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Author Archives: Steven Pressfield

Downrange: An Informal Report on a trip to Afghanistan with Marine Gen. James N. Mattis

By Steven Pressfield | Published: March 13, 2010
[Part Two of Four] 6. Kabul is a Third World city, squalid as mud and dirty as hell. Every building that’s above the level of the people is built like a fortress; compounds with high walls topped with razor wire, AK-toting guards out front and security cameras atop Y-shaped posts. At the airport, guard towers are [...]
Posted in Afghanistan, Editorial | 1 Comment

Downrange: An Informal Report on a trip to Afghanistan with Marine Gen. James N. Mattis

By Steven Pressfield | Published: March 12, 2010
Part One of Four 1. Jim Mattis is a four-star Marine general. He doesn’t go out of his way to be quotable; he just can’t help himself.  Here, from Iraq 2004, are his instructions to the Marines under his command on how to conduct themselves with the natives they will encounter. Be polite.  Be professional.  But have [...]
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Writing Wednesdays #30: Write For a Star

By Steven Pressfield | Published: March 10, 2010
“Write for a star” is one of the primal axioms of screenwriting, but it has applications across many other fields as well. What does it mean to write for a star? Writing for a star means create a role that a star wants to play. Your story may be dynamite, your structure may be sound, your [...]
Posted in Writing Wednesdays | 6 Comments

Writing Wednesdays #29: Depth of Work, Part Two

By Steven Pressfield | Published: March 3, 2010
You have to be a little crazy to be a writer or an artist or an entrepreneur. A certain breed of insanity is required to chase a dream or to seek to bring into manifestation something that only you see or hear. I’ve gotten to know, over the years, a few genuine warriors  (I mean [...]
Posted in Writing Wednesdays | 15 Comments