Rob Parnell's Writing Academy Blog

Many new authors assume that only romance writing is formulaic. This is not true. Almost  all  genre writing is formulaic. Indeed, it must be. Not because authors are at a loss to sustain originality but because  unless  genre fiction adheres closely to its own conventions, readers will often regard the work as unsuccessful. This rule applies to movies too. Unless a big budget movie contains the usual genre conventions, it will invariably do badly at the box office. However, if the standard conventions  are  systematically dealt with in the movie-making process, the final result will almost always do well. So entrenched are we as a species in our desire, our  need,  for formulaic writing in books, movies, and episodic TV, that we inevitably regard writing that does not exactly fulfill our pre-conceived expectations as somehow lacking. I use this inescapable fact of life as a starting point for my genre-writing courses. While there is...

After the cover, the next port of call for the potential buyer of your book is your book description. And like an elevator pitch, your book blurb needs to be punchy, upbeat, a breeze to read and intriguing enough to make the reader want more. Set aside an afternoon to write a 500 to 800-word book description. First, you're NOT writing a synopsis of your story.  Imagine you're in a bar with a friend and you want to get them to read a book you've just finished. You don't want to give away the ending - and you don't want to bore them with names and locations and character interactions that aren't immediately pertinent to their understanding of the overall story. You want to give them the best hook you can think of first - and then only details if their interest in piqued.  This is where you need to start: The hook. A less than 50-word sentence that describes what the story is about in general terms. It's perfectly acceptab...

Once upon a time you could spend money on promotion and see positive results. Like actual sales. Doesn’t work so much anymore. Ask any reputable advertiser and they will tell you promotion is good for creating “customer awareness” but is now hopeless for selling stuff. These days I don't recommend authors spend any money on their marketing, their websites, their book covers, adverts, anything at all – at least at first. It's simply not worth it - until you have some followers and/or some subscribers. Why? Because there's simply no point investing in a brand or a concept, even a single product like a novel - unless you know the thing is working. Until it sells WITHOUT any help. This is something I learned when I was signed as a singer with EMI Music. Recording companies only promote music that is ALREADY selling. Publishing companies, too, only promote books that are ALREADY SELLING. That's why we too, as independent authors and entrepreneurs, must do the same - only ...

We all know what it feels like to be inspired. You get a great idea and suddenly your heart feels lighter. Your body feels more energized. It seems like nothing is impossible. Your new project suddenly seems urgent. You want to get it done before anyone else has this marvelous insight. It’s the brain’s equivalent of the “runner’s high” - where serotonin and endorphins rush through the body and make you feel invincible. The great thing about feeling inspired is that it can make you work hard. But generally only for a while. That’s the problem. Just like that runner’s high, the feeling of inspiration doesn’t last. I once got that runner’s high and it lasted all day.  Completely out of character for me, I went for a jog along Henley Beach in South Australia one morning, pushed through some resistance and then suddenly felt utterly fantastic, optimistic, full of life - a sensation that lasted for hours! Of course I tried the same trick the following day b...

Went to a  Society of Authors  drinks party the other day - met some lovely writers and their partners. It was in the back room of beautiful old colonial building, replete with wood beams, deep carpets and sweet staff to help the night along. We met a writer who had the dream happen to her. You know the one. You spend a decade or so trying to write a book, in between work and life, finally getting it done. You send it out and it's immediately picked up and published to great acclaim by the first major publisher you submit to... I mentioned to her at this point,  "You know that never happens?" "Yes,"  she said.  "And I feel awfully guilty." "No need,"  I said.  "Writers need proof it can happen. Just to keep us going!" We met other writers at various stages in their careers. Some unpublished, some having books coming out of their ears. It takes all sorts - and curiously I realized it's next ...

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 disappointed - and confused. She wondered what it was about this book the publisher liked. The story wasn't great. The writing was average. Some of the pacing seemed awkward. Then it hit her. It was the ATTITUDE of the protagonist that gave the book its appeal. The hero was feisty, quick to anger, even spiteful and yet somehow lovable. It's no secret that I believe the key to good story telling is 'character'. It should come before everything else - before plotting, before story, even before putting pen to paper. If your characters aren't real to you, their stories will never work. And while I've spent much time elsewhere talking about the importance of creating believabl...

You probably won't be surprised to learn I read a lot of unpublished manuscripts. I also read a lot of published work. Are there some glaring differences between the two? You betcha. The fact is most beginning writers write too much. That's okay for the first draft but when it comes to editing, you need to give that delete key a thorough work out! Good writing is about pacing. It's about taking the reader on a journey and keeping in step with them along the way. If you get the pacing wrong, the reader will stumble and begin to lose interest because it will seem you are more interested in writing the words than telling the story or relaying the information. Here are some tips on how to cut down on unnecessary verbiage! The Art of Description With the advent of global communication and visual media, we all know what most things and even most places look like. It's no longer necessary ...