This is along the same lines as yesterday and something I've been curious about for a while. I know there are all kinds of blogs out there, financial, celebrity, fashion, personal, writing, etc., and I'm sure there are lots of people reading those blogs, but reading blogs does not seem to have the same mass appeal as say Facebook does. I have yet to find a friend, acquantaince, or relative who reads blogs, besides of course writer friends and family.
Which makes me curious, do any of you know anyone that regularly reads blogs other than fellow writers?And if so, what kind of blogs do they read?
Blogs: Why Read 'Em; Why Write 'Em?
Does reading blogs ever feel like a binge to you? You know after reading the umpteenth post by Agent So-and-So about the same thing Agent X said two weeks ago and you keep reading and you read what all the other writers you've connected with over the past few years have to say and all the comments on an interesting posts of theirs and after about an hour you have that feeling like you've just binged on a plate of warm walnut brownies and you almost want to make yourself puke?
Am I alone in this feeling?
Now I know part of this is because I've been blogging and reading blogs for over two years so of course I'm going to start seeing the same info and advice being recycled--same thing happens with my favorite magazines. And when my favorite magazines start recycling the same thing over and over I unsubscribe or stop reading them. I'm getting this way with blogs. For a while I piled them into my reader, at one point I had over 70. Now I've pared down to 25. I'm past that feeling that I may miss something if I don't keep scanning through 50+ industry blogs.
Do you ever feel like you're reading the same thing over and over when it comes to agent and other industry blogs? Have any of your favorites started to disappoint?
As for author blogs, what keeps you interested in their posts? Which authors do you think keep it fresh and real? Who do you think offers the best posts and most insightful advice?
As for connecting with other bloggers, what keeps you coming back for more? What interests you or what would you like to see more of from fellow bloggers, aspiring authors or otherwise?
If you could describe the perfect blog, one that you would look for first when you signed in to your Google Reader, what would it be like?
And if you blog, what is your main reason(s) for blogging?
Am I alone in this feeling?
Now I know part of this is because I've been blogging and reading blogs for over two years so of course I'm going to start seeing the same info and advice being recycled--same thing happens with my favorite magazines. And when my favorite magazines start recycling the same thing over and over I unsubscribe or stop reading them. I'm getting this way with blogs. For a while I piled them into my reader, at one point I had over 70. Now I've pared down to 25. I'm past that feeling that I may miss something if I don't keep scanning through 50+ industry blogs.
Do you ever feel like you're reading the same thing over and over when it comes to agent and other industry blogs? Have any of your favorites started to disappoint?
As for author blogs, what keeps you interested in their posts? Which authors do you think keep it fresh and real? Who do you think offers the best posts and most insightful advice?
As for connecting with other bloggers, what keeps you coming back for more? What interests you or what would you like to see more of from fellow bloggers, aspiring authors or otherwise?
If you could describe the perfect blog, one that you would look for first when you signed in to your Google Reader, what would it be like?
And if you blog, what is your main reason(s) for blogging?
And the winners are...
Steven generously offered three books for the give-away, and the winners are...
Melissa Marsh
Kim Murray
and
Elana J
Congrats ladies and a big thank you to everyone who commented on the interview and/or Steven's Writing Wednesdays!
Winners, I'll email you to get your addresses.
Interview with Best-Selling Author Steven Pressfield
You're not here for me today. Nope. You're here for some best-selling author insight and an awesome book give-away. So I won't muddy this interview with a bunch of crap from me or some boring ass intro. I'll get right to the good stuff.
First I want to share some of my favorite passages from Steven Pressfield's The War of Art, to give you a little taste of his style.
Steven on help from a higher realm...
"Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying. Why is this so important? Because when we sit down day after day and keep grinding, something mysterious starts to happen. A process is set into motion by which, inevitably and infallibly, heaven comes to our aid. Unseen forces enlist in our cause; serendipity reinforces out purpose."
Steven on finishing a novel...
"But that moment when I first hit the keys to spell out THE END was epochal. I remember rolling the last page out and adding it to the stack that was the finished manuscript. Nobody knew I was done. Nobody cared. But I knew. I felt like a dragon I'd been fighting all my life had just dropped dead at my feet and gasped out its last sulfuric breath. Rest in peace, motherfucker." (By the way, I can't wait to say this.)
