Steven Pressfield - Reviews

Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t

Steven Pressfield
Black Irish Entertainment LLC
Nonfiction, Writing
****

Description

Be they screenwriters or novelists, poets or essayists, every writer loves their words and ideas and can't wait to share them with the world. All too often, the world couldn't care less. How can you make them care? A veteran writer offers advice in this collection of lessons culled from years in advertizing, screenwriting, and more.

Review

I grabbed this for my Kindle during a freebie promotional window, having only vaguely heard of the author and his works before. He doesn't mince words here, bluntly delivering facts that all writers in all media simply have to accept before they can begin grappling with them. After giving the bad news (nobody out there is watching the clock, waiting with bated breath for the moment your shining words appear in their lives), Pressfield offers solutions that address many of the major problems between the would-be writer (or speaker, or playwright, etc.) and the general public. Coming from an advertizing and Hollywood background, he tends to be direct, without any college literature class puffery; when he talks about concept and theme, he's not talking about how to dissect Melville or Austen, but about how to make your message relatable and attractive to the customer, i.e. the buying public. Most of it's information that can be found elsewhere, but Pressfield offers it in a memorable, streamlined format, with short, clear chapters. I found it useful, especially considering the price.

The War of Art

Steven Pressfield
Black Irish Entertainment LLC
Nonfiction, Creativity
****

Description

We all have our callings, but so often we deny ourselves - denying the world what we could give, in favor of what we think we should give. Screenwriter and author Steven Pressfield offers thoughts on creativity, the forces of the Muse and Resistance, and how to overcome obstacles to discovering and following our passions.

Review

As usual for these books, it looks easy on paper... Pressfield draws on sources from classical literature to various religions to Hollywood hits, for advice that generally boils down to "the only way to be an artist is to sit down and make art." The rest is fear and peer pressure, which Pressfield classifies as Resistance, a force opposed by the "Muse" of the higher self. He starts drifting (or outright careening) toward spirituality and a God-ordered universe as the book goes on, sometimes repeating himself (in spirit if not direct words), with an unspoken implication that atheists and agnostics are lying to themselves about their own creativity or sources of inspiration. It got heavy handed enough to nearly cost it a half-star, but overall it's a decent kick in the tail to those of us who keep letting Resistance (and the accompanying misery) win the battle.