Steven Pressfield's Blog, page 135

The Amnesiac's Story

[The blog is on vacation this week. Happy Thanksgiving to all! Here's one of my fave posts from a little while ago:]
Two of the most popular movies of the past few years are The Hangover and The Bourne Identity. What do they have in common? They're both amnesia stories.
I love amnesia stories. What could be more fun?
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The Opposite of Resistance

Here's a subtle but crucial point for us to hold in mind as we slog through the trench warfare of the artist's journey, battling Resistance every step of the way.
Remember: Resistance arises second.
What comes first is the idea, the passion, the work we are so excited to create that it scares the shit out of
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Rosanne Cash's Dream

[The following excerpt from Rosanne Cash's Composed hit me like a two-by-four between the eyes. Thanks to Ms. Cash for permission to run it.  The book is brand-new and it's keeping me up nights. It should be required reading, in my opinion, for all serious writers, artists and musicians, particularly women. But judge for yourself.
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What To Keep and What To Cut

[First, huge thanks to everybody who wrote in in response to last week's When It Works. Wonderful stuff, from the heart. It's tremendously gratifying to me, I must say, to see this site evolving into a real peer-to-peer meeting ground--and I include myself as one of those peers.

I picked four "winners" instead of three, but
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When It Works

I want to try something different this week. I'd like to ask our readers to write in. What I'm looking for is mini-posts about a moment in your writing or painting or filmmaking or any artistic or entrepreneurial career "when it worked." When your stuff actually connected person-to-person. Here's the kind of moment I mean:
When It
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My Life As A Mad Man

[First, many thanks to everyone who made our two-day $1.99 special on the eBook version of The War of Art so successful. The switchboards were lighting up like the Fourth of July. Even if you just browsed and didn't pull the trigger, thanks for the thought. Your interest and attention are very much appreciated.

[As of
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Two Days Only: "War of Art" eBook for $1.99!

Once upon a time, I worked in advertising. I used to write those TWO DAYS ONLY (exclamation point!) headlines all the time, for toothpaste or dog food or checking accounts. It's a giggle to be doing it now for The War of Art.
Here's a link to the store. Today and tomorrow only—10/20 and 10/21—get the
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"The War of Art" eBook for $1.99!

One of the mantras of Writing Wednesdays is the ongoing effort to think like a professional, work like a professional, be a professional. But sometimes it's not so bad to be a lucky amateur either. To wit, here's a serendipitous tale from a couple of weeks ago.
I had just received the umpteenth note–this time via Facebook–from
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The All Is Lost Moment, Part Two

Let's plunge right in, picking up our interview with Hollywood story consultant Jen Grisanti:
SP: Jen, what are your own favorite "All Is Lost" moments from movies?  Can you give us one from something recent and then break it down for us?
JG:  I love the "All Is Lost" moment from the George Clooney movie, Up In
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Jeff Lipsky

Jeff Lipsky is the writer and director of the films Childhood's End (co-starring Tony Award nominee Sam Trammell), Flannel Pajamas (about which Roger Ebert wrote: "One of the wisest films I can remember about love and human intimacy. I will not forget it."), and Twelve Thirty (Jan. 2011 theatrical release, starring Jonathan Groff, Mamie Gummer,
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