Steven on fear...
"We fear discovering that we are more than we think we are. We fear this because, if it's true, then we become estranged from all we know. We know that if we embrace our ideals, we must prove worthy of them. And that scares the hell out of us."
Steven's definition of a hack...
"When a hack sits down to work, he doesn't ask himself what's in his own heart, he asks what the market is looking for."
Steven on not doing what you were meant to do...
"You shame the angels who watch over you and you spite the Almighty, who created you and only you with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter further along its path back to God."
And finally, image the Steven the Marine saying this to you...
"Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the creator. 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."
So can you tell I got a lot out of Steven's book? The War of Art really is one of those books you'll want to refer to over and over again when you need a swift kick in the rear or a reminder that you're not alone when it comes to the Resistance that plagues you.
Ok, on to the Q and A.
Me: As I said early this week, I think I connected with The War of Art like I did because it shone a light on my biggest problem, a problem I knew in my gut I had just couldn't put my finger on, Resistance. Right in the beginning of the book you say, "Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance." So true. You go on to say Resistance is "harder to kick than crack cocaine", that it "defeats us", and "it will bury you", depressing stuff in a sense but something anyone facing Resistance probably already knows. You go on to say Resistance is fed by fear and that if you master the fear you conquer the resistance. But how do you "master the fear"? (It's as hard as kicking crack cocaine isn't it?)
Steven: How does anybody overcome fear of anything? Some are just born courageous; some find a metaphor (warrior, professional, gunslinger, servant of the Muse) that helps them “put on their armor;” some are just crazy and go for it. For me, the pain of NOT doing it turned out to be, in the end, worst than the pain of doing it. I got brave just because I was such a coward.
Me: In The War of Art you say that you wrote three novels before you wrote and sold The Legend of Bagger Vance. What do you think was missing with the first three novels and/or what did you do different when writing The Legend of Bagger Vance?
Steven: It’s a really good question, Jenna. For one thing, about twenty-five years intervened. So I was a much more mature person. But the real reason was that in the first three books I wrote, I was not operating at the professional level. The books were way too personal; they were more like journals or self-therapy. In each one, the protagonist was me—literally. My real self doing things I had really done. It was stuff that deserved to stay in the drawer. In a way I was not writing books, in the sense of works that contained something that was of value to the reader—i.e., real wisdom or experience or fun. What I was doing was trying to convince myself that I existed, by writing a character on paper who was me. It was like reality TV. I thought if I turned a camera on myself, I might convince myself I was actually a person. It was self-therapy and pretty demented therapy at that!
When I finally stopped doing that, the stuff I wrote became more suitable for public consumption.
Me: In the FAQs on your website you talk a little about your writing process for historical fiction. You say the start for you is something that grabs you whether it be a quote or a historical incident and then you "master the material" and then you work on "the important part", theme. How much of the book would say you write before you get started on theme and would you say the choices you make in theme, story and character are more deliberate (i.e. you work at creating the magic) or more unconscious (i.e. it is organic and magic and you don't control it)?
Steven: Theme can’t be forced, at least not for me. It arises organically out of the material. There’s a story that Robert McKee tells about a time when, as a young man, he got to interview Paddy Chayefsky and asked him about theme. Chayefsky said something like, “As soon as I figure out what the theme of a piece I’m writing is, I type it out in 25 words or less on a single strip of paper and tape it to the front of my typewriter. After that, nothing goes into that play that isn’t ‘on-theme.’” Two things apply to your question here. First, apparently even Paddy Chayefsky didn’t know his theme when he started out; it would come to him, it seems from his answer, somewhere along the way. The other thing is the primacy of theme. Paddy Chayefsky clearly believed that, or he wouldn’t have taped that strip of paper to his typewriter.
For me, I get “grabbed” by an idea or character or mood, but I don’t know why yet. A theme exists. It’s in there. I just haven’t figured it out yet. I don’t think I’ve ever started a work where I knew the theme in advance. I just follow instinct. Then at some point, the light bulb goes on and I realize, “Ah, that’s what this is about!” Then I can start making deliberate choices, instead of just following my gut.
