Anybody out there know who Cyrus Trask is? Anyone?
You won’t find out who Cyrus Trask is if you eyeball a list of country singers. No. You can only find out who Cyrus Trask is by reading John Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden.
John Steinbeck describes Cyrus Trask as the father of Adam and Charles Trask. Cyrus is the patriarch. The family stud.
He’s a daunting man who lies “so convincingly about his military heroics during the Civil War that the government appoints him to a powerful position in the Army administration.”
But he was never in battle long enough to acquire any real-world experience.
He went on a rampage to become an old soldier. He re-fashioned who he was and became a national hero and authority.
It’s also a beautiful story about how you as a writer can develop authority. Authority in your voice. Authority in your content. Authority in your domain.
In this 6-minute episode of Rough Draft with Demian Farnworth, you’ll discover:
- People with authority have energy
- People with authority have swagger
- People with authority have substance
- The downside of being an authority
Rough Draft on iTunes
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