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Neal Rabin

Goodreads Author

Born

in Los Angeles, The United States

Website

http://www.nealrabin.com

Genre

Fiction

Member Since

January 2016

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/neal_rabin

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Neal Rabin is the co-founder of Miramar Systems, a Santa Barbara-based global software company, of which he was CEO for 15 years. Before that, Rabin graduated from UCLA; worked for Club Med as a tennis and surf instructor; stocked refrigerators; and served as a “fetch” for Time Life Films. Now, Rabin is an instrument pilot who divides his time between mentoring tech start-ups, writing, surfing, volleyball, and tennis. He lives in Santa Barbara with his wife, two daughters, and a flock of chickens.

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

Neal Rabin Writer's block is code for 'uh oh, I don't know what to write at this point in time.' It might be a particular passage in a book, short story, company…moreWriter's block is code for 'uh oh, I don't know what to write at this point in time.' It might be a particular passage in a book, short story, company speech, letter to your mother in New Zealand, or the difficult email you simply don't want to write or respond to! When that happens, and it does, I have a couple remedies. First, I look for things to create inspiration. That could mean reading something similar as a reference source, or putting that troubling passage aside and working on something different. I don't like banging my head against the same door for hours on end hoping it will open. I look for different ways to get inside - there might be a side door I haven't even seen. Often changing the task - writing something else - will gin up the impetus to tackle the harder job. I also try and break what can seem like a daunting task into smaller chunks. I learned this from playing an instrument. If you listen to an entire guitar solo from say, Eric Clapton, as an example then try to play the entire thing in one go. You will become incredibly frustrated. Break that same solo down into 1 musical phrase at a time and you can master it in time.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes I distract myself from the task by whatever means necessary: call a friend, make up something that must be done NOW, which is really never true, or take my dog, who's always ready for a walk, outside. What I do not do is leave my desk. Think of it as local temporary avoidance. Writer's are rarely at loss for words, we may not always know which ones to put in the correct sequence to solve a particular problem, but we will get there eventually with perseverance. That means just show up each day, and it will happen.(less)

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Neal Rabin Write. Write whatever strikes your fancy and entertains you! Don't worry about re-writing a piece until you get to the end. Keep moving forward. Then …moreWrite. Write whatever strikes your fancy and entertains you! Don't worry about re-writing a piece until you get to the end. Keep moving forward. Then re-write, re-write, re-write. There was only one Mozart. (less)

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Neal Rabin’s books

Average rating: 3.74 · 57 ratings · 30 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	23 Degrees South: A Tropical Tale of Changing Whether 3.68 avg rating — 41 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Flat: An edgy voyage of accidental discovery 3.88 avg rating — 16 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Q&A with Author Neal Rabin

23 Degrees South: A Tropical Tale of Changing Whether... is the story of Hart and Simon, two childhood best friends who go on a wild adventure together, to the chagrin of Hart, who never expected to find himself in the remote jungles of Brazil. What motivated you to write this story? How did you come up with the title?

After completing my first book, Barefoot in the Boardroom, which chronicled the

Neal is Currently Reading

Neal Rabin is currently reading

Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings

by Christopher Moore (Goodreads Author)

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Aug 19, 2026 01:24PM

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Never

by Ken Follett (Goodreads Author)

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Aug 19, 2026 01:20PM

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Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3)

by Sarah J. Maas (Goodreads Author)

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Jul 29, 2026 10:42AM

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Neal Rabin is currently reading Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 19, 2026 01:24PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Fluke by Christopher Moore. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fluke by Christopher Moore <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Neal Rabin is currently reading Never by Ken Follett (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 19, 2026 01:20PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Never by Ken Follett. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Never by Ken Follett <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Neal Rabin rated a book really liked it A Brief History of the Future: A Brave and Controversial Look at the Twenty-First Century by Jacques Attali	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Neal Rabin is currently reading Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3) by Sarah J. Maas (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 29, 2026 10:42AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Neal Rabin finished reading The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass, #0.1-0.5) by Sarah J. Maas (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 28, 2026 02:41AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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Neal Rabin is currently reading Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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