Tag Archives: Steven Pressfield

Writers Horoscope November 20: Today, resistance comes knockin’…again.

overcoming-resistance

Maybe you’ve put a face to the voice of doubt. 

But you’re just getting started.

To quote Steven Pressfield in The War of Art, ‘resistance never sleeps.’

You will hear the knock at the door every day.

It is a daily struggle.

To quote the author: “From age twenty-four to thirty-two, Resistance kicked my ass from East Coast to West and back again thirteen times and I never even knew it existed.”

So, knowing it exists, aim to win today and worry about tomorrow, well, tomorrow.

I’ll close with perhaps my favorite quote from the book:

“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.” 

***

Once again, a sincere note of appreciation to Tara Rodden Robinson for not just introducing me to this book, but actually gifting me with it, way back in 2006.

Further proof that she really wanted to change the lives of her students.

No commissions here. Just another book I believe in.

Prewriting Mini-Course Available September 15

I’ve been finishing work on this free mini-course.

Prewriting- Jump-start Your Writing Projects With These Eight Approaches[Fun AND Productive First Steps to a Completed Work]If you’d like to take the free prewriting mini-course, just add your email address below.

Video-based Modules Included in the Full Course:

  1. The flexible outline [K.M. Weiland demonstrated this in a Writer’s Digest article.]
  2. The Foolscap approach [based on work by Steven Pressfield.]
  3. Mind Mapping
  4. Use of concept lists [Here is an Surprise-The Unexpected-Amazement Concept List July 2017 with the theme of ‘surprise/the unexpected’.]
  5. Character Interviews
  6. Interviews with yourself as an author
  7. A recap of James Patterson’s approach to outlining. [I paid $95 for his master class. Good, good investment.]

Also included:
— Videos demonstrating my use of these strategies.
— Writers’ quotes and insights into prewriting.
— Relevant applications from the following two books:

  • 45 Master Characters [Victoria Lynn Schmidt]
  • 20 Master Plots [Ronald B. Tobias]

Web/Twitter Gems August 14-18

  1. Creative Success – A 7-Lesson Guide to Creating by Jessica James
    http://brainzooming.com/creative-success-a-7-lesson-guide-to-creating-by-jessica-james/16608/   #5…not my favorite step, which means I should definitely buck up and follow through.
  1. “Be ruthless about protecting writing days…” J.K. Rowling
    http://www.advicetowriters.com/home/2016/7/7/be-ruthless-about-protecting-writing-days.html #amwriting #writerslife
  1. Miserable Day Job Turns Into $100,000 Side Income  https://sidehustleschool.com/episode/43
    This person used her blog to side-hustle her way out of her job. These eight-minute podcasts might just nudge you to venture forward yourself.
  1. Jon Winokur  @AdviceToWriters
    “Outlines are the last resource of bad fiction writers who wish to God they were writing masters’ theses.” –STEPHEN KING
    Just one opinion, but geez, this guy just might know something about the writing business.
  1. So, if, unlike Stephen King, you’re at least straddling the fence on outlining, Steven Pressfield’s foolscap method might just provide that happy medium. http://www.stevenpressfield.com/2011/04/the-foolscap-method/
    Key words: “Shut up and begin.” There are plenty of other resources that explore the foolscap method of diving into a writing project.

Prewriting Mini-Course Available Soon

Greetings! I’ve been working on an online course entitled:

Prewriting: Jump-start Your Writing Projects With These Eight Approaches
[Fun AND Productive First Steps to a Completed Work]

It’s not yet ready for unveiling, but in the next two weeks, I’d like to make a free mini-course available to get knowledgeable writers’ feedback.

If you’d like to take the free prewriting mini-course, just add your email address below.

Video-based Modules Included in the Full Course:

  1. The flexible outline [K.M. Weiland demonstrated this in a Writer’s Digest article.]
  2. The Foolscap approach [based on work by Steven Pressfield.]
  3. Mind Mapping
  4. Use of concept lists [Here is an Surprise-The Unexpected-Amazement Concept List July 2017 with the theme of ‘surprise/the unexpected’.]
  5. Character Interviews
  6. Interviews with yourself as an author
  7. A recap of James Patterson’s approach to outlining. [I paid $95 for his master class. Good, good investment.]
  8. Building Hemingway bridges into your prewriting

Also included:
— Videos demonstrating my use of these strategies.
— Writers’ quotes and insights into prewriting.
— Relevant applications from the following two books:

  • 45 Master Characters [Victoria Lynn Schmidt]
  • 20 Master Plots [Ronald B. Tobias]

The source of Dabble Hour…

My first foray into Dabble Hour went fairly well. I only allowed myself that 60 minutes to follow peripheral projects, including writing for animation. Problem: I planted myself in Distraction Central, our public library. Good place to sit and work, but all those books…

library book pyramid

No, I didn’t pick all these up in one trip. But still…someone here needs therapy.

Don’t you love the irony of my having a copy of Deep Work?

In his book Turning Pro, Steven Pressfield says “The amateur prizes shallowness and shuns depth.”

Seems I have a way to go with this…