Articles

The following articles comprise an ongoing library of my online work and include articles written by me for other outlets and articles about my work as an editor and author.

Highlights

The Gospel According to ‘Breaking Bad’

Whither Walter White? How the morality tale of a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher compelled first by desperation (and then sheer hubris) to transform himself into a cold-blooded, Machiavellian dru…

www.ocregister.com

'Most Likely to Succeed' Burden

Charlene Dupray was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by her classmates at New Hanover High School in Wilmington, N.C., in 1990. That honor has been hanging over her ever since.

www.wsj.com

Should you self-publish your book? 5 Essential Questions to Help You Decide.

You've penned a book you're proud of, and now you're ready to share it with the world. But first, you have a question: Should you self-publish or get a publisher? Maybe you want to become the next Sarah Dessen of YA fiction, or perhaps you created a series you know will rival the book-to-movie successes of "Hunger Games" and "Harry Potter."

thewritelife.com

Should you self-publish your book? 5 Essential Questions to Help You Decide.

How Many Words in a Novel? A Word Count Guide for 18 Book Genres

"My memoir is 270,000 words long." I heard these words during a breakout session I led at a local writers' conference. An editor friend of mine, Shayla Eaton with Curiouser Editing, was sitting in on the breakout. We gave each other knowing glances, and because I didn't want to break this poor memoirist's literary heart, I nodded at Shayla to take the lead.

thewritelife.com

How Many Words in a Novel? A Word Count Guide for 18 Book Genres

You Can’t Edit Your Own Book and Here are 7 Reasons Why

Sorry writers, you need to hire a professional to edit your book.

thewritelife.com

You Can’t Edit Your Own Book and Here are 7 Reasons Why

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Writing

4 Ways to Create (And Maintain) a Writing Habit

As I'd done for decades, I silenced that voice of hope with a quick and definitive, "Yeah, right. Nobody's even going to read this thing." However, I'd just read Steven Pressfield's The War of Art Spurred to fight Resistance, I wrote my 50,000-word book in six months by waking at 5 a.m.

thewritelife.com

4 Ways to Create (And Maintain) a Writing Habit

Why You Need to Join a Writing Group (And How to Find One)

If you want more inspiration, motivation and feedback for your writing (who doesn’t?!) look no further than a writing group.

thewritelife.com

Why You Need to Join a Writing Group (And How to Find One)

Tips for Writers: 4 Easy Ways to Back Up Your Writing

Beware: What you're about to read is a real-life horror story as told in The Write Life Community Facebook group . "Gone. ALL of it. Gone. Every old idea I ever jotted down. Gone. Every short story, script, chapters of multiple books. Gone. An entire universe of superhero ideas.

thewritelife.com

Tips for Writers: 4 Easy Ways to Back Up Your Writing

How Many Words in a Novel? A Word Count Guide for 18 Book Genres

thewritelife.com

About to Respond to a Negative Review of Your Book? Read This First

Have you heard of Stephan J. Harper's interactive iBook Venice Under Glass? If you have, it's likely that you've heard more about the author than the book itself. After a not-so-stellar review of his book at TidBITS, an Apple news website, Harper went on a commenting rampage, picking apart the reviewer's opinions piece by piece and rebutting nearly every other commenter on the review.

thewritelife.com

About to Respond to a Negative Review of Your Book? Read This First

The Ideal Schedule to Become a More Productive Writer

It should have been “The early bird gets the word.” Why? Because writers who want to be more productive need to start getting up earlier.

thewritepractice.com

The Ideal Schedule to Become a More Productive Writer

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Editing

7 Stress-Free Ways to Handle Notes From Your Book Editor

Don’t hit the panic button when your book editor returns your marked-up manuscript.

thewritelife.com

7 Stress-Free Ways to Handle Notes From Your Book Editor

10 Ways to Stay Sane During the Book Editing Process

Pass the time without losing your mind while waiting for editor feedback.

thewritelife.com

10 Ways to Stay Sane During the Book Editing Process

Boo! These Are The 10 Monsters Your Book Editor Fears Most

Now, these guys and ghouls don't regularly visit me, but they are a source of fear from time to time. And what's often most troublesome is that I can seldom tell if they're going to turn into a monster when we first meet. Plus, I'm not the only one they visit.

thewritelife.com

Boo! These Are The 10 Monsters Your Book Editor Fears Most

How to Use Track Changes to Collaborate on Edits With Ease

Gone are the days when your edited manuscript returns to you covered in the blood-red slashes of your editor's unforgiving pen. Today, your edited manuscript most often returns as a Word document covered in the bewildering lines and challenging comments within Word's Track Changes feature.

thewritelife.com

How to Use Track Changes to Collaborate on Edits With Ease

You Can’t Edit Your Own Book and Here are 7 Reasons Why

Sorry writers, you need to hire a professional to edit your book.

thewritelife.com

When is the Right Time to Hire a Book Editor?

