Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

Many writers tell me the scariest thing they have to do is submit their work to publishers, magazine editors and agents. This is understandable. You may have poured your heart and soul into a piece of writing. You may have spent a very long time working on it - so much so that it feels like a part of you is somehow exposed. You fear criticism at best, ridicule at worst. Placing your work in an envelope can bring on palpitations and an overwhelming sense of panic. Writers ask me if this ever goes away. The short answer is no. It doesn't matter how long you've been writing, or how many times you submit material or show your work to others, there's always a nagging trepidation associated with the experience. It's akin to first night nerves. Actors, not matter how accomplished, still feel it just before the curtain rises. Musicians and singers still feel it, just before the song begins. Even great speakers - gurus - feel it, as they walk out to face the ...

Let me make a prediction. By 2015, based on current trends, 50% of the books available online and even offline, will be self published. How will this happen? Simple. Print on Demand technology has already progressed to the stage that even the big traditional publishers are using it - which means, yes, now we're all equal. Plus, distribution networks are now seeing that there is money to be made stocking and distributing self published books - as long as the writers are diligently involved in their promotion. Book marketing is now no longer the sole responsibility of a publisher's sales staff. More and more trade publishers are requiring, even demanding, that authors self promote their books. So, whichever way you go, you will have to get out there and sell your books yourself. But what does self promotion actually involve? Are there any special skills you need? Yes, but don't fret - you're a writer. Much of what you need to do is already within your skill base. Here are...

People are always asking me, "How do you manage to write so much?" It's funny to me because I never feel I have written enough! Each day I write a little more - an article, a chapter, a lesson or some fiction and each day I think, if only I'd had a few more hours I could have done 'this' or 'that'. There never seems to be enough time. We've just been asked by our movie producer to work on our Hollywood script - again - a new director wants some changes to it. For the next 4 to 6 weeks, we're intending to get stuck in to that script - and find time we didn't think we had. That's the writer's life. Just like everyone else, we have to find the time, whether we think it's there or not. People also ask me, "How do you write so fast?" Actually I don't think I do. I write slowly, considering every word and phrase as I go along. Just like the way I read. Okay, I get to write two to three thousand words a da...

We spend a lot of our time distracted by our daily chores and commitments. So much so we tend to ignore what our instincts are telling us. You know how it goes. You spend your time working or, unpaid and traveling to and from work. You spend time dropping off and picking up the kids. You use up invaluable hours of the day preparing food, eating, sleeping, relaxing with your loved ones, watching TV, socializing, caring, volunteering, whatever. All the time in the back of your mind you have this little voice that says: You really should be writing, you really should be writing... Your instincts know what you want but your activities are committing you to a lifestyle you don't want. There's the writer’s dilemma. How do you stop doing what you don't want and start doing what you do want? Simple - listen to your heart. I believe there's a reason why we have instincts - they are there to tell us what we really want. They are there to nag at you to deal with the things that ...

This week, I was interested to read about brain waves and how they work, and apply what I could glean to writing. Here's the basic info: Beta Waves In our normal waking lives our brain waves pulse quickly, at between 14 to 100 Hz. These are called Beta waves and are good at keeping us awake and attentive enough for our daily tasks - working, playing, eating, socializing and watching TV and movies. Curiously Beta waves aren't that conducive to prolonged study or activities like factory or office work because at the Beta level, the brain is looking for more stimulation. It's as attentive as a butterfly, constantly vigilant for more stimuli and easily bored by monotony. Gamma Waves Gamma waves pulse at a higher rate - from 24 to around 70000 Hz and are normally associated with a 'higher state of consciousness' in that they seem to give us an increased sense of meaning and connectedness to the world around us. Commonly, during times of inspiration and joy, or playing sp...

Let's face it, the evidence is all around us. If you pitch your writing at a fourteen year old, you'll be monstrously successful. And I don't necessarily mean that you need to write about fourteen year olds, I mean you should write for that intellectual level. Hollywood has known this since Jaws and Star Wars, when Spielberg and Lucas proved that nobody really wants adult movies. People want escapism. And they want to feel young again. Look what's current and coming up. Star Trek, Wolverine, another Harry Potter, Angels and Demons - and yes I believe Dan Brown (deliberately or not) aims his stories at an intellectual age of fourteen. I mean he's not exactly challenging to read, is he? James Patterson too has finally come out of the closet to write YA novels - which, to me, read just like his other novels but without the blood and violence. The big market is pubescent. The late great Michael Chrichton also understood this principle. Look at the body of his work: Jura...

I've been reading Robert McKee's book on 'Story', where he outlines what he perceives to be ideal story structure - not just for movies but for novels and short stories too. He's based his theories on a lifetime of examining story form and structure - and from being employed to read story proposals for Hollywood studios. His conclusions are interesting and educational - not least because they're so specific! McKee is able to identify stories that work and why - but also how to structure them for maximum effect. Below I've tried to summarize his theories. Defining Story Terms First we need to understand the terms of reference Robert McKee uses, in order to fully grasp what he's saying. An Emotional Exchange is the smallest fragment of drama within a story. It is a point at which a character openly deals with either his external world or his internal demons. It is commonly called a Beat. Ideally, a Beat in a story should be non-coincidental, which means it...