a story (whether it’s a movie, a play, a novel, or a piece of nonfiction) is experienced by the reader on the level of the soul. And the soul has a universal structure of narrative receptors. Jung was right. There is a collective unconscious. Joseph Campbell was right. Myths and legends do constitute the fabric of the self.

At the inception of any project I ask myself, “What is the concept?”

The All Is Lost Moment comes toward the end of Act Two in any movie. Look for it. Minute 72 to Minute 78. It’ll be there.

A beginning that grabs the listener. A middle that escalates in tension, suspense, stakes, and excitement. And an ending that brings it all home with a bang.

The War of Art employed all the storytelling principles of fiction and movies, as well as a number of ideas from advertising. It had a concept and a theme. It employed three-act structure. It had a hero and a villain, a narrative device, a voice. It had an inciting incident and an All Is Lost moment and it paid off on-theme. In other words, like

At the inception of any project I ask myself, “What is the concept?”

When you try too hard, you have bad ideas. When you work mechanically, you have bad ideas. When you follow formula, you have bad ideas. When you’re desperate or panicky, you have bad ideas.

If you don’t ask for the sale, how are you gonna get it?

The concept in The War of Art is “Forget Time Management and Motivational Pep Talks and tips about How to Aim High, Persevere, and Succeed. Instead let’s dig beneath everything and state straight-out what all of us know but have never dared say: There is an Evil Force that is constantly defeating us as artists and bringing to naught all of our