Steven Pressfield's Blog, page 148

Writing Wednesdays #10: Sex Scenes

I once did a rewrite on a porn flick. Before I began, the producer wanted to get together with me, to give me my marching orders and to make sure that I didn't slow the project down by making avoidable rookie mistakes. We met for breakfast at a coffee shop in Santa Monica. In that meeting, I got two of the best lessons in writing I've ever received.

Why porn is so bad

"Kid, every porno movie is the same: talk, talk, screw, screw. That's why they're so lousy. That's not good story-telling...

"One Tribe At A Time," #1

The thoughts and I ideas that I will put forward in this paper are mine alone. Although I credit the U.S. Army Special Forces for the training I have received and the trust of [its:] commanders, nothing in this paper reflects any other person's or organization's

Maj. Gant and ODA 316 in Afghanistan 2004

This is the opening author's note from Maj. Jim Gant's paper, "One Tribe At A Time," which this blog is proud to present–in excerpt and quasi-serialization form–over the next few weeks.

An Interview with an Afghan Tribal Chief, Part #1

Chief Zazai, right, with his father, Chief Raiss Afzal Khan Zazi and his bodyguard, both murdered in 2000

This will be the first of a multi-part conversation with Chief Ajmal Khan Zazai of Paktia province, Afghanistan. Let's plunge right in.

SP: Chief Zazai, this summer you were elected to the paramountcy of eleven tribes in your home region in Paktia province along the border with Pakistan. Why did the tribes meet at this time? What was their agenda?

Chief Zazai: On July 17th, 2009, my 11...

Writing Wednesdays #9: "Just Show Up"

Five stars and two Thumbs Up

Patricia Madson taught Improv in the Drama Department at Stanford for years. Students would kill to get into her class. My friend Victoria Labalme has told me of racing across campus more than once, frantic not to be late. Once the door closed, it stayed closed. Professionals only!

Now Patricia has written a terrific book called Improv Wisdom. I love it. It's short and crammed with great stuff that we writers, artists and entrepreneurs can use, not just in our...

Mea Culpa: Coming Attractions coming a little late

Site of the tribal gathering in Zazi, Paktia province

They say that every enterprise, from D-Day to a kitchen remodel, takes three times as long as you think and costs three times as much. I must apologize: our two new series have run afoul of this same syndrome. Here's the latest:

We will launch, for sure, next Friday, with a reconfigured site.

Series #1: A multi-part, in-depth interview with an Afghan tribal chief

Chief Ajmal Khan Zazai was recently elected to the paramountcy of eleven tribes...

Writing Wednesdays #8: What the Muse Wants

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The issue that comes up more than any other among aspiring artists and entrepreneurs is this: "How can we chase our dream when we've got kids, a job, demands and deadlines? How do we find the time, the self-discipline and the energy when we're dealing with all this real stuff in the real world?"

The Muse can be a tough taskmistress. But she does have one soft spot, if we know where to look.

Here's what the goddess wants:

"Commit to the pain"

The Muse wants commitment. She demands a long-term...

Monday Mashup—9/14/09

 

This past Friday marked eight years since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

 

Looking back over the last eight years, Robert Frost's "Road Not Taken" comes to mind:

 

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

and sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveller, long I stood

and looked down one as far as I could

to where it bent in the undergrowth;

 

Two roads diverged from 9/11—Iraq and Afghanistan—and we have traveled both. And from those two roads, strategies diverged, winding us so...

Knowing When to Stop, or Learning How to Win?

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A guest blog by Michael Brandon McClellan

[Mike McClellan is a graduate of Yale and Georgetown Law and a Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute. His articles on politics and foreign policy have appeared in the WSJ, the Weekly Standard and on TCS Daily.  It's our pleasure to welcome him as a contributor.:]

A few months ago I sat in awe in a Santa Monica hotel ballroom. George Will had been speaking for an hour and still held the audience spellbound. In a relaxed conversational tone, he...

Writing Wednesdays #7: Personal Anguish

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Have you seen Elizabeth Gilbert at TED? The video has become a bit of a sensation on the web and if you watch it, you'll see why. Ms. Gilbert is the author of Eat, Pray, Love. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design; it's a nonprofit organization that brings together speakers from the arts and sciences and politics several times a year. Ms. Gilbert's talk was a hit at the most recent get-together.

She was talking about the enormous and unexpected (to her) success of Eat, Pray, Love

Previews of Coming Attractions

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Three items will be coming up this week (and in the following weeks) in this space that I think will be extremely interesting and provocative. I can say that with confidence because none of them will be coming from me.

First, in the next day or two, we'll post a response from Michael McClellan to George Will's recent "This Week" comments and Washington Post column. Mike is an extremely thoughtful and articulate young lawyer and Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute. I don't know what...