Episode · How I Write · 2023-11-22
Books mentioned on A Master Storyteller Reveals His Secrets | Steven Pressfield | How I Write Podcast
David Perell discussed The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Daily Pressfield by Steven Pressfield, Zero to One by Peter Thiel and others, and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Steven Pressfield discussed Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield, The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield, and The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and others.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby by F.
Discussed“You know Hunter S. Thompson rewrote the Great Gatsby just so he could feel what it was like to Write a great novel.”
Where to get it
-
Gates of Fire
Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield is a historical novel detailing the heroic Spartan stand at the Battle of Thermopylae.
Discussed“The Legend of Bagger Vance and Gates of Fire.”
Where to get it
-
The Legend of Bagger Vance
The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield is a mystical historical novel that reimagines the Hindu spiritual text the Bhagavad Gita through the lens of a depressed veteran participating in a high-stakes golf tournament during the Great Depression.
Discussed“The Legend of Bagger Vance and Gates of Fire.”
Where to get it
-
The Daily Pressfield
The Daily Pressfield by Steven Pressfield is a structured daily guide and companion journal designed to help writers and creators overcome internal resistance, manage their time effectively, and maintain disciplined creative habits.
Discussed“I saw that in the Daily Pressfield and I thought that'd be an interesting rabbit hole to go down.”
Where to get it
-
Zero to One
Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters is a prominent business and technology book that explores how startups can build unique monopolies and create entirely new innovations rather than incremental improvements.
Discussed“Peter Thiel wrote Zero to One. But if you actually follow the thread, Zero to One is... A Christian book”
Where to get it
-
The War of Art
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is a practical guide on overcoming creative resistance, procrastination, and self-doubt to achieve professional discipline.
Discussed“What about stuff like this? And, and the War of Art and other...”
Where to get it
-
The 48 Laws of Power
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers is an exhaustive exploration of historical power dynamics, strategy, and manipulative human behavior.
Discussed“And, and again, it was sort of with luck where somebody came to him and said, Hey, I want you to write this book and the 48 laws of power.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“I was going to write The Sun Also Rises or something?”
“So anyway, that's, you'll like the book. The Authentic Swing, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Way better than the movie.”