Photo of Steven Pressfield from his blog
A few weeks ago, I raved to you about Larry Brooks and his clear, conscise instruction on Story Structure. I then promised to tell you about the second of my two writing gurus, Steven Pressfield. Here I am, finally making good.
Mr. Pressfield is the author of several very successful novels; his fiction is well worth your time. But that is not why I adore him so. No, to understand the depth of my fervor for this man, you need to read The War of Art, his book on writing. (And yes, I'm pretty sure that the play on the Sun Tzu's classic treatise is intentional.)
In fact, I wouldn't be sad if, instead of finishing this post, you went to Amazon, downloaded TWoA on your Kindle and devoured it right this minute.
It won't take you long to read, but if you're like me, it will change your life. I'm not kidding, or even slightly exaggerating. I first read it last year when I was seriously considering giving up writing altogether. Reading TWoA felt like angelic intervention, and I can't recommend it highly enough.
Skeptical? Read thisthree-partseries on his blog, and you'll see what I mean. It's not just that Mr. Pressfield has an acute sense of the crucial dilemma each writer faces each day. He also provides the solution.
Most writers I know agree that the hardest part of the creative process is getting going. The second hardest part is staying with a project through the doldrums that almost inevitably hit once you're oh, say, halfway through it. The novelty has worn off. Your characters annoy you. Your plot seems stale and your words sound flat. Your antagonist feels bland. It can be oh, so tempting to shelve the dang thing and start something new (don't ask me how I know this).
Steven Pressfield shows you how to keep going--how to slog it out, break through your block, and get the thing done. He raises creativity to a calling and gives proper respect to the resistance we all feel to following through on any given endeavor.
The War of Art is not just for writers. Other artists and entrepreneurs and parents and leaders of all kinds could benefit from reading it and adopting its principles. I've re-read it several times--basically any time I need a pep talk or kick in the figurative pants, I pick it up and take in a couple of the short, pithy chapters. As Judge Reinhold's character says in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, "Read it. Know it. Live it." And let me know whether it helped you, too.