GWA #9 - Ghostwriting 101 Part 7

Taking on the author’s voice and the writing process. Welcome to Ghostwriters Anonymous, the podcast for those who give a literary voice to the world. I am your host, Alaina Burnett. In today’s episode of the Ghostwriting 101 series I will be talking about how to take on the author’s voice and how to begin the writing process.

Now, before I go any further I want to talk about something I neglected to mention in last week’s episode on interviewing. Look at your blueprint and decide how you’re going to break up your interviews. It’s not like you’re going to have your author talk you through the entire book in one sitting, so separate the meetings by chapters, parts, or any other way that makes sense to you. Then, after each meeting make sure to make your transcript and go ahead and get writing. That way if you need more information on a certain topic, you can ask for more detail at the next meeting. You can also show your client what you have completed at each meeting so they can make sure it’s coming together the way they want it to.

Ok, on with the show. Sounding like someone else as you write is the most challenging part of being a ghostwriter. It is also the most important because most of your jobs as a ghostwriter will require you to make it appear that your client is actually the one who did the writing. So, how do you accomplish this?

The first step is to learn how to listen carefully to the way your client speaks. Do they have a more laid back conversational tone or do they speak with a vast vocabulary and have more of a stately style? What words or phrases do you catch them using often? You will need to take note of these things in order to take on their voice.

In many ways, ghostwriters must always act like fiction writers no matter what genre they are writing in. You sort of have to make your client into a character. I recommend that you put together at least a brief character sketch of your client before you begin to write. Take note of the way they speak, words and phrases they use, and even personality traits. Write down anything you think will aid you in sounding like them as you write. Keeping this character sketch with you as you work on the project will be beneficial (especially if you won’t be seeing your client until the rough draft is complete).

Don’t be surprised if it takes you some time before you really get comfortable with this. It’s almost as if we’re actors playing a role only our job is more difficult because instead of reciting the lines, we’re actually writing them. So, understand that this will take practice!

I have a bit of a homework assignment for you. I want you to take three people…let’s say your Mom, your best friend, and a celebrity like Paris Hilton. Make sure to choose three people who are vastly different. I chose Paris Hilton assuming that she’s nothing like your family and friends, but if she is then choose someone like Martha Stewart. No matter who you choose, make sure at least one of the three people is a celebrity. This is important because you won’t know most of your clients personally, so this will be more of a “real world” challenge than writing using your best friend’s voice. But do feel free to choose one or two people from your personal life.

Now, make brief character sketches of those three people. How do they speak? Are there words and phrases they use often? What are they like? Are there any personality traits that really stand out? Once you have that completed go ahead and write something using their voices. Try, for example, a journal entry. How would they describe what they experienced? Again, don’t be surprised if this takes some time. Keep trying until you’re comfortable with it. This is a great exercise because it allows you to develop this skill before you work with an actual client.

As a ghostwriter, the writing process will be different than if you were writing in your own voice. If you’re working with a client who is doing interviews with you, you’ll be able to take quotes or even entire paragraphs to fold into the text. Then you just have to expand on what you have and do some rephrasing. If you’re working with a client who simply put together the blueprint with you and is having you write the entire rough draft on your own, it will be more challenging. That’s why I always charge more for those projects! Using your blueprint and client character sketch as your guides, you have to write as if you are the author. Since you will likely not have quotes from the author to fold in, it will have to come from you. However, don’t be afraid to periodically call your client to get more detail on a subject if you don’t feel confident writing about it. Even though they don’t want to be deeply involved during the writing process, they should understand if you occasionally need a little information from them.

Regardless of the involvement of the author, if you are writing a factually based book like an academic non-fiction, you will need to do some research. Ask your client for a list of books they think you should read so that you can have at least a cursory understanding of the subject. It will be important for you to have that knowledge base as you write.

But even if you are writing a piece of fiction or an autobiography, some research may be useful. Read up on the time period, learn more about the community the story is taking place in, or get some facts about the industry the character or person worked in. Having even a small amount of background information will be very helpful as you write.

Well, it’s listener email time! I received my first question this week and I think it’s a really good one. This question was asked by Katie from Boston, Massachusetts (that’s in the United States for all of you international listeners). Katie asked “You said you are planning on talking about the writing process in your next episode so I’m hoping you can answer this question for me because it’s what always holds me back. How do you start? Is it different than how a regular author would start their work? I always struggle with how to begin.”

Thanks for the question Katie! I hope you’ll find my answer satisfactory. While beginning a project tends to be difficult for most writers, it is actually slightly easier for ghostwriters, especially if the client is staying involved in the project. However, this is still a creative process so some people may struggle from time to time (me included by the way). So, I use many of the same tricks that I use when I’m doing my own writing. I don’t always start at the beginning. The most important thing is to just get something on the screen or down on paper. So, don’t worry if you’re starting at the beginning, middle, or end.

When working with a client who is allowing you to interview them, start with the portion where you got the most detail or the best story. This will help you get in the flow of writing. If it’s not going to be the beginning of the book, only write for a little while and then try to go back and get those introductory lines started. They’re always the toughest, so once those are down you’ll be just fine.

Well, I hope you all found this information to be useful! And don’t forget about your homework assignment! Choose three people, create character sketches for them, and write a journal entry or anything you like using their voices. And of course, send me what you write if you dare! If you don’t want me to share it with the audience and just want me to check it out and maybe give you some advice, let me know.

And of course contact me with your questions or comments at any time. I will answer your questions on air if I think the audience will benefit from hearing about the subject of your e-mail. You can reach me at gwapodcast@aol.com. That link will be included in the show notes at the official page for the Ghostwriters Anonymous podcast, http://www.ghostwriters-anonymous.com/. Click on the tab that says “Ghostwriters Anonymous podcast.” Thank you for listening and make sure to tune in next week for the eighth episode of the Ghostwriting101 series where I will discuss the editing process.