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.
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?"
Makes me wonder if you saw the end of that UConn men’s basketball game Saturday night! “My” two teams had been eliminated, and I’d sworn off the tournament. Then on a whim I checked in to see what was happening and watched the most exciting finish to a game I’d ever seen, a game one analyst said we’ll be talking about for the next hundred years. It changed my entire outlook on life and that is not hyperbole 🙂
Jackieon April 1, 2026 at 2:05 pm
Maureen, I don’t follow college ball and generally limit tv. But I had to check out the game you referenced. What an inspiring finish.
During the mid-1970s, the Rolling Stones began a tour by performing on the back of a flatbed truck in downtown NYC. Responding to a Rolling Stone magazine interviewer’s query as to whether this would be the Stones’ last tour, Mick Jagger scoffed: “What the hell ELSE are we going to do?” (The band got their start in 1962-63, and they’re STILL making records and touring today.)
I think about writing pretty much the same way: Regardless how much work we may produce at the end of any given day, we recognize that we have the gift (or is it a curse?), the ability, and the calling to do this kind of work. What the hell ELSE are we going to do? 😉 🤣
Which reminds me of a quote attributed to Stephen King. When asked why he didn’t just stop writing now that he’s made all that money he replied, “What makes you think I can stop?”
That is the truth, every little piece and moment has value it is part of the bigger picture, some pieces are just deeper requiring more excavation and exaction it is only that, and that in itself is relative so it’s really progress even if tiny or small it moves the story forward, amen
Muriel Palmer-Rheaon April 1, 2026 at 5:17 am
For some curious reason, I seem to rise up to the challenge of a Prompt. Yesterday morning, a prompt appeared in my inbox with 3 days to reply. I thought about it for 12 hours and created a reply, sent it back. It will be judged and commented on, and I will forget about it for the 3 weeks it will take for the judgement to get back to me.It cost a fee, which I gladly paid. One of my best songs came together as the result of a prompt. So what is the psychological mechanism here? Am I just showing off, that throw me a one word title and I’ll give you something back? It’s a mystery that I will go dry for ages, until a prompt appears, and I’m off like a Greyhound chasing a mechanical bunny to bring it down.
Good on you, Muriel.. Keep chasing those “mechanical bunnies.” Rising to presented challenges…
The tortoise truly does win the race. The obvious alternative to picking away at the defense/making daily progress on our projects is allowing the devil, Resistance, to gain the momentum…
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.
Thank you very much for the parallelism dear Steve.
Yes, everything counts. Remember how earth was made? With cosmic dust. Every dust made earth possible. ANd then real.
Continuing writing every day. And the Judge is dead.
No matter how bad a player or team was beaten, I’ve never watched them leave the field and quit before the game ended.
Makes me wonder if you saw the end of that UConn men’s basketball game Saturday night! “My” two teams had been eliminated, and I’d sworn off the tournament. Then on a whim I checked in to see what was happening and watched the most exciting finish to a game I’d ever seen, a game one analyst said we’ll be talking about for the next hundred years. It changed my entire outlook on life and that is not hyperbole 🙂
Maureen, I don’t follow college ball and generally limit tv. But I had to check out the game you referenced. What an inspiring finish.
👏🏀
During the mid-1970s, the Rolling Stones began a tour by performing on the back of a flatbed truck in downtown NYC. Responding to a Rolling Stone magazine interviewer’s query as to whether this would be the Stones’ last tour, Mick Jagger scoffed: “What the hell ELSE are we going to do?” (The band got their start in 1962-63, and they’re STILL making records and touring today.)
I think about writing pretty much the same way: Regardless how much work we may produce at the end of any given day, we recognize that we have the gift (or is it a curse?), the ability, and the calling to do this kind of work. What the hell ELSE are we going to do? 😉 🤣
Which reminds me of a quote attributed to Stephen King. When asked why he didn’t just stop writing now that he’s made all that money he replied, “What makes you think I can stop?”
That is the truth, every little piece and moment has value it is part of the bigger picture, some pieces are just deeper requiring more excavation and exaction it is only that, and that in itself is relative so it’s really progress even if tiny or small it moves the story forward, amen
For some curious reason, I seem to rise up to the challenge of a Prompt. Yesterday morning, a prompt appeared in my inbox with 3 days to reply. I thought about it for 12 hours and created a reply, sent it back. It will be judged and commented on, and I will forget about it for the 3 weeks it will take for the judgement to get back to me.It cost a fee, which I gladly paid. One of my best songs came together as the result of a prompt. So what is the psychological mechanism here? Am I just showing off, that throw me a one word title and I’ll give you something back? It’s a mystery that I will go dry for ages, until a prompt appears, and I’m off like a Greyhound chasing a mechanical bunny to bring it down.
Good on you, Muriel.. Keep chasing those “mechanical bunnies.” Rising to presented challenges…
The tortoise truly does win the race. The obvious alternative to picking away at the defense/making daily progress on our projects is allowing the devil, Resistance, to gain the momentum…
The most important lesson in writing that I know of is that we have to allow ourselves to write poorly in order to keep up the habit, to turn pro.
Great point:-)