{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/5c267bc58b414df94d0a5fd7/6a17477a83dd9b6e112d79c8?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Why Most Writers Build Characters Completely Wrong with Steven Pressfield","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/5c267bc58b414df94d0a5fd7/1779907634519-6ab349c5-38e7-423f-8eab-43d8484d9892.jpeg?height=200","description":"<blockquote>\"Sometimes you write a character that asserts himself—something you didn't plan. It's like he wanted to come back, and he brought his own story with him. It was kind of my job as a writer to ask myself what that story was.\" — Steven Pressfield</blockquote><p><br></p><p><br></p><h4>ORDER THE ARCADIAN HERE: https://amzn.to/4nYHV5e</h4><p><br></p><p>Steven Pressfield is your favorite writer's favorite writer.</p><p><br></p><p>And in this episode, Rain sits down with him in person in Los Angeles to talk about the craft behind The Arcadian, the new novel in his Telamon series.</p><p><br></p><p>What starts as a conversation about a centuries-spanning warrior with a karmic curse quickly becomes a writing advice masterclass in how great fiction actually gets made: through instinct, detail, observation, and a willingness to follow a character wherever he leads.</p><p><br></p><p>Steven breaks down how he discovered Telamon's immortality only after writing him across multiple books, why physical and historical details are what make the impossible believable, and how a 2500-year-old quote from an ancient Greek philosopher became the seed of an entire novel.</p><p><br></p><p>If you write anything—novels, screenplays, brand stories, or scripts—this conversation will change how you think about finding and following a story.</p><p><br></p><h3><br></h3><h3>In this episode, you will learn to:</h3><ul><li>- Trust instinct over planning in your writing and follow your characters even when you don't understand where they're going</li><li>- Use specific physical details to earn the reader's trust before asking them to believe the extraordinary</li><li>- Find story seeds in quotes, lyrics, and observations, and let them percolate until the full shape emerges</li><li>- Get the story first and research second to avoid using research as a form of Resistance</li><li>- Move the camera inside your prose, shifting perspective the way a cinematographer would, to write vivid, immersive scenes</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Special Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor for this episode, Vocatales → </strong><a href=\"https://www.vocatales.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>https://www.vocatales.com</strong></a></p><p><br></p><h2><br></h2><h2>Links &amp; Resources</h2><p><strong>Follow Steven Pressfield:</strong></p><p><strong>Website</strong> → <a href=\"https://www.stevenpressfield.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.stevenpressfield.com</a></p><p><strong>Instagram</strong> → https://www.instagram.com/steven_pressfield/</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Book</strong> → <em>The Arcadian</em> by Steven Pressfield (out May 2025) https://amzn.to/4dA7yFJ</p><p><strong>Book</strong> → <em>A Man at Arms</em> by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/4uvYojv</p><p><strong>Book</strong> → <em>Gates of Fire</em> by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/4nVT5aT</p><p><strong>Book</strong> → <em>The Legend of Bagger Vance</em> by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/4tXWiYM</p><p><strong>Book</strong> → <em>The War of Art</em> by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/43wWTWn</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Film</strong> <strong>Referenced</strong> → <em>Past Lives</em> directed by Celine Song</p><p><br></p><p><strong>For more storytelling tips and strategies, visit:</strong></p><p><strong>Website</strong> → <a href=\"https://rainbennett.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://rainbennett.com</a></p><p><strong>Podcast</strong> → <a href=\"https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.com</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Or follow along at:</strong></p><p><strong>TikTok</strong> → <a href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer</a></p><p><strong>Twitter</strong>/<strong>X</strong> → <a href=\"https://twitter.com/rainbennett\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://twitter.com/rainbennett</a></p><p><strong>Instagram</strong> → <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett</a></p><p><strong>Facebook</strong> → <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab</a></p><p><strong>YouTube</strong> → <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett</a></p>","author_name":"Rain Bennett"}