Steven Pressfield is a writer known for both his film work and his fiction and nonfiction works in literature. He also gives great writing advice, regardless of the medium you’re writing for.
Let’s go over his top 13 rules for writing, and how to implement them.
1. ‘Recognize Your Enemy: the Resistance’
I think that this piece of advice really boils down to your eventual need to get over yourself. Everyone has something that they’re passionate about. Everyone has a dream in their head that they think, “If I were just a little more talented”, or “if things had worked out just a little differently,” then things may have worked. Get over yourself. The ones that succeed do, and they don’t stop trying. Ever.
2. ‘Use Resistance as a Compass’
If your inner resistance is giving you some imaginary reason why you can’t tell a specific story, whether it's due to talent, knowledge, experience, whatever, odds are, that’s the story you should try and tackle.
If it winds up working, then you’ll likely be met with an artistic grand slam. And if it doesn’t work, or it all crashes and burns, then odds are you’ve learned several invaluable lessons that you can take with you to the next project.
3. ‘Avoid the Allure of Distraction’
This one is pretty self-explanatory and can pretty much be used synonymously with the advice on resistance. Do your absolute best to avoid distractions while writing. Turn your phone off, leave it in the other room, invest in a device that locks you out of it, write at night when nobody needs you, anything helps. Find what works best for you, and implement it immediately.
4. ‘Choose to Be a Professional’
Guys…you have to invest in yourself. Treat your work and your craft with the respect and time it deserves. This doesn’t mean going into debt for your up-and-coming career, but just make a few little changes. Find time to write every day. Invest in proper software. Don’t make excuses for why you can’t write. Just write.
A friend of mine gave me a really powerful piece of advice once when I was down on my luck during job application season. I was up for a gig I really wanted, and wound up not getting it, and my friend replied with, “Why don’t you just act like you got it, and do the thing anyway,” as it was still an investment into my craft. I’ll never forget that phrasing. Act like what you want to become, and the rest will follow.
5. ‘Leverage the Power of the Universe’
‘Lady Bird’Credit: A24
You’ve got to put in the energy if you want luck and success to reach you. Nobody is coming to save you in this industry, so if you just hunker down and put in the work day after day, sooner or later that effort is going to compound into something truly special. You may get lucky, but that luck can’t come without a heaping helping of hard work first.
6. ‘Don’t Criticize Anyone Who’s in the Arena’
Let’s contextualize this one first. This does not mean don’t offer thoughtful critiques of work you’re engaging with. That’s not helpful, and it keeps people from growing. But never, ever, ever, make fun of someone for trying something. Especially if it doesn’t work. That’s when many get embarrassed and quit. Don’t ever be the reason someone gets embarrassed and quits.
7. ‘Prepare For Difficulty’
Being passionate about something means that you’re often going to have to put yourself through hell to get there. And most of the time, it’s a mental, rather than physical challenge.
Being so emotionally invested in your craft comes with some baggage. You shouldn’t be woe is me about these struggles, as that makes you look out of touch. Everyone experiences them; you’re not that special. But acknowledging that these struggles happen, and that they can be incredibly difficult, is just part of the process. Figure out how to deal with them in a way that works for you, and trudge on.
8. ‘Do it For You…Not Them’
There is a large pool of people that get involved with writing for the possibility of achieving an incredibly elite set of awards that are insurmountably difficult to obtain, and are the last type of goal that someone should devote their life trying to achieve.
The best reason to be a writer is that you love writing. If you’re burning to express yourself, and genuinely feel as if you have no other choice…you’re in it for the right reasons. Drown out the noise, and do it for you.
9. ‘Listen to Feedback With Your Ears…Not Your Heart’
Positive, helpful, actionable criticism from someone you trust and respect is invaluable to the writing process. If the right person is tough on your work, it’s because they care and want to see you succeed. Every note is one step towards a phenomenal piece of work. Treasure actionable criticism, and don’t take it to heart.
10. ‘Don’t Wait Till You Overcome Fear’
‘The Shining’Credit: Warner Bros.
This also goes hand in hand with the resistance points. Every single writer has been scared of something that they want to explore in their work. A large percentage of the time, that means you’re on the right track. Use fear as your compass as much as the resistance.
11. ‘Be Patient’
This process takes so much time. Many writers (including myself) get overexcited after they complete a draft, and rush to say it’s done. Don’t rush things. Treat every day like an investment and a stepping stone. One day that investment is likely to pay off. But be strategic about when you think the best time is to cash that in.
12. ‘Write About What Interests You’
Horror films are dominating the zeitgeist right now. But, as a writer, I don’t presently have a horror story in my head that I’m burning to tell. So I’m not going to rush one forward just to hop on the bandwagon. My heart wouldn’t be in that piece. And people would be able to tell when they read or watched it. People want to watch films that the filmmakers were passionate about making. Find a story you love and tell it. The right audience will follow.
13. ‘Give the Contribution Only You Can Give’
Last, but certainly not least. There is a tendency, especially with new writers, to get caught up in trying to be as original as possible when trying to break in. There’s a fear that pulling from old stories, or their creative inspirations, too heavily will make them look like they don’t have a clear and original sense of voice.
In this case, I implore you to remember that every single story that could ever possibly be told has already been told. But never from your own perspective and analysis. So, what if you’re writing a high school rom-com, and there are already a trillion of those. I’ve never seen it from your perspective, and I want to. Write from your soul, and people will notice.
