Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

According to her bio, Jane Friedman used to be a publishing and media executive (which could mean anything) but is now assistant professor of e-media at the University of Cincinnati. The good news is that for writers, especially wannabes, she has a blog with more pertinent information than is probably good for a writer to know!  Her latest article (28.1.12) covers the thorny question we all get asked so often: "How do I get published?" Her answer is candid, authoritative and thorough - and you would do well to read the advice and inwardly digest it. Go here . You might also want to read my own thoughts on the subject here .

I get asked this question a lot. I usually forget all about it when it comes to Friday newsletter time. But it's pertinent today because I only have a limited time to write an article - probably less than an hour, so it will be a good test of any advice I have to offer. It's now ten fifteen - so time me! In the increasingly competitive world of the Net, you need to get articles and blogs out regularly. Not only do your friends and subscribers like it - Google does too. If you put out article sized messages often - at least weekly - then Google will recognize that you have something to say and start putting you in their search results. If you're reading this article, you probably don't need to me to sell you on the importance of writing articles... So, first, how long is an article? In order to write quickly you need to have a clear idea of how long you've got to say something. I recommend around 500 to 800 words. Less than that and it's not real...

My latest novel, PSI Kids: Willow, is on Amazon Kindle. If you've got a Kindle, you can borrow it for free. Go get it! If you're curious, here's a link to the latest R&R press release. It will open in a one page PDF. We're making a video promo for Robyn's latest book, Maya and the Crystal Skull, at the moment. We spent yesterday filming 13 year old actor Leila Clendon against a green screen and on top of a cliff near here. Great fun - though it was scorching hot near the beach! A writer friend recommended some wonderful free writing software to me. I'm hooked. It's called Celtx and you can use it to write pretty much anything - books, movies, graphic novels, even story boards. It really is free - and I get nothing for promoting it! Go here for that. Also, many of you are still asking for another tiny wee extension to the Easy Way to Write Digital Disposa l . Go here for a (final, final, final!) chance to get the writin...

In case you didn't know, my latest novel, PSI Kids: Willow, is now on Amazon Kindle. Go get it! Onward. I've almost made a decision. It feels right to me but I'm giving myself another couple of weeks before I totally commit... Deep breath... I'm starting a new website - actually more of an on-line magazine focused on art, wealth creation and achieving true happiness - all the things you'd expect from me. I'm sure I'll keep you posted on how it's progressing... Also, many of you are still asking for a tiny extension to the Easy Way to Write Digital Disposa l, for whatever reason. Okay, go here for a (final, final!) chance to get what you need. THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: How To Be Happy Rob Parnell Human consciousness is a wonderful thing. It enables us to feel we exist. According to the latest research, this ability is achieved by a constant stream of short circuits in our heads. All day long,...

People keep emailing me - begging me not to stop. It's awesome - and humbling. In truth, I get to today and the pull of writing an article is too strong to resist. I'd be lost without having to do it. Also, many of you have asked for a tiny extension to the December Digital Disposa l, for whatever reason. Okay, go here for a (final!) chance to get what you need. THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: The Search 2 Rob Parnell If you could have anything you wanted - what would that be? If the world conspired to grant all your wishes and desires, would that make you happy? Perhaps - for a week, or a month, but what then? If anything was possible, what would you WANT to spend your time doing? What would make you feel fulfilled? I like that word - it describes what it represents. Full filled. Filled to the max with - what? Satisfaction? Pride perhaps? Enriched to overflowing with a sense of purpose? Of course, all of us are going to be...

When I was young I thought the whole point of growing up was to become wise. I guess I thought that's what school was about.  After all, we spend anything from ten to twenty years at the beginning of our lives learning stuff - presumably to help us become better adults, better human beings. One thing that struck me as odd , at the time, was that people didn't seem to get any wiser as they got older.  Quite the opposite.  The older people got, I noted, the more rigid, inflexible and closed they seemed to become. To say this confused me is an understatement. I remember promising myself I wouldn't get that way.  I wouldn't be one of those people who  was sure about everything - had a definitive opinion on all things and couldn't see that nothing could be that concrete. You know people like this. They have a lifetime of experiences that have led them to certain beliefs that may be true for them, yet aren't always part of others'...

Meta-writing: the process and practice of writing about writing. One of my esteemed students wrote me a letter - yes, an actual piece of paper with handwriting on it - recently. She thanked me for one of my courses that she was working through at home.  She said she liked my 'metaphysical' approach to writing because it helped her move out of a block she'd been having. I've never really thought about my instruction being 'metaphysical' to be honest.  It's not meant to be.  A better term might be 'holistic', in that I see writing and the writer as equally in need of guidance and advice. The writer is, to me, inseparable from the writing.  You can't be a good, honest and effective writer if you don't aspire to be a good, honest and effective person.  If that's metaphysical, then so be it! But you don't have to be perfect. In the same way as your writing doesn't have to be perfect.  What's perfectio...