from a woman who reads like it's about to get banned. I've pointed this out of course. But though she loves reading, she thinks all writers must be a little weird to devote their lives to sitting alone and writing. She's a more sociable animal you see. Her idea of bliss is to be surrounded by any kind of people, all chattering and yammering over nothing in particular, simply enjoying the closeness of others. That, of course, is my idea of The Seventh Level of Hell. Not that I intend to be unsociable - or mean for that matter. I just prefer books and writing and creating, working on artistic projects - and if I do need to go out and communicate, I want it to be for a good reason - lik...

Robyn and I spent nearly a week at a writing seminar recently. It was in the Barossa wine region - just north of Adelaide, SA, a beautiful spot. For a full time writer used to sitting alone for hours working, seminars can be overwhelming. So many writers, so much to see, people you should meet, notes you should be taking - oh and the food and wine you feel compelled to eat and enjoy! Up at seven - gosh, it's a very long time since we had to do that! Most days we're lucky to be up by nine - and the office is just a short shuffle away! But at the seminar they had working breakfasts - a chance to 'network' as the brochure instructed. Who wants to network before your eyes have begun to focus? Robyn's good at this sort of thing, but me? I'm shy at the best of times and so having to look confident, enthusiastic and passionate about my writing is a bit of a stretch - in real life. I mean, I am passionate about writing - very - but having to show that to strangers is li...