Think you're ready to start connecting with editors for hire? Before you invest in professional editing, make sure you and your book are ready for it.

thewritelife.com

When is the Right Time to Hire a Book Editor?

What It’s Actually Like to Work With a Book Editor

Our resident book editor Blake Atwood explains what it’s really like to work with an editor.

thewritelife.com

What It’s Actually Like to Work With a Book Editor

How To Format A Book: 10 Tips Your Editor Wants You To Know

You've written a book, and now you need to figure out how to format a book. Do yourself (and your editor!) a favor and follow this advice.

thewritelife.com

How To Format A Book: 10 Tips Your Editor Wants You To Know

How Much Does an Editor Cost? 7 Questions to Consider

How much does an editor cost for your self-published book or essays? While freelance editing rates can vary, here’s a breakdown.

thewritelife.com

How Much Does an Editor Cost? 7 Questions to Consider

Editorially Speaking: How to Find a Book Editor You Can Trust

On our network of sites, we've covered topics like how to find and vet an editor, how much you should expect to pay for an edit, what you ought to send an editor, how to get on your editor's good side, how to edit a book, and much more.

thewritelife.com

Editorially Speaking: How to Find a Book Editor You Can Trust

Book Editing Basics: 10 Simple Ways to Edit Your Own Book

Before sending your manuscript to an editor or beta reader, follow these steps. Some basic book editing will drastically improve your work.

thewritelife.com

Book Editing Basics: 10 Simple Ways to Edit Your Own Book

5 Ways to Endear Yourself to Your Book Editor

If you’ve never worked with a book editor, what you should offer beyond just sending him your best draft? Here are five simple yet effective tips.

www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com

5 Ways to Endear Yourself to Your Book Editor

Don’t Fear the Reaper: Why Writers Need Editors | Live Write Thrive

Don’t Fear the Reaper: Why Writers Need Editors discusses why and how editors can be helpful to writers, but why writers shouldn't be afraid of them

www.livewritethrive.com

Don’t Fear the Reaper: Why Writers Need Editors | Live Write Thrive

Improve Your Self-Editing: Why Every Writer Needs An Editor

Blake Atwood joins me to talk self-editing and why every writer needs an editor. We spend time discussing the stages of the editing process and tips you can use to be more objective in editing your own writing. You'll enjoy Blake's honesty and willingness to serve writers with his own blog, podcast, conferences, and advice.

pastorwriter.com

Improve Your Self-Editing: Why Every Writer Needs An Editor

How to Overcome the Fear of Working with an Editor - Blake Atwood

Blake Atwood: of all the fears first-time authors face, working with an editor certainly ranks highly. With the right editor, it should transform you.

publishingaddict.com

How to Overcome the Fear of Working with an Editor - Blake Atwood

What Not to Do When Working with an Editor

Everyone needs an editor. A good editor ultimately makes your book better. Here are a few suggestions on what not to do when working with an editor.

writenonfictionnow.com

What Not to Do When Working with an Editor

Everyone Needs An Editor - Art House Dallas

Your boss needs an editor. Strike that. Everyone needs an editor. But first, back to your boss. How many times have you been in a meeting turned Charlie Brown special? You know your boss is speaking English, but all you hear is "WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH."

arthousedallas.squarespace.com

Everyone Needs An Editor - Art House Dallas

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Ghostwriting

Become a Ghostwriter: Here’s How to Write in Someone Else’s Voice

Whether you’re writing a book or a blog post, nailing someone else’s voice isn’t easy. But it’s a key skill for a ghostwriter.

thewritelife.com

Become a Ghostwriter: Here’s How to Write in Someone Else’s Voice

How to Become a Ghostwriter, So You Can Find Ghostwriting Jobs

Thomas Jefferson might as well have been describing how to break into ghostwriting when he wrote, "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." In the summer of 2014, I quit my job to pursue full-time self-employment as an author and editor.

thewritelife.com

How to Become a Ghostwriter, So You Can Find Ghostwriting Jobs

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Self-publishing

Should you self-publish your book? 5 Essential Questions to Help You Decide.

thewritelife.com

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Tools

Vellum Software for Book Formatting: Review

Know what will make formatting a book a lot easier? A software called Vellum. We explain how Vellum works and why you might consider it.

