Turning Pro
by Steven Pressfield
The sequel to The War of Art: the amateur lives in distraction and shadow careers; the professional shows up, works daily, and defers gratification. Pressfield adds his own story of years wasted before turning pro. It is aphoristic, brief and repetitive, and some readers find it the more useful of the two.
Read it if…
you know what your real work is and keep doing a shadow version of it instead.
Skip it if…
you want new material; it overlaps heavily with The War of Art.
Three things you will actually use
- The amateur waits for inspiration; the pro has a schedule.
- Addictions and distractions are displaced calling.
- Turning pro is a decision, made daily.
Do this first
Name your shadow career, the safe imitation of the work you actually want, and schedule the real thing for tomorrow morning.
Our verdict
Brief and bracing; a companion piece.
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