5 Virtues Successful Ghostwriters Need to Practice

Successful Ghostwriters

Cynics frown on scribing for others, exclaiming it’s an unhealthy practice. Still and all, it is a customary process embedded deep in the DNA of communication. It is not surprising to find famous politicians, singers, and even bloggers share relationships with ghostwriters to convey their messages.

They’re not skeletons in the closet. Though prejudiced, it is a noble profession that is gaining popularity in the age of digital media.

For budding ghostwriters, here are a few virtues to help you succeed as a ghostwriter:

Committed

Your work can be a headache. Thought you should know before jumping in.

Some ghostwriter describes their crazy days with a pounding head, drained energy and a loathing for the job. You just can’t wait to crawl into bed to cry your heart out. 

Calm down.

It is not always the case. Yet, the work can be very demanding and challenging, especially when you pair up with a difficult author. This is why a seasoned ghostwriter needs to have a strong commitment.

When you’re committed you’ll learn to motivate and discipline yourself to keep going and deliver good results regardless. Productivity is the culmination of your commitment to your job, to your dreams and your growth.

While your author basks in the glory, isn’t it fulfilling to know that you made it happen?

Collaborative

Working with your author need not be a battle. In fact, it shouldn’t be.

Arguments are part and parcel of having to work with your client (even in co-authorship). Acceptably, you’ll have contrasting insights of what you think should be written, how to write it and a bunch of other things about the project.

Brace yourself because your clients will impose on their ideas and rightfully so.

Remember that you are writing as the client— another person. A collaborative character in successful ghostwriters knows when not to lose their heads when the client insists on their ideas, opinions, and preferences.

Although, it is not entirely atrocious to speak your mind. Your client would also want to draw thoughts from you.

Discernment

There is an opposition to the ethicality of ghostwriting. Its critics cry “liars”.

In this authorship style, the issue of ethics is not limited to a black-and-white notion. It may seem dishonest because clients/authors are credited instead of the ghost, who actually wrote the piece. However, ghostwriting, as in other things, can be done ethically or unethically.

Good ghostwriters are able to discern where the line ends. Some ghosts adopt techniques to inject honesty in their work. Case and point, Jolt Communication’s Steve Farnsworth either interviews his client or asks them to create a draft or make bulleted points of their thoughts.

You too can fabricate your own styles to incorporate honesty or other means to enhance your ability to see through things.  

Creativity

You are not a transcriber. Copy-paste isn’t your thing.

Try Googling what creativity means and it’ll hand you words like imagination and originality. Does this mean that a ghost is not creative seeing that he or she takes ideas and words from the author?

No! The truth of the matter is that ghostwriting entails a lot of creativity because of its restrictive nature.

There are clients who layout how the work comes to life. Meanwhile, you’ll be responsible for making their visions come into being. Hence, you still must conceptualize, do research, create coherency from all of your client’s ideas, make use of your imagination and at the same time express enticing messages and paint a fascinating picture with your words.

So no, you’re still the artist, the wordsmith, the quill-driver, the pencil-pusher (or keyboard-nudger). 

Curiosity

If the cat was killed by curiosity, it may have died a noble death.

Your client can present you with a bibliotheca of materials. But, it takes an accomplished ghostwriter to use your magic and whip something out of this mammoth of information.

A ghost should be naturally curious.

Yours is a situation not ordinary because of the limiting variable of having to consider things from a perspective different from yours. ghostwriters have to deal with cases requiring substantial research and a lot of inquiry with your author.

It leaves them needing to have an open mind, an inquisitive quality and never hesitating to explore, test and experiment.

Are you doing a ghostwriter job? How do you find it?

About Author: Equipped with training in mass communication and backed with experience in the fields of journalism, academic research and writing and content and social media management, Lexxa is skilled digital media marketing centered on content development and management. At Blueprint Business Solutions, she holds the position of Content and Social Media Specialist. She Enjoys the comfort of home accompanied by a selection of flicks and books, believing that these have always been the gateway to the world and even beyond.