Here’s an example. Virtues of War is a novel I wrote about Alexander the Great. I was having trouble with the minor characters; in real life, Alexander had a number of famous generals surrounding him—Ptolemy, Craterus, Hepheastion, Seleucus and others. I couldn’t keep them straight in my head, and I knew for sure the reader wouldn’t be able to. Then the light bulb went on about the theme. That Alexander, as the protagonist, was torn between the idea of pure conquest and the human consequences (death, destruction, etc.) of those conquests. So I let all the generals recede into the background except two, Craterus and Hephaestion. I made one of them be the angel on Alexander’s shoulder and the other the devil. So they came to represent and illustrate aspects of the theme. This was absolutely deliberate. No mystery. By the way, it may not have been true to the historical Craterus and Hephaestion. But I needed it for the theme, so, in my view, the choice was legitimate.
Me: Steven, thank you so much for letting me pick your brain a bit. I love your honesty and I love your straight-shooting style. These weren't just random questions for me, these are the big things I struggle with and I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to answer them. Authors truly are some of the best and most generous people on the planet!
Now to the goodies. Leave a comment (thank Steven for the insight, let him know his book looks interesting, let me if you enjoyed the interview and/or my pickin's from Steven's book, or just say "Hey!") and I'll enter you in a drawing for a copy of The War of Art.
And remember if you checked out Steven's Writing Wednesdays and enjoyed them leave a comment on Monday's post for an extra entry or spread the word on your blog for two extra entries (leave me a comment or drop me an email to let me know you did).
FYI: I can only ship within the continental US. AND comment before midnight (EST) Friday, October 23rd (2009 of course) to get entered in the drawing.
First I want to share some of my favorite passages from Steven Pressfield's The War of Art, to give you a little taste of his style.
Steven on help from a higher realm...
"Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying. Why is this so important? Because when we sit down day after day and keep grinding, something mysterious starts to happen. A process is set into motion by which, inevitably and infallibly, heaven comes to our aid. Unseen forces enlist in our cause; serendipity reinforces out purpose."
Steven on finishing a novel...
"But that moment when I first hit the keys to spell out THE END was epochal. I remember rolling the last page out and adding it to the stack that was the finished manuscript. Nobody knew I was done. Nobody cared. But I knew. I felt like a dragon I'd been fighting all my life had just dropped dead at my feet and gasped out its last sulfuric breath. Rest in peace, motherfucker." (By the way, I can't wait to say this.)
Steven on fear...
"We fear discovering that we are more than we think we are. We fear this because, if it's true, then we become estranged from all we know. We know that if we embrace our ideals, we must prove worthy of them. And that scares the hell out of us."
Steven's definition of a hack...
"When a hack sits down to work, he doesn't ask himself what's in his own heart, he asks what the market is looking for."
Steven on not doing what you were meant to do...
"You shame the angels who watch over you and you spite the Almighty, who created you and only you with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter further along its path back to God."
And finally, image the Steven the Marine saying this to you...
"Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the creator. 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."
So can you tell I got a lot out of Steven's book? The War of Art really is one of those books you'll want to refer to over and over again when you need a swift kick in the rear or a reminder that you're not alone when it comes to the Resistance that plagues you.
Ok, on to the Q and A.
Me: As I said early this week, I think I connected with The War of Art like I did because it shone a light on my biggest problem, a problem I knew in my gut I had just couldn't put my finger on, Resistance. Right in the beginning of the book you say, "Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance." So true. You go on to say Resistance is "harder to kick than crack cocaine", that it "defeats us", and "it will bury you", depressing stuff in a sense but something anyone facing Resistance probably already knows. You go on to say Resistance is fed by fear and that if you master the fear you conquer the resistance. But how do you "master the fear"? (It's as hard as kicking crack cocaine isn't it?)
Steven: How does anybody overcome fear of anything? Some are just born courageous; some find a metaphor (warrior, professional, gunslinger, servant of the Muse) that helps them “put on their armor;” some are just crazy and go for it. For me, the pain of NOT doing it turned out to be, in the end, worst than the pain of doing it. I got brave just because I was such a coward.
