Steven Pressfield's Blog, page 92

The Lion’s Gate

The Lion’s Gate officially hits shelves and sites today.
Thanks for all of the comments to the mini-series running Mondays and Fridays. The series will run a few more weeks, with more background on The Lion’s Gate’s road to publication.
Another thank you to all the First Look Access Subscribers who took part in the 100-copy, first
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How I Learned Hebrew

Back at the hotel a few nights later, after a second interview with Ran Ronen, a legendary fighter pilot and commander in the Israel Air Force. Danny is making coffee and toasting two-day-old bagels.
“We gotta have an ops meeting.”
An operations meeting is a meeting to plan combat action, to lay out a flight mission. We’re
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Panic Attacks

I’m having panic attacks now that I’m here in Israel. It has nothing to do with fearing rocket barrages or suicide bombers. Those, I’m cool with.
If a Jew is going to die, I figure, he might as well die here and die from something like that.
No, my terror is much more free-floating.
I have no idea
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What Paul Learned from his First Novel

My friend Paul just finished his first novel. He has no publisher yet. He’s still got a long way to go. But he finished that sucker. He’s done. He did it.
It’s been really interesting for me to watch Paul walk through the fire. Because it is true that, for a grizzled old vet like me,
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Tzuk Beach

The Tzuk Beach Cafe is probably the hippest beach joint in Israel. I’m guessing of course; I’ve only been in the country for three days. But it’s hard to believe there could be any place cooler.
The cafe is outdoors, under umbrellas, just a few feet above the strand, with sand on the deck, great salads,
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Pre-’67 Borders

I’m here.
Israel.
Starting research for The Lion’s Gate.
Danny Grossman—Lou’s friend, a retired Israel Air Force lieutenant-colonel—has picked me up at Ben-Gurion Airport, gotten me checked in to my hotel. Danny’s going to be my guide and mentor. I’ve got my rental Toyota, had time to catch up on a little sleep, as well as wolf down
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Can Writing Be Taught?

There was an article on this subject in the New York Times a few weeks back. The question posed was, as I understand it:
If your son or daughter came to you and declared, “I want to be a writer,” what advice would you give him or her on how to pursue this dream?
Would you suggest
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The Zen Rabbi of San Francisco

How does the idea for a book come to us? Is there a seed? A trigger event? Do we recognize the inspiration in the moment or does it need to gestate for a period before finally surfacing into consciousness?
I had a classmate in high school named Alan Lew. Alan was a star. Co-captain of the
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Saving Tel Aviv

[This is the second post in a new series about the writing of The Lion's Gate. The series will continue Fridays and Mondays. "Writing Wednesdays" returns in its normal slot next week.]
Okay, here I am with the idea to do a book about the Six Day War of 1967. But that’s all I’ve got.
What comes
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A Bad Jew

[This is the first post in a new series about the writing of The Lion's Gate. After today the series will run Mondays and Fridays. Writing Wednesdays" returns in this space next week.]
I found out I was a Jew when I was thirteen. My Dad told me. I never knew until then. It was kind of
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