Why Most Writers Build Characters Completely Wrong with Steven Pressfield

"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 PressfieldORDER THE ARCADIAN HERE: https://amzn.to/4nYHV5eSteven Pressfield is your favorite writer's favorite writer.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.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.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.If you write anything—novels, screenplays, brand stories, or scripts—this conversation will change how you think about finding and following a story.In this episode, you will learn to:- Trust instinct over planning in your writing and follow your characters even when you don't understand where they're going- Use specific physical details to earn the reader's trust before asking them to believe the extraordinary- Find story seeds in quotes, lyrics, and observations, and let them percolate until the full shape emerges- Get the story first and research second to avoid using research as a form of Resistance- Move the camera inside your prose, shifting perspective the way a cinematographer would, to write vivid, immersive scenesSpecial Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor for this episode, Vocatales → https://www.vocatales.comLinks & ResourcesFollow Steven Pressfield:Website → https://www.stevenpressfield.comInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/steven_pressfield/Book → The Arcadian by Steven Pressfield (out May 2025) https://amzn.to/4dA7yFJBook → A Man at Arms by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/4uvYojvBook → Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/4nVT5aTBook → The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/4tXWiYMBook → The War of Art by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/43wWTWnFilm Referenced → Past Lives directed by Celine SongFor more storytelling tips and strategies, visit:Website → https://rainbennett.comPodcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.comOr follow along at:TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficerTwitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennettInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennettFacebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglabYouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.