Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
Part 1 Breaking Ground
1 The Way of the Writing Warrior 9
2 Structure Is Alive 12
3 The Practice 16
The Writing Warrior Practice 24
Part 2 Building Your Foundation
4 Release All Desire for Results 31
5 Direct Experience 34
6 Theory and Practice 40
7 Attachment and Aversion 45
The Writing Warrior Practice 51
Part 3 Dissolving Your Illusions
8 The Writer's Wheel of Suffering 57
9 Illusion of Time 63
10 Illusion of Thoughts 69
11 Illusion of What a Writer Is 72
12 Illusion of Identification 78
13 Illusion of Control 82
14 Illusion of Distractions 89
15 Illusion of Publication, Success, and Fame 92
16 Illusion of Money 97
17 You're Not the Only One 101
The Writing Warrior Practice 106
Part 4 Committing to Your Authentic Path
18 Self-Observation without Judgment 113
19 Absolute Vulnerability 124
20 Soft Eyes 130
21 Self-Study 138
22 Wake Up 143
23 Perhaps You Never Did This, But I Remember It Just the Same 146
24 Stories We Tell Ourselves 157
25 Revision 162
26 Intuition 168
27 Resistance Is Futile 171
The Writing Warrior Practice 175
Part 5 Deepening Your Writer's Roots
28 Alchemy 183
29 Hark! Who Goes There? 185
30 1-10 between Phoenix and Tucson 189
31 Writing Is Not Like Making a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich 194
32 Sand Paintings 197
33 The Beginning Is Not the Beginning 199
34 Sacred Communication 203
35 Characters as Teachers 206
36 Let's Do the Limbo 209
37 Seasons of the Work 213
38 Texas 216
39 Disconnection 220
40 The Mysteries of Fiction 225
41 Tools 230
42 Rhythm 234
43 Papa Don't Preach 236
44 Who Hears You First? 238
45 Loneliness 241
46 Betrayals 243
47 Natural Talent 249
48 Spiral Dance 252
The Writing Warrior Practice 255
About the Author 260