Me: In The War of Art you say that you wrote three novels before you wrote and sold The Legend of Bagger Vance. What do you think was missing with the first three novels and/or what did you do different when writing The Legend of Bagger Vance?
Steven: It’s a really good question, Jenna. For one thing, about twenty-five years intervened. So I was a much more mature person. But the real reason was that in the first three books I wrote, I was not operating at the professional level. The books were way too personal; they were more like journals or self-therapy. In each one, the protagonist was me—literally. My real self doing things I had really done. It was stuff that deserved to stay in the drawer. In a way I was not writing books, in the sense of works that contained something that was of value to the reader—i.e., real wisdom or experience or fun. What I was doing was trying to convince myself that I existed, by writing a character on paper who was me. It was like reality TV. I thought if I turned a camera on myself, I might convince myself I was actually a person. It was self-therapy and pretty demented therapy at that!
When I finally stopped doing that, the stuff I wrote became more suitable for public consumption.
Me: In the FAQs on your website you talk a little about your writing process for historical fiction. You say the start for you is something that grabs you whether it be a quote or a historical incident and then you "master the material" and then you work on "the important part", theme. How much of the book would say you write before you get started on theme and would you say the choices you make in theme, story and character are more deliberate (i.e. you work at creating the magic) or more unconscious (i.e. it is organic and magic and you don't control it)?
Steven: Theme can’t be forced, at least not for me. It arises organically out of the material. There’s a story that Robert McKee tells about a time when, as a young man, he got to interview Paddy Chayefsky and asked him about theme. Chayefsky said something like, “As soon as I figure out what the theme of a piece I’m writing is, I type it out in 25 words or less on a single strip of paper and tape it to the front of my typewriter. After that, nothing goes into that play that isn’t ‘on-theme.’” Two things apply to your question here. First, apparently even Paddy Chayefsky didn’t know his theme when he started out; it would come to him, it seems from his answer, somewhere along the way. The other thing is the primacy of theme. Paddy Chayefsky clearly believed that, or he wouldn’t have taped that strip of paper to his typewriter.
For me, I get “grabbed” by an idea or character or mood, but I don’t know why yet. A theme exists. It’s in there. I just haven’t figured it out yet. I don’t think I’ve ever started a work where I knew the theme in advance. I just follow instinct. Then at some point, the light bulb goes on and I realize, “Ah, that’s what this is about!” Then I can start making deliberate choices, instead of just following my gut.
Here’s an example. Virtues of War is a novel I wrote about Alexander the Great. I was having trouble with the minor characters; in real life, Alexander had a number of famous generals surrounding him—Ptolemy, Craterus, Hepheastion, Seleucus and others. I couldn’t keep them straight in my head, and I knew for sure the reader wouldn’t be able to. Then the light bulb went on about the theme. That Alexander, as the protagonist, was torn between the idea of pure conquest and the human consequences (death, destruction, etc.) of those conquests. So I let all the generals recede into the background except two, Craterus and Hephaestion. I made one of them be the angel on Alexander’s shoulder and the other the devil. So they came to represent and illustrate aspects of the theme. This was absolutely deliberate. No mystery. By the way, it may not have been true to the historical Craterus and Hephaestion. But I needed it for the theme, so, in my view, the choice was legitimate.
Me: Steven, thank you so much for letting me pick your brain a bit. I love your honesty and I love your straight-shooting style. These weren't just random questions for me, these are the big things I struggle with and I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to answer them. Authors truly are some of the best and most generous people on the planet!
Now to the goodies. Leave a comment (thank Steven for the insight, let him know his book looks interesting, let me if you enjoyed the interview and/or my pickin's from Steven's book, or just say "Hey!") and I'll enter you in a drawing for a copy of The War of Art.
And remember if you checked out Steven's Writing Wednesdays and enjoyed them leave a comment on Monday's post for an extra entry or spread the word on your blog for two extra entries (leave me a comment or drop me an email to let me know you did).
FYI: I can only ship within the continental US. AND comment before midnight (EST) Friday, October 23rd (2009 of course) to get entered in the drawing.
