INKWELL Copywriting, Ghostwriting, PR

Ghostwriting project 6 - first draft, second thoughts

The first draft of the ghostwritten memoir has been with the client for a few weeks and I have just received her initial reaction - always a moment for held breath. She loves it. She has declared it 'brilliant' and in a second email commented on how I nailed the psychological aspects of the memoir.

This 'inner life' of a ghostwriting subject is tricky for a ghostwriter to reach. One's projected identity is often apparent after a few meetings but inner thoughts and the way we understand the world is very difficult to express in a ghostwritten memoir. It depends on how open the client wishes to be of course but, in this case, the workings of the mind are crucial to the reader's understanding of the subject so I'm glad I seem to have done that justice.

Beyond that, the first draft has stirred up some secondary material, which the client is writing in note form that we can discuss at our next meeting.

Ghostwriting project 5 - avoid a potentially libellous memoir

I have now had time to sift through all the material that relates to the book I am ghosting. One of the beauties of ghostwriting is not knowing where the story will take you until all the information has been collated. This is a belter - it's touching, funny and very personal.

I have written a first draft with red lines under all the issues that need clarifying, all the anecdotes that need nailing down (and some that need building up), and all the potentially libellous information that has to be amended. 

Possible defamation is a constant worry when ghostwriting a memoir. Often, a client is adamant that they want their story to be told their way, but I have always been aware that there are only two defences for libel - death (of the person who is defamed), and the truth (that you can prove). The second of these is very important. If someone believes you have dafamed them and they seek redress, it is your responsibility to prove the truth of your assertions, not theirs to prove it is a lie.

To avoid confusion, ghostwriters should alter all the potentially contentious stories. If nothing else, change the names so they cannot be identified.

Ghostwriters in the UK dabble in this area at their peril.

Ghostwriting project 4

After a third voice-recorded interview with my client, I have enough to make a start on her ghostwritten book. The client travelled to me in Lancashire for all the interviews (my voice recorder, left).

The first two meetings evidently stirred lost memories of other important events in her life because the client arrived with a fistful of new stories. This commonly occurs. If you are contemplating using a ghostwriter to write your memoir, don't underestimate the amount of reflection that will take place.

As a ghostwriter, it is imperative that I have plenty of background material to reproduce her 'voice' on the page so I was pleased that during the third interview the client's uniqueness and humour emerged - always a boon to writers, especially a ghostwriter.

When all the initial interviews are complete, I usually transcribe them so that I have the material to draw on and cut and paste. That's now done.

Now that I have all the basic information - where to start?

In this case I have opted to re-write some of the client's own notes into the style that we will use for the finished book. This will help me stick closely to her own voice and, as most memoirs are quite episodic by nature, prevents me getting lost. I then have all the transcriptions to weave in. It can be a daunting task but it's one I cherish.

The way it's looking, the book will come in at around 60,000 words.

Ghostwriting Project 2 & 3

I have had two interviews with a first-time author who has employed me to ghostwrite her book.

It's a curious mix of memoir and the powerful effect of coincidence on her life. The author is keen to tease out the connection between some fascinating events in her life with the profound feeling that they were pre-determined. Like the author, I was a little sceptical at first, but that won't stop me weaving a compelling story.

The client has written about 30,000 words in note form - in some cases the scenes are fleshed out a little - effectively opening a door into the book. But nothing can substitute for sitting down and hearing her tell her stories. The 'voice' is crucial to making the book unique and these recorded interviews will form the basis of the story and dialogue.

It also helps that the client loves to talk and doesn't mind being probed by searching questions.

Ghostwriting project

Last week I took on another ghostwriting project. I am looking forward to it greatly.

For this book I plan to chart the progress of a ghostwriting commission from start to finish to give readers an idea of how a ghostwriter works - at least in Lancashire, UK anyway.

My client (and future author) has given me about 20,000 words of notes to read. There is a mixture of anecdotes, memories and bare facts to sift through so I should be well prepared for our first interview in a couple of weeks' time.

I have a few ideas about which angle the ghostwritten book might take but that won't become clear until I can tease out the client's goal for the book. Why is she writing the book? Why now? Who is it for? Who is likely to be interested in it?

Seems a good time to delve into the world of ghostwriters, what with the new movie Anonymous questioning the authorship of all that drama and poetry purportedly by yer man, W. Shakespeare.

Lancashire Ghostwriter Prospers

Reaching the end of a ghostwriting project stirs up conflicting emotions. On the one hand you are excited to agree on the final proof with the client and yet there is a whiff of sadness that the story has come to a conclusion. Sometimes I wish it would never stop.

A JOURNEY TO PROSPERITY by Lionel Gorick has been 12 months in the making and the book has just gone to print. It is a memoir of Lionel's climb from a sheltered childhood in Lancashire deprived of parental love to business success and industry recognition. He has a great story to tell about how he not only built a large company from scratch but also created an industry.

As ghostwriter on the project it was my pleasure to find the words and put the flesh on the story as told to me by Lionel.

 

 

Ghost Writing