Post-dinner at a Catskills resort in the late 1980s, adults danced the night away in the Cousin Brucie Room or watched David Brenner tell jokes in the nightclub. The kids chose from two pastimes: dropping quarters on Tron or Star Wars in the arcade or enjoying group activities facilitated by

Recently, I started reading The Inner Game of Tennis, the 1972 classic on peak performance, on the recommendation of screenwriter Michael Piller. I've heard people recommend The Inner Game for skills other than tennis, but writing? Yet in his own book, Fade In, Piller cites The Inner Game as a

Agents, editors, and publishers clearly specify what they're looking for. Then, most aspiring authors ignore those specifications and do exactly as they please. You can post whatever you want on your website or social media profile: "Seeking young adult fantasy and memoir." Leave absolutely no room for misinterpretation. Doesn't matter.

Nobody, I don’t care if you’re Warren Buffett or Jimmy Buffet, nobody knows if a stock is going to go up, down, sideways, or in [circles].—Wolf of Wall Street As a book editor/cultural gatekeeper, I acquired many books, and the truth is I never knew which

My daughter's friend broke my favorite pocket pen. We were in a diner. The two of them wanted to draw together on the table settings. They needed an extra pen. Yes, I shouldn't have done it. Even in the moment, I knew I shouldn't do it. Trust a kid with

Many "writing problems" are really just prep problems. Do the prep, solve the problem. Professional chefs understand the importance of prep, of thinking ahead. They get their tools clean and sharp. They organize their workstations. They bring the steak to temp, chop the necessary vegetables, and thaw anything frozen before

Judd Apatow already knew several SNL cast members from the stand-up scene in Los Angeles. When his own roommate, Adam Sandler, made it onto the show, Apatow figured it was only a matter of time before he joined the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. "If only I could get

It's hard not to be a little skeptical when the winners chalk it up to hard work. "I was obliged to be industrious," Bach wrote. "Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well." Sure, Bach. Sure. Of course talent is a thing. And yet...as both an acquiring editor and

As a teenager, Pat Metheny was a musical prodigy. Well into his sixties, he's still teaching, performing, composing, and recording. Why? He couldn't possibly have anything left to prove, could he? Apparently not: "I am definitely well into the not-giving-a-shit zone of my career," Metheny told an interviewer. If he's