Words Directly from the Fingertips of a Ghost Writer
Over the last several years of working on the blog, I've come to know many writers. Over the last year or so my interest peaked when hearing about ghostwriters, otherwise known as people who write other's stories.
In fact, my curiosity started my series Ghost Writer Versus Ghost Writer where two writers use the same ideas and go head-to-head.
But the more I worked with these ghostwriters I realized there's more to the craft than writing a good story. So, I figured I would reach out to one and get their take on why they themselves enjoy the art of writing. Here's what they had to say.
On Ghostwriting
Writing is fundamentally an expression of one’s identity, one’s values, and one’s passion. It is a painstaking art that can overwhelm as easily as it can liberate. For these reasons, writing – particularly good writing – has the power to change the world and allows one’s voice to be heard. But there are far too many of us who aren’t ready or; perhaps, prepared to wield the written word. Thus can be due to a lack of technical skill or to the anxiety that comes with pouring one’s self onto a page. Regardless of the reason, when this is the case, I have always found it a great honor to lend a hand in the form of ghostwriting.
Ghostwriters are in a sacred and unique position to work with people who; otherwise, might not have the means to make their voice heard. In my years of experience writing professionally, my favorite creatives to work with are single artists trying to market their work. I o ten find that other creatives bring so much pride and joy to their cra t that I can’t help but admire the project for which they want me to write. The whole process is reminiscent of the philosophers of old sharing wisdoms in an e fort to cra t a more complete theory – as we do while sharing our arts to cra t a more complete experience for the audience.
One opportunity I had almost a year ago stands at the forefront of my recollection. It was an older gentleman who approached me. He reached out because he had a story he wanted to inscribe – a tale about his youth as a farmer’s son wherein he fell from a tall tree on his family’s property and how he, as a child, had nobody nearby to help him. Apparently his father was in the field opposite the property and his mother in the house too far away to hear him shouting.
In his request, he wanted me to expand on this small story and emphasize his internal struggle to find the strength and courage to make his way back home for help with his hurt and dislocated shoulder. I immediately thought it was an interesting story – I have always been a fan of stories that zoom in on single, miniscule experiences and expand them through the lens of the character living them. Then, as I asked this man, older and wiser than me, questions about his ‘target audience’ he plainly stated it was for his family. He wanted it written down to be passed on and the reason he did not do it himself was he felt like he could not properly capture the emotion that a good story is meant to depict.
It was at this moment, when I realized I was scribing an ancestral story for a man to pass to his children and grandchildren, that it struck me just how profound ghostwriting can be. It was more than just pacing and typing themes into prose. I was giving this man the means to express himself to his family, to say what he could not and express what he felt but could not speak. I was happy to do it, and as proud as I was excited when he was willing, eager, to work with me on more stories for this little collection he was draf ting for his family.
The foundation of any ghostwritten work is a deep understanding of the client's vision. This involves extensive discussions wherein I ask about everything from theme to plot, among other typical questions. My favorite question to ask; however, is about the character’s laws and goals. Like with the older gentleman, I find that even other creatives seeking a narrative for their work are sometimes surprised by this question. They figure to themselves, why do you need that? They think having given me the plot of their narrative is enough, and this is because they – as someone who is not a writer by trade – assumes, reasonably, that plot is the most important part.
The process of picking their character apart and figuring out what moral the story is intended to convey by understanding what laws and or struggles the character has is exciting. For a ghostwriter, I think that is from where the challenge, but also the joy comes. Besides that, it is also practically necessary to gather this information. One cannot write a story without it – not an engaging, meaningful one anyway.
Think about the last time you paid money to watch a movie in the theater about a character who never faced any issues either internally or externally. When was the last time you bought a book titles The Day Everything Went Fine and There Were No Challenges to Overcome. You can’t because these stories don’t sell, and even in casual storytelling among friends they’re not exciting enough to recount. I can’t speak for everybody, but I never tell the story of how I easily laid down to sleep, it's always I am so tired! I tried everything, but I couldn’t get to sleep until 3 in the dang morning!
Then there is the prose. My advice to any writer – but especially ghostwriters for whom their cra t is their marketable skill – is to write poetry and read twice as much poetry as you write. Poetry is prose that shares an image and invokes an emotion without the lu f of narrative, watered down. Having that skill is by far the most important to anybody who aims to write for a living. Even at the top of this piece I compared the work I do to the work of philosophers and; hopefully, invoked a sense of antiquity and importance! Being able to compare and contrast, to show not tell in this way, with powerful, vivid, emotional language is why people want a ghostwriter to write for them – so a ghostwriter better be good at it.
More specifically, to do this I like to consider the scenes I need to write. How do they make me feel? What else makes me feel this way? To o fer a simple example, I think back to the man who wanted the story of his fall from the tree. How does falling from a tree make me feel? Horrified, like I am about to meet an impending doom! What else makes me feel that way? Many things, certainly, but lets pick something a farm boy might also be frightened of, something he might encounter in the setting of which we are writing, a mama bear protecting her cubs. With this poetic comparison, I am prepared to write prose that will invoke fear. I won’t share with you what I wrote for the gentleman, but it could have been something like this:
Then, my hold on the tree branch failed. I fell 20 feet down in a second. I hadn’t as soon looked down as I saw the ground charging up towards me. I was locked in my free fall and the harsh, brown dirt rushed ever closer like the broad maw of an angry brown bear determined to stop me in my tracks. Then, the fall suddenly turned to a halt. I felt my arm pop, and in my tracks I was definitely stopped.
Ghostwriting is an act of profound service and creativity. It’s not merely about translating someone’s thoughts into words – it’s about elevating the essence of their experiences, emotions, and voice in a way that they cannot, but deserve to. Through meaningful and creative research, careful character development, and poetic prose, a ghostwriter breathes life into stories that might otherwise go untold. The collaborative adventure with clients – especially those who are passionate about their story – is both a challenge and a privilege. It is the true power of ghostwriting—giving voice to those who have something to say by adding meaning to their words.
Final Thoughts
Wow! Just wow! I don't know about you but I thought this was an excellent take on the idea and execution of ghostwriting.
Have you been thinking of partaking in ghostwriting or worked with a ghostwriter yourself? Tell me in the comments below!
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