The War of Art and Kicking Resistance
Last month I did a post on a really interesting book, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I probably connected with this book as well as I did because Pressfield shone a light on my biggest problem, a problem I was vaguely aware of yet had no idea how to see myself through, Resistance.
In a big-picture-overview kind of way, Steven describes Resistance this way, "Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance."
For a little more on Resistance check out Steven's recent blog post on Self-Talk and Self-Sabotage. Self-Talk and Self-Sabotage is #12 in Steven's Writing Wednesdays and all are of them are must read--Steven is a best-selling author (The Legend of Bagger Vance, Gates of Fire, and more) and a Marine and in my opinion you couldn't find a better person for a proper kick in the writing pants (which I need daily).
To fully understand Resistance in all it forms, as well as how to overcome it, you really need Steven's book. And how lucky are you guys because I have a few copies of Steven's book to give away.
Yep! After last month's post, Steven Pressfield offered to answer a few questions for me--aren't published authors the best! So in addition to having the chance to pick a best-selling author's brain, Steven generously offered a few copies of his book for a give-away.
I didn't want to be a lame ass and ask Steven something he already covered in The War of Art so I reread it and it was even better the second time around, truly one of those books writers will want to read over and over--right up there with On Writing and Bird by Bird for me.
So, after rereading the book and perusing Steven's website and blog I narrowed my questions down to the following topics: mastering fear, getting past those "draw novels", and themes. On Thursday I'll post my little interview with Steven Pressfield and give-away a few copies of his book, The War of Art.
If you'd like a chance to win a copy of The War of Art you've got a few options:
Option 1: Check out Steven's Writing Wednesdays and tell me what you think them (in the comments of this post) and you'll get one entry.
Option 2: Visit me Thursday for the interview and leave a comment on Thursday's post and you'll get one entry in the drawing.
Option 3: Spread the word on your blog about Thursday's give-away and you'll get two entries in the drawing (email me or leave a comment in today's post to let me know if you do this).
So, check out Steven's website and his Writing Wednesdays and if his style or his way with words or his advice and insight speak to you definitely get yourself an entry or two in the drawing.
FYI: I can only ship within the continental US.
In a big-picture-overview kind of way, Steven describes Resistance this way, "Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance."
For a little more on Resistance check out Steven's recent blog post on Self-Talk and Self-Sabotage. Self-Talk and Self-Sabotage is #12 in Steven's Writing Wednesdays and all are of them are must read--Steven is a best-selling author (The Legend of Bagger Vance, Gates of Fire, and more) and a Marine and in my opinion you couldn't find a better person for a proper kick in the writing pants (which I need daily).
To fully understand Resistance in all it forms, as well as how to overcome it, you really need Steven's book. And how lucky are you guys because I have a few copies of Steven's book to give away.
Yep! After last month's post, Steven Pressfield offered to answer a few questions for me--aren't published authors the best! So in addition to having the chance to pick a best-selling author's brain, Steven generously offered a few copies of his book for a give-away.
I didn't want to be a lame ass and ask Steven something he already covered in The War of Art so I reread it and it was even better the second time around, truly one of those books writers will want to read over and over--right up there with On Writing and Bird by Bird for me.
So, after rereading the book and perusing Steven's website and blog I narrowed my questions down to the following topics: mastering fear, getting past those "draw novels", and themes. On Thursday I'll post my little interview with Steven Pressfield and give-away a few copies of his book, The War of Art.
If you'd like a chance to win a copy of The War of Art you've got a few options:
Option 1: Check out Steven's Writing Wednesdays and tell me what you think them (in the comments of this post) and you'll get one entry.
Option 2: Visit me Thursday for the interview and leave a comment on Thursday's post and you'll get one entry in the drawing.
Option 3: Spread the word on your blog about Thursday's give-away and you'll get two entries in the drawing (email me or leave a comment in today's post to let me know if you do this).
So, check out Steven's website and his Writing Wednesdays and if his style or his way with words or his advice and insight speak to you definitely get yourself an entry or two in the drawing.
FYI: I can only ship within the continental US.
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