I recently ordered new business cards that read:

BLAKE ATWOOD
Literary 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 their full manuscript, but it's just not where they want it. So they contacted me to review it, restructure it, and tighten it.

Then they said what I've heard clients say before: "It just feels good to have someone else help shoulder this."

When a writer has been obsessing over their manuscript for a year or more, with few signposts of positivity directing their path, it can be challenging to push forward.

But that's part of the creative process. Steven Pressfield calls it Resistance (with a capital R). In the tweet below, Marcus Romer uses more colorful language to define it.*

If I had to guess, my client was stuck somewhere at 3 or 4. We've graduated to 5, and we're working toward 6.

I've come to realize that, after a few initial calls with a client, my role changes from therapist. Once they've aired their frustrations with the work and have allowed themselves to feel all the emotions, they're ready to get back to work.

They don't need a therapist as much as they need a sherpa—someone to help carry their load, guide them back to their path, and get them to the mountaintop.

Apply It

If you're working on a sizable creative project, try to assess where you are in the process using Marcus's list.

If you're early on, just know that it will get worse before it gets better.

If you're in that terrible middle section, it's OK to ask for help or to take a break.

And if you're at the end, celebrate the awesome thing you've accomplished.

Client News

💬 The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher is on presale for its March 18 release. He's scheduled to be on Good Morning America this Saturday.

Footnotes

⛳ *I saw that tweet in Kyle Porter's excellent golf email newsletter, Normal Sport. If you're into golf, good writing, and entrepreneurship, it's worth the paid subscription. There's also a free sub, but you get the goods with the paid version (especially with The Player's Championship this week).

Why am I getting this?

You subscribed to Every Word Tell by nonfiction ghostwriter, editor, and book coach Blake Atwood.

Every Tuesday, you'll receive 300 words or so about writing, reading, editing, or publishing.

Always feel free to reply. Ask a question you'd like to see answered here. Reach out for help with your next nonfiction project. Or just reply to let me know, Yeah, me too.