The Art of War for Writers

You might also like The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

I like Bell very much...

Mscelina,

Love this. This is great advice.

I especially like this one, "A hero makes his luck; a fool cries about how unlucky he is."

That is so true. I really believe we make our own opportunities in life.

Thanks for sharing that with us.

alleycat said:

You might also like The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

Click to expand...

That's a great book.

I love this book!! I bought it a few months ago, and then it up and disappeared. I'm quite annoyed. I think it must have fallen behind a bedside table. But I don't have enough room in here to change my mind, let alone anything else.

When we get properly moved out of the in-laws place, I'm going to make a thorough search for it.

I just have The Art of War on my shelf... I like Sun Tzu's original

This is great advice, but only pertinent if your work doesn't suck.

In my case, alas . . .

caw

Sound advice top to bottom. It's possible to substitute for writing any creative activity that requires hard work and constant learning, and every passage still hits the mark.

This book is going on my To Read list right now. I like his other writing books and this one sounds great.

An excellent book - right by my laptop for a fast reading break.

I'll have to hunt down that book. Very sound advice! And I agree with Fizzy: the advice applies to more than just writing. I know some musicians IRL that could use this advice as well.

Love it.

I know I promised myself "no more craft/inspiration books" because I have enough that I haven't read to stun an ox, but I'll probably track this one down. I'm also going to circulate the passage amongst my writing group; we have people in various stages of publication attempts from querying to "oohing" and "ahhing" over cover art.

I am a master of regrouping, and I have the butt-bruises to prove it.

Love them all except the first. A hero knows it takes hard work and a long time to get published; a fool thinks it should happen immediately, because he thinks he's a hero already.

It isn't about knowing or thinking, it's about what actually happens and what doesn't. I've known far too many writers who didn't have to work hard, or take a long time, to get published.

How comes I seem to fall on the fool side for all those questions?

Jamesaritchie said:

Love them all except the first. A hero knows it takes hard work and a long time to get published; a fool thinks it should happen immediately, because he thinks he's a hero already.

It isn't about knowing or thinking, it's about what actually happens and what doesn't. I've known far too many writers who didn't have to work hard, or take a long time, to get published.

Click to expand...

I'm in two minds about your post, JAR.

One one hand, I could say - truthfully - that I sold my first book to the first publisher I sent it to.

Then again...it took me 33 years to write that book after numerous false starts/trunked projects.

It was like I crossed the line or flipped a switch and ding! I was good enough to be published, so...once I was 'good enough', then great. It just took me a while to get my arse in gear, really.

scarletpeaches said:

I'm in two minds about your post, JAR.

One one hand, I could say - truthfully - that I sold my first book to the first publisher I sent it to.

Then again...it took me 33 years to write that book after numerous false starts/trunked projects.

It was like I crossed the line or flipped a switch and ding! I was good enough to be published, so...once I was 'good enough', then great. It just took me a while to get my arse in gear, really.

Click to expand...

It's different for every writer. I can't help but suspect there really is a switch, and when it clicks determines everything.

I'm all for hard work, I believe in hard work, when necessary, and just because something comes easy and fast doesn't mean you don't still put in the hours and the effort after you're published.

But what is hard work? Before becoming a writer, I sometimes held down three jobs, all physical labor jobs, and worked up to eighteen hours per day for months on end. That was hard work.

I wrote my first novel in three weeks, my agent sent it to an editor immediately, and the editor bought it within a week or so. I worked very long hours for those twenty-one days, but it wasn't hard work.

Now, thanks to my own seeming inability to say no, I sometimes get under several tight deadlines, and again I have to put in very long hours when this happens. But it's not hard work. Most often, I'm not under really tight deadline, and I write only five hours per day While I try to get better each time out, while I try to practice something new with each session, these sessions are still pretty leisurely.

It's just not difficult to write 2,500 words in five hours, but this is still a bunch of words each year. Where else could I work five hours per day, get a two hour lunch, and still earn a living, all without breaking a sweat?

I suspect many who say it's really hard work are talking about a cumulative amount of work. They already work a full time job, or have a busy family, etc., and have to find some way to squeeze in writing time after they're already physically and/or emotionally drained. Or it takes them years and years to get published. Or both.

But the act of sitting down and writing for five hours per day, especially when you break up those five hours with an easy lunch and a long walk, and all your time is your own, isn't hard work. It just isn't.

It's fun. Not always easy, but always fun. To me at least. But then I like a challenge.

And tt42 and I are always saying to each other on MSN - "I LOVE THIS JOB!"

Doesn't even feel like a job a lot of the time. It's play.

Jimbo's a buddy of mine, and this is one of his best. Buy it.

Excellent stuff. I need to track down a copy and stick it in the pile next to my computer, right next to Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing.

Jamesaritchie said:

Love them all except the first. A hero knows it takes hard work and a long time to get published; a fool thinks it should happen immediately, because he thinks he's a hero already.

It isn't about knowing or thinking, it's about what actually happens and what doesn't. I've known far too many writers who didn't have to work hard, or take a long time, to get published.

Click to expand...

I think the point is that you shouldn't just *expect* everything to be laid out for you on a plate.

Loved this book too, and keep the middle section bookmarked for re-reading (the craft section.)