What about today? Remember John Lennon’s song, Working Class Hero?
And you think you’re so clever and classless and free
But you’re still f**king peasants as far as I can see
In the most profound psychological sense, we are still cave men and women.
Our psyches, down to the very foundations of the Unconscious, were formed in the hundreds of thousands of years of evolution when we lived and depended for our survival upon the tribal band or its equivalent to which we belonged. The virtues we lived by—and had to, to survive—were obedience, reverence for elders, adherence to the old ways.
The capacity for self-discipline is not innate. How many possess it even today? Independence of thought? That’s a phenomenon as recent as the cheeseburger and the S-class Tesla.
We’re cave men and women now, you and I, and we must face that reality if we aspire to transcend that state and become independent artists and creators.
Steve shows you the predictable Resistance points that every writer hits in a work-in-progress and then shows you how to deal with each one of these sticking points. This book shows you how to keep going with your work.
A short book about the writing of a first novel: for Steve, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Having failed with three earlier attempts at novels, here's how Steve finally succeeded.
NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T
Steve shares his "lessons learned" from the trenches of the five different writing careers—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and self-help. This is tradecraft. An MFA in Writing in 197 pages.
Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have pro habits. When we turn pro, we give up the comfortable life but we find our power. Steve answers the question, "How do we overcome Resistance?"
Patronu aradığında sürekli hasta olduğunu söyleyerek iş yerine yalan söylüyor
porno hikaye Patronu artık bu kadarının gerçek olamayacağını ve rapor görmek istediğini dile getirip telefonu kapatıyor
türbanlı Olgun kadın hemen bilgisayarının başına geçip özel bir doktor buluyor ve onu arayarak evine davet ediyor
porno Muayene için eve gelen doktor olgun kadını muayene ediyor ve hiç bir sıkıntı olmadığını söylüyor
brazzers porno Sarışın ablamız ise iş yerine rapor götürmesi gerektiğini bu yüzden rapor yazmasını istiyor
brazzers porno fakat doktor bunun pek mümkün olmadığını dile getiriyor
sex hikayeleri Daha sonra evli olan bu kahpe doktora iş atarak ona yavşıyor ve istediğini alana kadar durmuyor
Porno İzle Karılarını takas etmek isteyen elemanlar hep birlikte evde buluşuyor
türkçe porno Güzel vakit geçirdikten sonra kızlara isteklerini iletiyorlar ve hatunlarda kocalarının bu isteklerini kabul ediyorlar
seks hikayeleri Hemen ellerine telefonları alan elemanlar karılarına video eşliğinde sakso çektiriyorlar
porno izle Hiç beklemeden sikişe geçen elemanlar hatunları değiştire değiştire sikmeye başlıyorlar.
Patronu aradığında sürekli hasta olduğunu söyleyerek iş yerine yalan söylüyor
porno hikaye Patronu artık bu kadarının gerçek olamayacağını ve rapor görmek istediğini dile getirip telefonu kapatıyor
türbanlı Olgun kadın hemen bilgisayarının başına geçip özel bir doktor buluyor ve onu arayarak evine davet ediyor
porno Muayene için eve gelen doktor olgun kadını muayene ediyor ve hiç bir sıkıntı olmadığını söylüyor
brazzers porno Sarışın ablamız ise iş yerine rapor götürmesi gerektiğini bu yüzden rapor yazmasını istiyor
brazzers porno fakat doktor bunun pek mümkün olmadığını dile getiriyor
sex hikayeleri Daha sonra evli olan bu kahpe doktora iş atarak ona yavşıyor ve istediğini alana kadar durmuyor
Porno İzle Karılarını takas etmek isteyen elemanlar hep birlikte evde buluşuyor
türkçe porno Güzel vakit geçirdikten sonra kızlara isteklerini iletiyorlar ve hatunlarda kocalarının bu isteklerini kabul ediyorlar
seks hikayeleri Hemen ellerine telefonları alan elemanlar karılarına video eşliğinde sakso çektiriyorlar
porno izle Hiç beklemeden sikişe geçen elemanlar hatunları değiştire değiştire sikmeye başlıyorlar.
Your comment rings true.
> The virtues we lived by—and had to, to survive—were obedience, reverence for elders, adherence to the old ways.
As a father of a young child, and what I hope to be a strong man one day, I unfortunately see the degradation in our society; both in how children are raised and what they see – and the obvious implications of what was referenced above.
What our country and media not only proliferate but profligate to them.
This doesn’t seem to be the case in all countries. Why in the US?
The idea that I have independent thought is believable. What’s difficult to sustain is the idea my thoughts matter. Therefore disciplining myself to write, to create often feels like a waste of time. Powerless, and futile, my take on our existence isn’t screaming into the void, it’s my broken-hearted silence at Christmas dinner.
Thank you so much dear Steve.
We use only a small fracture of our capacities. I was wandering yesterday amongst the people in the crowded center, and I was struck by the numbers of lives out there. Life is not one, it is billions, trillions. And yet even at the most beautiful places we consider that magic as for granted and we lose touch. The man or woman who has to work many hours a day can’t hear the self, except the shadow-self that is attached and arranged by the job. The self is a wild beast, it can be tamed, but in doing so, minimized.
