Category Archives: Book Reviews
Gross Misconceptions about Film
I believe it is more important to create than to learn, and yet the two are intertwined. The most knowledgeable, learned person on the planet, if he or she never creates anything, will be lost in the annals of time, never to be even heard of by future generations, having contributed nothing lasting to society. […]
When You Know Your Purpose, Everything Changes
“When we turn pro, everything becomes simple. Our aim centers on the ordering of our days in such a way that we overcome the fears that have paralyzed us in the past.” – Steven Pressfield, Turning Pro I’ve been reading Turning Pro, the new book by Steven Pressfield, and sequel to The War of Art […]
Writer’s Nightmares
I’ve been working on a lot of content for y’all, I promise. (Sad that in the English language we have to resort to sounding like Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel just to be able to address people in the second-person plural.) So yeah, I’ve been having a ho down (spelling?!) with my work. But, if you can […]
What Does It Mean To Follow Your Passions? [Part 2: Five Ways To Be Courageous]
Almost a month ago, I posted an article, What Does It Mean To Follow Your Passions? Part 1 (of a three-part series). In it, I used some pretty extreme examples including sex and chocolate cake. (Why does that remind me of so-called “Better-Than-Sex Cake” and how ridiculous a name that is? Sorry, the Mind Monkeys […]
Lessons I Learned From Writing a Novel in 30 Days
I did it! I finished my novel in 30 days. I set out to write a complete novel by my 35th birthday, June 19th, 2012. And I completed. I slew the dragon. Now I get to share what I’ve learned with you. It was a very eye-opening, arduous, and fun adventure. I learned so much […]
Mind Monkey Feeding Time
I’m going to try something different this time. Instead of trying to quiet my inner mind-monkeys like I normally do, I’m going to do the opposite. I’m going to chuck a buttload of bananas at them. So get ready for a tour de force of seemingly unconnected random thoughts from the mind of Daniel Bean […]
The Self-Sabotaging Word “Aspiring”
What do you dream of doing? Writing? Filmmaking? Painting? Theatre? Well stop dreaming, and just do it. That’s the message of Jeff Goin’s You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One). If you haven’t head of Jeff Goins, I recommend checking out his blog. He’s got a lot of cool stuff on there and a free […]
The Battle is On
As I talked about in my last post, entitled The Fury of Resistance, I’m endeavoring to do something quite irrational and stupid: I’m writing a novel in 30 days. Why? Because I decided before I turn 35 I’m going to have accomplished at least that. Heck, I started writing my first novel (The Continued Adventures of […]
The Fury of Resistance
Last week I was feeling pretty high. I had just finished the first draft of the manuscript of my first non-fiction book: a memoir of how I smashed through all sorts of barriers in my life in the last few months, including losing 40 pounds, finally starting to follow my dreams that I had given […]
Shout-Out: Steven Pressfield’s Blog and The Hero’s Journey
If you’ve read any of my former posts, chances are you noticed that I’m adamant about The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Pressfield is a prolific novelist, author, and screenwriter. Some of his bestselling novels include The Legend of Bagger Vance (later adapted into the Hollywood film starring Will Smith), Gates of Fire, and […]
