4 ms·
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is a good start
by uberstuber 10y ago
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is a good start
- danielvf 10y agoSeconded. Fantastic. And I'd also recommend "On Writing" by Stephen King.
- ericzawo 10y agoI was just telling a friend how important this book is in highlighting the nuts and bolts of writing in that it's a lot like building stuff. We tend to romanticize the writer as having ideas come to them with hot cocoa and a NYT bestseller literally pouring from their fingertips, but the reality is a lot closer to grinding at an especially punishing task. Mr. King highlights it wonderfully, and even if you're not a fan of his work (huh?), I highly recommend you read it.
- salemh 10y agoIt also contains a chapter he wrote pre-edit, then post-edit, and why things were kept, reduced, taken out, etc. One of the most helpful things I've seen from a professional writer.
- FlailFast 10y agoThirded to the above, and I'd humbly add Orwell's seminal 1946 essay "Politics and the English Language."[1] [1]https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm
- mad44 10y agoHere are brief reviews of The War of Art as well as Pressfield's most recent book: Nobody wants to read your shit http://muratbuffalo.blogspot.com/2016/04/book-review-war-of-art-by-steven.html http://muratbuffalo.blogspot.com/2016/04/book-review-war-of-... http://muratbuffalo.blogspot.com/2016/06/nobody-wants-to-read-your-shit.html http://muratbuffalo.blogspot.com/2016/06/nobody-wants-to-rea...
- instakill 10y agoSo is "nobody wants to read your shit" by the same author.
- tonyedgecombe 10y agoI really didn't get on with that book at all, I felt it was quite empty in terms of useful advice.