Month: June 2013
How hard is it to stop drinking? How hard is it to overcome an addiction? How hard is it to break free of a toxic relationship, a twisted family dynamic, a destructive marriage? How hard is it to make those changes permanent? When we talk about the switch from the mindset of the amateur to the mindset of the professional, we’re talking about a total, fundamental, life-overthrowing revolution. That’s why it’s so hard. The amateur is in the habit of yielding to Resistance, just as the alcoholic is in the habit of taking a drink. I can’t prove this, but…
Read MoreMickey listens to her father’s comments about the high school ball player, then goes to the fence for a closer look. She returns to tell Gus, her father, that he was right. The young player’s “hand’s drift.” “How did you know that if you can’t see him?” she asks Gus, whose failing vision is as clear as sludge. “Because I’ve been in this business too damn long, that’s why.” “No, it’s more than that. Tell me.” “It’s the sound you hear. It’s like a ball coming off the bat, or exploding into a glove. It’s a pure sound. You’ll know…
Read MoreI’ve been thinking a lot lately about what makes a book publishable. A friend once described me, during my years in the wilderness, as “the man who has written more words for less money” than anybody he knew. I know I’m not the only one about whom such an observation has been made. Why was that early stuff so bad? How did it get better? What’s the difference between work that editors sling into the trash and work that they proudly put their names on? I can’t speak for anyone else, but there’s one factor that played a huge part…
Read MoreAre you writing a novel? Don’t talk about it. Are you recording a new album, planning a new product launch, gestating a new philanthropic venture? Keep your mouth shut. Talking too soon is bad luck. It’s bad karma. I go even farther. Here’s a short quote from an upcoming book called The Authentic Swing: I’m superstitious. I have habits. I always give a false name to the book I’m working on. I never use the real title when creating the working file. Why? Because the devil might see the real title. Then he would have power to jinx it. I…
Read MoreI love the Frank Sinatra standard My Way (written by Paul Anka). It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it . . . And now, the end is here And so I face the final curtain My Friend, I’ll say it clear I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain I’ve lived a life that’s full I traveled each and ev’ry highway And more, much more than this, I did it my way A few weeks back I wrote a piece pulled from an interview Louis C.K. did with the New York Times. The entire interview’s a great read,…
Read MoreA thought to remember when we wake up each morning and confront anew that dastardly dragon: Resistance comes second. The Dream comes first. The dream of whatever work or enterprise or endeavor you and I are called to. Resistance is the shadow cast by that dream. Resistance is the equal-and-opposite-reaction of nature to the New Thing that you and I are called to bring forth out of nothing. There would be no Resistance without the Dream. The Dream comes first. Resistance follows. The other thing to keep in mind is that Resistance’s strength is equal to the power of the…
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