Key Tips to Becoming a Great Ghostwriter

Key success tips

• Keep the essence of your subject's voice

• Be a good listener and asking great questions

• Diversify your writing portfolio

• Be confident, creative and flexible
  

Keep the essence of your subject's voice

My philosophy on ghostwriting is to keep the authenticity of the author's voice even though you are the one writing their story. In order to be a successful ghostwriter you need to know how to balance your voice with your subject's voice, as you are metaphorically the 'ghost' behind their work.

How do you stay authentic?

There are a variety of ways to achieving authenticity in the work that you are undergoing. Here are some things that you can do to capture the essence of your client's voice.

1. Observe and understand the client you are writing for. Researching your client or including interviews/meetings can provide insight into their personality and thought process. Personally, I have discovered that interviewing clients is an effective method to authenticate the author's voice, as it allows me to listen and observe directly within the context of a conversation.
   

2. Practice writing in various voices. To become a well-rounded writer, it's essential to experiment with different styles, genres, and techniques. Do some writing exercise or take on writing projects that are not exactly your niche to get a broader experience.

Be a good listener and ask great questions

Being a good listener and asking insightful questions are crucial skills to possess as a ghostwriter, freelancer, or in any role that involves communicating with others. These skills maintain the authenticity of your work, as mentioned earlier, and achieve the results your clients seek. Without listening or inquiring, how can we address our clients' needs and devise solutions for them?

How to be a great listener?

There are many insightful sights that you can learn from but here are the key ones I have found to work:

1. Maintaining eye contact to keep engaged

2. Practicing active listening by listening and observing

3. Encouraging others to show that you're listening through saying things like "ahhh", "okay" or head nods

4. Asking for clarifications to also show that you are listening and understanding what they are saying

5. Asking open ended questions to start or steer the conversation

Diversify your writing portfolio as a Ghostwriter

To achieve greatness, it is essential to continuously practice and enhance your skills in your field.

I constantly seek chances to write, even outside of project work. These opportunities may involve exploring writing prompts or exercises, keeping a journal, blogging, crafting poetry, or contributing to online posts. Regardless of the activity, each offers a valuable opportunity to enhance your writing skills.

It is also important to diversify your skills. For instance, I am a ghost writer whose niche is memoir and book writing but I have found in recent times that I am getting approached for work outside of my niche. What do I do? I accept even though I do make it clear that it's not something I usually do but taking it on presents an opportunity to expand my writing skills and portfolio.

Be Confident, Creative and Flexible

These are just some attributes to have as a ghostwriter.

Confidence: Be confident in your abilities because when you are then your client will be also and that confidence gets you more clients.

Creativity: Knowing how to structure someone‘s story or piece of work is important. It also takes creativity to turn the little information you get or idea of your client into a great piece of work.

Flexibility: Collecting research independently is different from obtaining information from the client, as the latter requires flexibility to accommodate their availability, which can impact project deadlines.

Expertise in Publishing: Despite not providing publishing services, I often receive inquiries about them due to my professional involvement in a closely related field. So, it is good to have some knowledge about the industry.

There are so many other advices online but I find that these are the top ones and attributes to becoming a great ghostwriter and writer in general.

Comment below if you found this helpful and visit www.starlightghostwriting.com for your writing needs.