Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

Rob Parnell It's weird to me that I still get asked, probably three or four times a week, how does a writer get published? My suspicion is that, given the Internet age, young writers especially assume there is some quick and easy solution out there - some secret that need only be discovered - and that the answer can't be so obvious. Because the answer is obvious - and it's the same as it was ten years ago, fifty, one hundred, two hundred years ago. You have to submit your manuscripts to publishers. That's it. No secret. No magic formula. No way around it. And still the most preferred method of submission is off line - snail mail, real world paper, envelopes and stamps. There's a reason for this: namely copyright. Publishers prefer a paper trail and the trouble with email submissions is that a) they tend to get lost, deleted and / or overlooked and b) having a writer's manuscript on their hard drive can expose a publisher to accusations of plagiarism if the write...

Rob Parnell When we launched The Hollywood Connection last Monday, we got a slew of questions from new subscribers to this fabulous - dare I say - unique opportunity. I felt it was important for Doc himself to answer those questions himself. Here they are: Question 1: Why the anonymity, Doc? I'd really like to know who you are. Doc: I understand your wanting to know. I would too. But while developing projects, anonymity is the producer's best friend. It's important to control the time and place when a project is announced. I'm currently working on projects in both Australia and Los Angeles and would like to keep as low a profile as possible; it's for this reason that I'm unable to give you more information. Question 2: Can you give me a clue? Any films / movie stars / projects you can actually name? I just need something, Doc. Doc: Producers are traditionally very quiet about the projects they are working on. If we feel that an idea has merit we want the time an...

Rob Parnell I bought some software last night to help us constructing stories. In the help file I found a useful note on the four questions we need to ask ourselves about a story before we start writing. These questions help clarify our idea and also let us know whether we have a story that is compelling enough to start work on. Many ideas falter at this stage - which can useful because doubt can alert you to the weaknesses in an idea and to stop you from pursuing a story that may lose impetus half way through. We all know there's nothing worse than starting a story, then running out of steam when it seems to go nowhere or end up in a hole. Getting stuck during the writing of a story is no fun at all. However, answering the following questions can also help you solidify an idea into a story worth telling. Question One: Who is your main character? Often we may be tempted to think that it's a combination of characters that make a story interesting. True - but usually not from the...

Rob Parnell Do you spend this time of year thinking about all the things you HAVEN'T done? I do. Take this morning - I woke up dreaming about a fiction project I'd forgotten I started a couple of years ago. What is wrong with me, I thought. I never seem to stop and congratulate myself over the things I have done - only punish myself for projects left undone. Is this just me - or is this part of the human condition? Are we destined to forever yearn for completion? To regard ourselves and our goals as neverending works in progress? I suppose so. I read some Wayne W Dyer recently - actually his book, The Power of Intention, a terrific read by the way. His theory is that at the center of things - from the molecules (more correctly called quarks) that make up matter, to the force that runs the Universe - there is an inherent property within all things called 'intention'. His idea is that this 'God' force is what makes everything and everyone move towards its/their de...

While the best characters have elements of real people to make them believable, real people rarely make good fictional characters. They are often flat and full of minor contradictions that make them non-credible to a fiction reader. No, fictional characters need to be more than real. They are often essentially an amalgam of credible traits that are easily recognizable as human 'archetypes'. When constructing your stories, you should think not so much in terms of who your characters ARE but WHY they're in your story. You'll then be in a much better position to understand them and their purpose. Indeed, taking this notion on board will also help you describe them well and keep their actions and motivations in check. Because, as I've said many times, there is no story without characters - and when constructing story plots, characters come first. You should know your characters like your best friends - actually better than your best friends - BEFORE you use t...

There's really only one way to achieve success in writing and it's very simple to learn: to keep writing! I know this is my call sign - but I chose it for a reason.  It's based on my experience of watching thousands of writers over the years.  The truth of it is very basic. That is, the Universe favors those who do not give up. It's obvious really.  If you set out on a path and commit to it, many things in the world need to change for you to accomplish your goals. People around you need to think of you as a writer.  Publishers, agents and editors need to know that you are a writer.  They need to see you working and taking your craft seriously. You need to be building a catalog of work - articles, short stories, novels, non-fiction work, e-books, websites, blogs, anything that proves that you live your life through writing. The Universe needs to see you improving - and wanting to improve - so that it can then do its bit: creating unseen con...

There are so many dos and don'ts nowadays for writers to absorb that it's a wonder we don't all crack under the strain. How are we suppose to get inspired - and write from the heart - when at least 90% of what we might want to put down on paper is considered bad practice or dull, ineffectual writing? When starting a new story, for instance, and you find yourself describing the weather or including oodles of back story - or now apparently too much detail of any kind - what are we supposed to do? Stop and start again? Wait for a more inspired thought? Keep beating ourselves up until we're better writers? I would suggest none of the above. Because if you let all the constraints and possible criticisms get to you, you'll most likely end up blocked - and writing nothing. Show Don't Tell I had an email from an esteemed subscriber this week who asked me a question that seems pertinent to this issue. Here's the gist: "I've been read...