Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

People wonder why they don't achieve the success they crave. I have a theory about that. I think we all have an inbuilt level of expectation, something rooted deep inside of us. It's often subconscious - and not aligned to what we say to our conscious minds. For instance, we may do all the things that self help books advise: make plans, set goals and visualize the future. But still, our circumstances never seem to change, we don't get any closer to what we think we really want. No amount of conscious striving will get us any closer to our goals if our subconscious mind doesn't believe that change, growth and real progress and success are possible - and that we deserve it. We have baseline expectations about the world that were planted in our brains a long time ago - usually by our parents or by the world we witnessed when growing up. Seemingly inconsequential things like the way our parents and friends talk about life and how unfair it is - or how ord...

Hope you had a great week. We took some time off last weekend and didn't really get back to work until yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. Being a self employed writer is handy for that. If you're getting stressed you can call time out for a few days to recover - and you don't have a boss threatening to sack you if you don't come back into work immediately! I remember those days - actually more than a decade ago now - and I really resented those bosses, in fact I still loathe the whole system that makes us work 9 to 5. To be honest I really don't understand it - but sociologists tell us our society gets what it wants and that we actually want to work 40 hours or more a week for just enough (and sometimes less) money than we need to get by. It fulfills us they say. Oh yeah? I get emails every day from people out there that say the exact opposite... Maybe all these learned sociologists should leave their university campuses an...

TGIF! Do you ever feel you have so much to do and be responsible for that your head might just one day explode? Not sure how much relaxing I'll get done this long weekend. My beautiful partner's going away to a seminar for the next few days and I have a self imposed list of stuff to get done here... Plus play rehearsals of course - at least that's going well. Which reminds me - I have to go and pick up the posters. Tell you what, I'll go do that, get a couple of other things from the shop, have brunch with my beloved, take her to the airport, then come back and do the article below in the afternoon. How does that sound? Good. See ya then. Keep Writing! Rob@easywaytowrite.com THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: It's Only the Internet Rob Parnell We're getting lazy. But that laziness comes from being misinformed - by the Internet. I guess you might think it strange that a guy apparently so adept at using the Net to comm...

Dear Fellow Writer, I hope your writing is going well. Don't worry if you haven't the time to write consistently. We all know that life's 'duties' often get in the way of the more important things. It's funny how many of the things we waste our time on: working 9 to 5, watching TV, meeting friends, looking after family, shopping, cleaning, sleeping, whatever, seem so important at the time... It's only later we may look back and think, "Where did all the time go? And what have I actually achieved?" As I say, don't worry - it happens to all of us. Even rich, famous and successful people feel dissatisfied sometimes. It's hard wired into our brains never to be truly content I think. It's up to us individually how we deal with that. I guess it's all part of being human. BTW: Here's the poster to my latest play/musical: Keep Writing. Rob@e...

Dear Fellow Writer, Probably about a year later than everyone else we watched The Social Network the other night. Enjoyed it. Beautifully shot with one of Jim Jannard's RED cameras I do covet. Clearly the sub text is the irony that a guy with no real friends would set up the biggest 'friend' site on the Net. I don't know how true the film is to reality but I'm willing to believe its basic premise - that nerds, and their obsessions, are now set to rule the world! What puzzles me about the Net is how free web sites with no real profit to show for themselves, like Facebook, can be valued so astronomically high. Five to seven billion - for a website? Give me a break. The 2000 dot com crash (remember that) proved that Net sites were routinely overvalued - and yet we seem to have learned nothing - and continue the myth that hits mean profits for free website owners. Ask any writer trying to get traffic to their book site and you'll di...

Dear Fellow Writer, Ideas are plentiful. Artists know this and exploit the fact. The real problem an artist, writer or musician faces is how to filter those ideas into a creative and original whole. It's the ideas that an artist rejects that defines his or her art, their vision. And it's your instinct that helps you make the decision whether to use or ignore an idea. YOUR instinct alone. Artists suffer critics like dogs suffer fleas. They're irritating but, like all parasites, they can't exist without the host. Don't let critics, or any kind of negativity, undermine your confidence and faith in your abilities. Your vision is unique, original and valid. Keep Writing. Rob@easywaytowrite.com Writers! Click here to get published free by Magellan Books. THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: How to Show and Not Tell Rob Parnell Many writers get confused over the difference between showi...

The way to feel good about yourself, your life and the work you do is to keep yourself in a positive frame of mind. Read uplifting books and articles - stay away from the bad news in the media - and surround yourself with affirmative influences. Too many people want to tell you the sky is falling in. These Henny Penny types waste your time and creative energy warning you of all the things that can and will go wrong. But just like the Henny Penny character, these people bring the worst scenarios upon themselves. Focusing your mind on the positive not only creates better results, it's easier and less stressful to produce successful outcomes. Your creative spirit is precious - and always right and good. Use it liberally and your life will begin to blossom into a magical adventure. Probably the single most important issue writers faces is the ability, even the inclination sometimes, to finish what they start. We all know how this works. We have a great...