Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

  Since the beginning of the year I’ve written two novels, a short story, a few articles and some ongoing courses for my Academy. I’m sure you’ll believe me when I say I know all about getting stuck and feeling like I’m blocked. Actually, as you probably know, I don’t like to use the word blocked. Sounds far too permanent. Stalled is probably a better word. More accurate, less scary sounding. I like to write an average of 500 words a day minimum and generally feel useless and miserable if I don’t achieve that figure. Now, I know, 500 words is quite low but I chose it deliberately because I believe achieving only a small amount is better than nothing at all. Plus, if I happen to write a couple of thousand one day - a creative spurt every once in a while - then that feels like a serious bonus.   As a long term consistent writer, I can confirm that navigating obstacles, blocks, and stalls is all part of the process of writing. In fact you could say you’re not writing properly unl...

  So, this week I thought we'd try something new. I want to bring back my weekly Friday newsletter. Whether I do or not is really up to you! Tell me what you think. Welcome to The Thoughts of Chairman Rob (Or some such title, I haven’t decided yet.) Yes, I want to talk to you - again - on a weekly basis about writing, creativity, inspiration, and motivation. Plus I want to fill you in on what’s happening in the writing world and what I think about the issues facing us. Plus, you know, we can metaphorically shoot the breeze about life, the universe, and writing from my perspective. Just to let you know, my writing web presence is now over twenty years young. And apart from running the Academy full-time from my little piece of antipodean paradise in the Land of Oz with my beloved Robyn, I’m still writing. New courses, books, novels, and short stories - generally being creative in words, music, and film.   Now, I know it may be hard to believe, but not everyone was a fan of my ne...

  Have you ever tried to give something up? Like smoking – or drinking? What about drugs? Or sugar? Fat? Meat, Sex, Gluten, MSG, lemon popsicles, treating people badly, or even watching TV, or worst, scrolling Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok for hours…             Well, I have good news for you because, after twenty years of successfully giving up lots of bad habits, I suddenly had an epiphany the other day that may help you in your quest to be perfect but remain perfectly happy.              Because that’s the hard part, right? We all think that willpower should carry us through the difficult times, but it never does. Then we get depressed because we can’t fight the urge to return to our normal bad habit. And feeling sad makes us justify giving up stopping the thing we’re giving up!             You know how it ...

Nobody will ever miss something you didn't write. People don't wish they could find a genius they are unaware of, hanker after a writer to inspire them, or wish they could find the book that hasn't been written. It's the harshest reality a writer must face.  Nobody cares whether you finish your magnum opus - or gives a toss whether you work on it at all. A book is nothing until it's published - and even then, given the way things are, it's unlikely to sell more than a few copies. Funny, I write for a living. Have done for the last 20 years. You can get a lot of eyes on things if you include the words: “money, fast and easy” in your marketing but write about anything else and your stuff pretty much disappears.  It’s never stopped me though, because I’m a writer, and writers write, no matter what happens… can you say that? Writers must find their own reasons to write - and be self-motivated enough to continue without anything but selfish...

When writing for publication it's important to keep your eventual reader at the forefront of your mind. Writing primarily for yourself can be a lot of fun and, if that's what motivates you, then that's the best way forward, at least for the first draft. Eventually, however, it's your readers who will decide whether you have written a book that they find satisfying, worthy, and purposeful. It could be that, during the writing and editing process, some degree of self-discipline is required to fulfil the objective of writing a book that people actually want to read - and will enjoy reading. My preferred approach is to write quickly and edit methodically later. I find writing the first draft fast and furiously keeps the juices pumping and doesn't allow for too much time to reconsider word-choice, direction, momentum etc., until   after   the first draft. Writing slowly, painstakingly, I find, tends to make me hesitant, overly self-consc...

Ever have those days when you’re muzzy and unmotivated?  You know how it is. Sometimes you're aware you should write, but you don't feel like it. And even if you did, you're plagued by not knowing what to write about. Or maybe you have an important scene or an article to write and you can't find the necessary impetus to get you started. Worse, you just can't be bothered to write at all - it's too hard to even contemplate. What do you do when this happens to you? If you write for a living, this can be especially troubling. After all, if you're not writing, you're not working. So, you feel bad because you know that not writing equals no money coming in, now or in the future... What's the solution? First of all you need to get your head around what I call 'The Big Secret.' And the big secret is that career writers don't need a reason to write. They don't need inspiration or a good idea. T...