Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

The publishing industry is changing beyond all recognition - but it seems that writers are the last to catch up. I read an article the other day written by an established author of sixteen years. Her wisdom and experience echoed many of the things I've been saying for a long time... The new reality is that it's getting harder and harder to get published by traditional publishers - for many reasons, which I'll outline below. But that it's getting easier and easier for authors to become successful independently of the traditional publishing industry. The Internet - and Amazon in particular - has made it entirely possible for authors to circumvent the need for publishers at all! A determined writer can now find their own fans and sell their books directly to their readers, without having to sign publishing contracts, spend years rewriting manuscripts to the publisher's satisfaction, or try to live on the...

Welcome to this week's newsletter. Get my latest novel from Kindle!   It's a shock a minute story about murder, mystery, love, loyalty and two friends with awesome psychic powers!  If you've ever wondered if I could write a 'real' novel, now's your chance to find out!  I promise you'll be thrilled! Click HERE to get PSI-KIDS: Willow for 99 cents - Now! Click on the image above to see this week's Write On video!  STOP PRESS: Soon - probably next week - I'll be starting a new masterclass on Plotting Fiction . Look out for that! THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: Give Your Characters Some Attitude Rob Parnell The other day, a writer friend of mine told me her publisher recommended she read a certain book to get the flavor of what they liked to publish. Eager to know, my author friend rushed to find the book and devour it... only to feel slightly disappointed - and confused. She wondere...

Are you struggling to make ends meet?  Do you have a burning desire to make a living as a writer but are stuck running the rat race, forever wishing and hoping something would happen to change your life? This described me about eleven years ago.  I so desperately wanted to be a full time writer and had wanted that all my life.  I'd had some success, sure. A few books published, a couple of screenplays sold and more articles and plays written than I care to dwell over.  But still the BIG DREAM eluded me.  Between stints of blissful creativity, reality (and the debt collectors - literally) would come knocking at the door and force me back into the temp market - doing office work I abhorred with a passion. Now, thank heaven, my wife and I live a cool life.  We write, we travel, we get invited to speak, we buy toys, and we teach the gift of writing to thousands of students every day. How did this happen? How did I get so lu...

Welcome to this week's newsletter. We've just released Robyn's latest novel. It's getting great reviews already. It's about a young girl called Sam who hates to read - so much she wants to go live in Antarctica! Worse - her mother's a writer. You can download the first chapter from here . In next week's Write On video  I'm answering YOUR questions. If you want free publicity for you or your writing in the show, ask me a question and I'll give you a plug! Email rob@easywaytowrite.com THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: Creating Characters for Fiction Rob Parnell Most of us have a rudimentary list of things we like, love, hate and adore.  We start putting together this list from the day we are born.  However, these lists don't really define who we are.  You'll have noticed that some people can go through their entire lives with lists of things that  press their buttons while at the sam...

Today we look at writing advice from Wilkins MacQueen - a cherished subscriber - who already knew exactly what she needed to do - even when she was seeking guidance from myself and others.   She says: "You have to understand as writers our sense of what works and doesn't is our best quality/judge. And at the end, what three things do you want to leave the readers with, giving them the great "aaaahhhh" finish? Satisfaction, that's what we need to deliver. What ending is the only possible ending? What have the forgoing 80 odd thousand words that lead to it pointed to, and won't disappoint those who traveled with you word by word this far. Make it worth the read."   What To Do When You're Nearly Ready To Set Your Writing Free Rob Parnell Most writers get nervous when they're just about to send out their work. It's natural to fear rejection, criticism - even praise. Many writers actually never get to ...

There's a lot of crass and simplistic nonsense about writing articles on the Net. Most of this information comes from self serving marketing wannabes who want you to believe that by using their system you will become rich overnight.  The reality is, of course, quite different. If you're interested in writing articles for profit, the first thing you must do is forget about the Internet .  The pay for Internet articles is either negligible or in most cases, non-existent. The only way to make (a dribble of) money writing articles for the Net is to crank out about ten a day - which some people actually do for a while - but this is not something most writers would regard as fair or fulfilling work. No, much better is to target good old fashioned magazines and newspapers. Okay, so it's harder to get in, but not quite as hard as you...

A week is a long time on the Internet. Seems like ages since I last did a newsletter. Can't believe it was only last Friday! They say there's a recession on - again.  All the more reason to start your writing career - and make a few more pennies to  keep the Big Bad Wolf from the door... Click on the Mark Timlin book to discover how a bestselling author writes novels easily and quickly to live the dream lifestyle! THIS WEEK'S ARTICLE: 11 Great Reasons to be a Writer Rob Parnell Today I thought I'd outline the perks associated with living the writer's life. Some of them are obvious but others less so. 1. You Get Your Name in Print Obvious. The career writer knows that many people spend their entire lives trying to get to this, stage one, of the writer's life.  You never take it for granted. It's what you slave for, yes, it's what you want but, more, what you really want is your writing in print. Having y...