About the Book:
"Pressfield is a riveting
storyteller and his advice might put some spine into you." —
Seattle Times
The Art of War meets The Artist's Way in this
no-nonsense, profoundly inspiring guide to overcoming creative blocks
of every kind. Exactly what the title says. Think of The War of
Art as tough love … for yourself. It tells you how to define,
understand, and defeat your own resistance to being a creative
professional.
"Creative work is… a gift to
the world and every being in it. Don't cheat us of your contribution.
Give us what you've got." — Steven Pressfield
What keeps so many of us from doing what we long to do? Why is
there a naysayer within? How can we avoid the roadblocks of any
creative endeavour — be it starting up a dream business venture,
writing a screenplay, or painting a masterpiece?
"Resistance has no strength
of its own. Every ounce of juice it possesses comes from us. We feed
it with power by our fear of it. Master that fear and we conquer
Resistance." — Steven Pressfield
In this powerful, straight-from-the-hip examination of the
internal obstacles to success, bestselling novelist Steven
Pressfield shows you how to identify, defeat, and unlock inner
inner barriers to creativity. Subtitled Break Through the
Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, this book is an
inspirational, funny, well-aimed kick in the pants that shows how to
reach the highest level of creative discipline.
What people say:
"As I closed The War
of Art, I felt a surge of positive calm. I now know I can
win this war. And if I can, so can you." — from the
foreword by Robert McKee, screenwriting guru
"I've never read a self help
book that wasn't fatuous, obvious and unhelpful. Until The
War of Art. It's amazingly cogent and smart on the
psychology of creation. If I ever teach a writing course this would
be one of the first books I'd assign." — Jay McInerney,
author of the Gen X classic Bright Lights, Big City (which he
adapted for the screen)
"The War of Art
is a real find in the overcrowded field of self-help books. It stands
out with its humor and its wisdom from a man who has faced his own
demons and come out swinging. If you just take one or two of the
suggestions in this book, you'll be moved to get up, to get going and
to try to create goals for your life. I don't just recommend this
book for writers, but for anyone who wants to be a little bit better
than they were the day before." — Gloria Naylor,
author of four novels, including
The Women of Brewster Place
"This brilliant and
challenging little book gives the most cogent reason for why we
procrastinate about the most important things in our lives. It is
both inspiring and daunting, and a must-read for people who ever find
themselves avoiding what they know in their hearts they should be
doing." — David Allen, productivity
consultant and the author of Getting Things Done
"A vital gem… a kick in the
ass." — Esquire
About the Author:
Steven Pressfield has been an enthusiastic golfer since the
age of ten. His debut novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance, was
made into a movie starring Matt Damon and Will Smith.
He is the author of the hugely successful historical novels Gates
of Fire, Tides of War, and Last of
the Amazons. and a well-known screenwriter whose screenplays
include Above the Law and Freejack.
A former Marine, he lives in the Los Angeles area.