EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction collaborative writer Blake Atwood To make the time pass faster, we played Foilball in the basement of the Texas Capitol. Foilball is not a real sport, but you've probably played it. The four of us—all Texas Senate proofreaders—devised the game in the throes of boredom. Its one rule is simple: Don't let the ball of foil touch the ground. We once exceeded a hundred touches without it hitting the floor. (I could be exaggerating. This...
10 days ago • 2 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction ghostwriter and editor Blake Atwood I'm typing this at 5:34 a.m. because I could barely sleep last night. Jefferson Fisher's book, The Next Conversation, officially releases today. What began with him recording less-than-a-minute videos from his SUV in 2022 has exploded into 12 million followers across his platforms, a top-rated podcast, a school of communication, and now, finally, a book. Due to my work on Atomic Habits, I was...
17 days ago • 2 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction ghostwriter and editor Blake Atwood I recently ordered new business cards that read: BLAKE ATWOODLiterary Therapist I'm kidding. First, does anyone still use business cards? And second, I fear that some may not get the joke and assume I actually have a degree in counseling. (I do not, though I am the glad recipient of counseling in the past.) The need for a "literary therapist" came up on a client call last week. They've written...
24 days ago • 2 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction ghostwriter and editor Blake Atwood I give this piece of advice all the time to my clients: Write your first chapter last. Depending on what you’re writing, you could replace chapter with paragraph or section or overview. You should still draft an opening just to get it out of your head and onto the page. But do not spend an inordinate amount of time on it if you haven’t completed the rest of your article, proposal, or manuscript....
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction ghostwriter and editor Blake Atwood I view developmental edits as a puzzle to solve. Except the puzzle has already been put together. And there's no lid. The author has attempted their level best to write the book that's long desired to break free from their heart, mind, and soul. And so they write word after word, page after page, chapter after chapter, until they have a book-length manuscript. But rarely is this first (or second...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction ghostwriter and editor Blake Atwood One unfortunate truth about publishing is that having written a book is only the halfway point of the marathon. Is a book still a book if it has no readers? All authors should be finding their audience before, during, and after their book is published. This is doubly true for nonfiction authors and trebly true for nonfiction authors hoping for a Big 5 trad pub deal. But man is it laborious....
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction ghostwriter and editor Blake Atwood A first-time nonfiction author with a sizable platform recently sold his book to a publisher at auction. I’m connected to this author online and saw his sale on Publishers Marketplace, so I congratulated him on his well-earned achievement. Then he asked, “Any tips for a first-time author/writing the first draft?” This was my answer. I hope you find some inspiration or encouragement in it as...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
I see writers commit this problem all too often. They resolve a story earlier than they should. The story could be a chapter long or just a scene, but they give away what they should hold back. What if, at the beginning of The Sixth Sense (spoiler alert), Cole tells his psychologist, “I see dead people—and you’re dead”? The pervasive tension of the film would have died too. What pulls you through the movie like a tractor beam is your desire to unravel what’s going on. The much-lauded twist is...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
In high school, I was voted “Most Likely to Succeed.” Did I believe it back then? Of course I did. I was an egotistical smart aleck. I also had a limited view of success: acclaim and fortune. But early rejection plus an aimless career path led me to doubt writing would ever work out for me. A few years after college, I blogged this in a now-deleted post: “Being noosed with 'most likely to succeed' is like lugging an albatross to every job interview, new relationship or writing endeavor.” Was...
2 months ago • 2 min read