Review of the War of Art by Steven Pressfield

At the recent UW-Madison Writer’s Institute I attended a breakout session and the presenter mentioned about 100 times to buy the Pressfield book because it would teach you how to end writer’s block once and for all.  While I typically don’t suffer from writer’s block I certainly do suffer from slow down periods, self-distraction and general procrastination.

Pressfield became prominent with his first novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance, at the age of 52.  He held many jobs beginning with a stint in the Marines followed by:  advertising copy writer, school teacher, truck driver, bartender, oilfield roustabout, attendant at a mental hospital, fruit picker in Washington state and finally screenwriter.  These jobs and his travels gave him a depth of human experience.  He has written six other novels and three non-fiction books.  All of the non-fiction books deal with the topic of being a professional writer.

Pressfield writes that the mortal enemy of all writers is – Resistance.  Resistance is generally defined as anything that shoves us away, distracts us or prevents us from doing the work of writing.  It is a purely negative force that is self-generated and self-perpetuated.    In a word, resistance is self-sabotage.  At the core of resistance is fear and of the fears one of the most dangerous is the fear of success.

What is the solution to combating and winning over resistance?  Turning professional – not like a lawyer or stock broker but comparing professional to amateur.  By professional Pressfield means dedicating your life to your art, a full time commitment.  I am a member of a local civic theater group and everyone is an amateur.  They love the theater but they have lives with spouses, kids, jobs to make money and many other things, their activity in the theater is purely for the love of it – amateur.  When Somerset Maugham was asked if he writes by schedule or inspiration he replied:  “I write only when inspiration strikes.  Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”

Pressfield also claims that another quality of a professional is that they view their work as craft not as art.  Others view the work as art.  Pressfield devotes many short, pithy chapters to defining the attributes of being a professional.  Turing professional is not difficult according to Pressfield

“There’s no mystery to turning pro.  It’s a decision brought about by an act of will.  We make up our mind to view ourselves as pros and we do it. Simple as that.”

The final section of The WAR of ART tackles the mystical.  Pressfield begins each work day by reciting the Invocation of the Muse from Homer’s Odyssey as translated by T.E. Lawrence (yup, Lawrence of Arabia), the last line reads:  “Make this tale live for us in all its many bearings, O Muse . . .” The purpose of the prayer is to realize that the act of creating taps into the universal, going beyond our limited physical existence.  Pressfield also relies on Carl Jung and his theory of ego, SELF and includes the personal and universal unconscious.  He defines the Self in three short statements:  “Dreams come from the Self.  Ideas come from the Self.  The Self is our deepest being.”  Writers and other artists can overcome resistance by allowing themselves to experience the Self.

Pressfield explains what this means succinctly:  “When the hack sits down to work, he doesn’t ask himself what’s in his own heart.  He asks what the market is looking for.”  For me, this was the clearest explanation that I have ever read.  At the UW-Madison Writer’s Institute it bothered me about the number of people I met that are writing young adult novels.  When you ask them why, to a person the answer is, it sells or because I want to get published.  Frankly, they are hacks.  In fact, sadly, over the years I’ve attended the Writer’s Institute the focus has changed from learning craft to learning how to sell.

Pressfield’s book struck a chord with me exactly at the time I needed the message in his book.  I have been frustrated getting published having wasted 2 ½ years with a publisher with no book, deciding to self-publish, and now because of fate have submitted my manuscript to a small Wisconsin publisher and am waiting their verdict.  If they’re not interested I can still self-publish.  Through the gauntlet I’ve run my desire to create a highly crafted, well-written book has taken precedence over just getting published.  The book is what is important and that’s a focus I must maintain if I’m to sit down and work every day.

Pressfield summarizes perfectly:  “We were put here on earth to act as agents of the Infinite, to bring into existence that which is not yet, but which will be, through us.”

Buy this book.  Read it.  Be a pro.