Yet the secret lies where you mention, inside the thousands of years of evolution and the millions of combinations that create life. What is the secret then? Hm, it can be that we are infinite.
Happy New Year dear mentor, and Diana, and all the people of love, may the Force always be in your favor. i wish love and peace and wisdom and the rare chance to break loose from the rat race of life and get onto the stream of wonders. Ah, and then to keep the wonders alive.
Tolis, I wish the same for you. Thank you for your eloquence.
So much to learn. All the time.
Happy New Year with health and peace.
Hugs
On his deathbed, the late David Cassidy (may he rest in peace), reportedly stated, “…So much wasted time” (or words to that effect).
Life humbles you as you age. You realize how much time you wasted on nonsense. I interpret all of this thusly: If you have something to tell the world, do it now! Wishing a safe, healthy, Happy (& productive) New Year 2026 to all of us!
Wishing all the courage to continue your unique journeys. Peace, good health, and thanks to Steve and all who gather here.
Jackie, yes.
This is the last day of 2025, Steve & Diana. Yesterday I got the post from you through Go Fund Me, detailing the final items on your To-Do list. To me, it was staggering. Architectt approval by Engineering.. I stopped reading the list way early, but here you are, right on schedule with us. Thank you, Steve, the world is still on schedule, just like the train system in Switzerland! You impress me. I regard my world as a series of juggling balls, and some drop, I decide that juggling is something to put aside for a bit, but you have become a Master Juggler, even trading some of the ones in your circuit with someone ( the Architect, the Engineer, us on Wednesday morning) without missing a beat! I’m impressed. Thank you, and have a beautiful New Year. I will attempt to emulate your example as a New Year Challenge.
Thank you Steve.
Explorers. Willing to risk leaving the safety of the group. Abandoning all that’s familiar to see what lies past the mountains, through the woods, across the water.
Yep
Millions of people have to do their jobs everyday so that we can be “independent”. Same goes for people who live off of the grid.
This line struck me:
“The capacity for self-discipline is not innate.”
My Wife would agree. She leans into this when I get frustrated seeing her loafing in bed or on the couch on her damn phone. She wants to get shit done but she doesn’t. She always says, “I’m not like you. I can’t just go go go and do do do.”
I don’t know where my self-discipline comes from. I just figured it was something innate. I still kind of do but reading that line made me question myself. I think was gives me my self-discipline more than anything else is knowing what the feelings are that I experience when I don’t get shit done. I don’t necessary want to be self-disciplined but I REALLY don’t want to feel like a piece of garbage for not being productive when I could have. Maybe that means self-discipline isn’t innate because I’m sort of playing a psychological trick on myself to activate it.
*I think WHAT gives me…
This reminds me of one definition of displine, remembering what you want. I think it’s remembering what you want MOST. Who cares if it’s, as you say, a psychological trick? It works.
Thank you, Steve, for your posts — and to everyone who weighs in on those!
Innate self-discipline gets me to thinking. Can we reflect what we see? What if we see both sides and at some point choose?
My mom never really had many outside interests or goals. She wrote poetry but never pursued the discipline. She lives with regrets. My dad had many pursuits and followed through on many fronts. Dad’s regret was that he wasn’t immortal to keep going.
One sibling chose ease. She’s not a happy person. Two siblings take their goals too an extreme and are not happy.
Learning from my family’s choices, I seek balance. I have goals, but I also want to have fun on this journey. Work/rest/balance, some days, no way. Some days, yes.
I work hard to know when I’m true to myself. Others may choose not to know. But that is up to them. We can only choose our own path not another’s.
“One sibling chose ease” hit me hard, Jackie. I once had lunch with a friend who, like me, was creating a new path for herself. “I want a nice life,” she said. And I thought, “I’m glad I got that out of my system. I want an interesting life.”
So the questions become, “Will this make for a better story?” And to your point about balance, “Will I have the good sense to savor it?”
Maureen, the question I’ ve always asked is, “Is this journey mine?” So much around us holds sway and influence. Can we cut through the crap and be true to ourself?
💯
I’m all for this idea. And yet, what is this constant urge to express, seek, unravel? Hmmm.
I see you defeated the resistance again today 🙂
Thanks for the wonderful message. Something to carry along into the new year! Sending lots of healthy + good wishes to you and your loved ones!
Dear Steve & Diana,
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank you for such thoughtful content each Wednesday. Wishing everyone here a prosperous new year ahead. I always appreciate the inspiration I receive from this community.
Kate
Finding ‘The Why’ moment to moment during the day and remembering the desired end result of our actions keeps Me on track and annoys almost everyone around.
Unapologetically,
Tim
Another year of finished work made possible by returning again and again to your words of motivation and inspiration, Steve. You may not realize it, but through your books and blog posts, you have been mentoring me from a distance for nearly two decades. That mentorship has mattered, and it has paid off.
There is no real need to mark the end of one year and the start of another. Each day stands on its own as a chance to put your a** where your heart wants to be and to do the work. Thank you.
I was blessed to be in a coma for a couple of weeks when I was 18 months old. There went a normal functioning brain. It separated me from the herd. I admit that when I was young, I was somewhat different, and I lamented that, but now I consider it a blessing.
I credit my father’s lessons about balance for keeping me out of trouble and out of the trap of normal choices.
My concession to the norm is that I keep to the old ways.
Blessings
Donna