When I read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, I felt like I was in a Bible Revival meeting. After each page, I wanted to yell, “Amen, brother!” I identified closely to Pressfield’s description of the creative process. I was anticipating a similar feeling when I read his follow up book Turning Pro. “Turning…
I started off last month’s update saying that I was disappointed in my efforts for the Genius Project in January. I realized afterward that I was being a bit hard on myself. My goal was to spend a minimum of 30 hours a month on the Genius Project and any time I reach that target,…
My intention was to get this post out sooner, but the siren call of procrastination beckoned… This is my first update for the Genius Project — my attempt to spend 10,000 hours developing as a playwright. My efforts in January were a little disappointing. But I started the month recovering from a holiday cold and…
“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” Chinese Proverb Last week, I heard on the radio why New Year’s Resolutions don’t work. Apparently, we get caught up in the hysteria of resolution-making and either make too many resolutions or they aren’t specific enough or we…
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana I originally meant to write this post a couple of weeks ago, but a Christmas cold grabbed hold of me and refused to let go. Although the cold is still lingering, I figured I better get this post done before January ended.…
I have been fascinated with the concept of the 10,000 Hour Rule since reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers a few years ago. He talks about the concept that people who are masters or geniuses in their field of expertise have spent upwards of 10,000 hours delving into that topic. Mozart wrote his first “masterpiece” when he…
Earlier in the year, I was talking to a professional writer when they went on a rant about books on writing. “Writing can’t be taught from a book!” I nodded in agreement, but with a guilty heart. I had a few books on writing at home — I had even read a couple of them.…
Last year, I wrote a post called “My Year of Living Dangerously” and I called it that because I was starting the ITP (Independent Television Producer) program and journeying into the world of self-employment. The ITP program provided a bi-weekly stipend until August. But with the stipend being absent for almost four months, I realize…
It’s the morning after the night before… Actually, it’s the “evening” after the night before. Last night, I had a public reading of the play (“Out to the Folks”) I’ve been working on for two years. And I’m still basking in the afterglow… However, I don’t want to fall into the trap that I usually fall…
Last week, I was invited to go see some young poets read from their works at a Chapters store. My friend Kevin teaches grade two in an elementary school and runs a writing club after classes. He had arranged the reading. The club is made up of kids from grades 3 to grade 8. I…
peter gruner 