Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

  Gasp! The year is almost over and then we’re on to a new one. Maybe this time we can get things done, achieve our goals and succeed in the areas we failed in the past…     Yeah, all that. Seriously? Now, I don’t wanna burst your balloon but life is not always about achievement. It’s also about feeling content with ourselves, doing good and, gosh darn it, being happy . Honestly, this compulsive need to complete goals and see tasks through to the end is surely what causes most of the stress in our lives.   Sometimes I think we should simply reject our quest for instant gratification and hyper stimulation. But what can we do to be calm and in control, positive, and, most of all, consistently creative? Personally, first thing I do when I need to be happy is to write my 500 words for the day. More is good but 500 is fine. Just enough to make me feel useful and fulfilled. Here are some other ways to keep up your happiness quotient: Go for a walk in nature. This is a...

Last week we looked at software created to help authors find and enhance their talent. This week we’re examining AI software that seems designed to either hinder skill, replace talent, or turn writing into some kind of blood sport for people who would rather not get involved in the dirty business of actually putting pen to paper. Since the beginning of time blocked writers have been looking for a way to make their craft easier and by the look of the numerous new products hitting the market, many software companies are applying themselves to the potentially lucrative business of replacing artists with machines. To my mind Jasper was the first autonomous machine author. The software was called Jeeves originally, but they got into a fight with Marvel about using a name Disney had claimed as its own because Iron Man had used the name for his computer butler. Clearly Disney had never come across PG Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster - where the idea of calling a butler ‘Jeeves’ originated in...

Now we’re getting close to Christmas, if you want treat yourself and make next year go with a definite bang, you should consider buying Scrivener from Literature and Latte . If you haven’t done so already.  Honestly, I get no money for giving Scrivener a plug. I just happen to believe it will make your life and your writing better. I’ve been using this awesome writing software for over a decade and have no complaints about its looks, its functionality, reliability, and its importance to the writing community. And no, it doesn’t do anything spectacular. It’s little more than an organization tool. Use it for writing novels, ebooks, movies, articles, poems, shopping lists, pretty much anything. Now, if you want something that edits, corrects, make suggestions, and annoys the crap out of you by trying to be everything to everyone, then you should probably try other programs. What you don’t want to imagine is that any one software will make writing easier. Writing will always be hard ...

  While I was growing up in the UK, we had this TV show called Tomorrow’s World . I loved it. The theme music was a hip, airy tune designed to signify progress. The presenters had wry, earnest smiles that implied they knew something we didn’t. The half-hour program was full of inspiring articles about how great the world was going to be. The show celebrated just how advanced, how smart, sophisticated, and especially how accountable the people of the future would become.     Pure joy to watch when you’re a wide-eyed child.      Like many kids, I also loved reruns of Star Trek , mainly because of the vision of the future it presented. What inspired me in particular was a universe in which cash-money was no longer necessary; where friendship and shared responsibility were more important than power, war, violence, and conflict.      Apparently Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry, had many arguments with writers over the issue of conflict. ...

    Most of us dive right in with an idea we feel is the most compelling to begin a story. We will often think of a scenario, a concept, or perhaps just a sentence that could draw the attention of a potential reader. We might then make it to a chapter or two before we inevitably run out of steam and wonder where this piece of writing is headed. You may feel tempted to keep writing without any kind of a plan. Sometimes that seems like the right thing to do because we feel so good about the new reality we are creating. We get so pumped we cannot imagine that this good feeling will ever stop. Or, on some level, we know it will end but we don’t care, because this moment of surety and clarity is so powerful, all engrossing, sweet, and satisfying. But how do you sustain your enthusiasm for writing when this feeling goes away? First of all, you need to decide what you’re writing. A short story? Something longer? Perhaps an entire novel? Sure, write when you are inspired. Fill the pag...

A few weeks back I ran a poll to see if anyone was interested in being part of a Writing Academy community. The results were interesting.     Of all the people who received the email, only around a dozen expressed a positive interest in the idea but a few were very negative. In the past I’ve run surveys that have inspired hundreds of responses. So the low response rate for this one was stunning - but not as shocking to me as the emails I received talking about how online communities were nowadays nasty places to be - full of trolls and haters that writers especially would rather not meet.     Writers told me of their bad experiences. Of being victimized and abused. Of being made to feel small and worthless. They told me they would rather not get involved than have to experience this stuff. And I don’t blame them!     Now this is surprising. Some websites like Tribe profess that everybody loves online communities. They recently produced a la...

  I feel a bit sorry for Gen Z. Growing up at the beginning of the 21st century, they’ve never had it so good: a nice easy life where they’ve always had the net, 24/7 entertainment, podcasts, movies and TV shows, games and music galore, and the ability to talk to anyone in the world, for any reason, via social media. Now, when their school days are over, Gen Z are having to leave the nest and go out into the world, only to discover they have to get some soul crushing job. To work forty long hours a week just to pay bills that never stop: rent, utilities, food and drink, cable, internet, tech, and a million other micro-charges we’re hit with every day… Welcome to the Machine. Recent reports shows that the most desired job amongst Gen Zs is Internet Influencer. Wannabe writers are probably in the best position to tackle the job because, as we know, everything starts with writing - every podcast, social media post, and even those ten second blasts on TikTok all have to be written down...