thewritelife.com

Vellum Software for Book Formatting: Review

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Christianity

Six-Year-Old Orders Almost $400 Worth of Toys

A note from Jim: Blake Atwood is an editor, ghostwriter, and wordsmith who helps writers tell better stories, choose the right path to publication, and know how to best market their words. He has a degree in English from Southwestern...

www.denisonforum.org

Six-Year-Old Orders Almost $400 Worth of Toys

How Deep Is the Father’s Love For Us, Really? - Christian Parenting

When I first contacted a new client about his book, I emailed him words of consolation: “Though I’m sure you’ve […]

www.christianparenting.org

How Deep Is the Father’s Love For Us, Really? - Christian Parenting

Why new dads should go on a post-partum diet - Christian Parenting

If there's one four-letter word I can't stand, it's the one heard most often in January: diet. Maybe I should blame it on being raised as a Baptist. It wasn't until much later in life that I learned a church event could occur without food. Or I could blame it on genetics.

www.christianparenting.org

Why new dads should go on a post-partum diet - Christian Parenting

How Do You Define Father? - Christian Parenting

A note from Janet: The article today is written by John Finch, with our editor, Blake Atwood. Our thanks to […]

www.christianparenting.org

How Do You Define Father? - Christian Parenting

The Soul-Restoring Work of Creative Community — Art House Dallas

The Soul-Restoring Work of Creative Community  By Blake Atwo od

arthousedallas.squarespace.com

The Soul-Restoring Work of Creative Community — Art House Dallas

A Look into Awaken Creativity - Art House Dallas

As espresso machines whirred to life at The Pearl Cup in Richardson, nine writers from across the Metroplex gathered together on April 10, 2014 for the inaugural meeting of Awaken Creativity, the first Art House Dallas writers' workshop. Focused more on encouragement through community rather than critique by committee, Awaken Creativity lived up to its name in the very first meeting.

arthousedallas.squarespace.com

A Look into Awaken Creativity - Art House Dallas

The Tentacled Temptations Of Technology — Art House Dallas

For all of its wondrous benefits to humanity, technology wreaks havoc on our lives in deceptively simple ways. It interrupts our workflow. It conditions us in subtle, negative ways. Most detrimentally to artists, it steals our time. But we can't pull the plug. Staying connected via social media is i

arthousedallas.squarespace.com

Art House Dallas Guest Blog: The Disciplined Life — Art House Dallas

I attended my first Art House Local event last night, a quarterly meeting of creative Christians birthed out of Art House America. Dotting the DFW landscape, multiple groups met to discuss Carey Wallace’s short article On Discipline. As I tweeted the night before, it’s an incisive read, like a docto

arthousedallas.squarespace.com

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Breaking Bad

Walter White and the Gospel According to 'Breaking Bad'

(RNS) Walter White of "Breaking Bad" is one of the most complicated and terrifying characters ever to appear on television. And what makes him all the more frightening and compelling is that he started out so ... normal.

religionnews.com

Walter White and the Gospel According to 'Breaking Bad'

The Gospel According to <i>Breaking Bad</i>: An Interview With Blake Atwood

I scare my friends with my knowledge of Breaking Bad. I'm always on the lookout for different takes on the series. To this end, I recently sat down with Blake Atwood, author of The Gospel According to Breaking Bad. Here are some excerpts.

www.huffpost.com

The Gospel According to <i>Breaking Bad</i>: An Interview With Blake Atwood

Extra: The Gospel According to Breaking Bad with Blake Atwood

a Rafflecopter giveaway JR. welcomes Blake Atwood, author of "The Gospel According to Breaking Bad". They talk about why two good Christian guys are watching such a dark show, and how to discern the good in Breaking Bad.

www.norvillerogers.com

Extra: The Gospel According to Breaking Bad with Blake Atwood

Better Call Saul Pilot Review by The Gospel According to Breaking Bad Author Blake Atwood

Could the Better Call Saul pilot really be better than Breaking Bad's? Author Blake Atwood considers the new show.

www.norvillerogers.com

Better Call Saul Pilot Review by The Gospel According to Breaking Bad Author Blake Atwood

El Camino and the Way of Repentance | Think Christian

The Breaking Bad movie is less about Jesse's escape from the law and more about his escape from sin. Editor's note: This post includes spoilers for Breaking Bad and El Camino. Jesse Pinkman was supposed to die in the first season of Breaking Bad.

thinkchristian.net

El Camino and the Way of Repentance | Think Christian