BookRix

Continued…

So far - it doesn't seem like GW is really something that could be taken advantage of here at BookRix - after all, the vast majority of the members do not write NONfiction. But you have to remember GWs work on all sorts of things! And that includes 'Fiction'

How so?

Let's say you have a story idea - you've written it out in a rough - VERY rough story ... perhaps all you've got are a few lines, a flimsy outline, a page you brainstormed on --- whatever. And you know the story is good only no matter how hard you try - you simply cannot get the idea that's stuck in your head out onto the written page without making a royal mess of things. You get too detail oriented. You leave things out. You start writing and then go 'ooh, ooh, I forgot this or that - I'll just throw it in here and try to figure it out later.' Only when 'later' comes along - you find that you've confused yourself with so many little things you suddenly start to fear that your story is dead in the water.

This is the time when a GW can step in. You (the idea person) will work directly with a GW (it's best to work with one who is skyg services out there. You might even consider Skyping with the GW. No matter what - there must be communication.

First, you'll tell the GW your story - as best as you can from beginning to end - VERBALLY if at all possible (after all, if you could write it out well enough to send them a written version - you wouldn't really need a GW - would you?)

The GW will take notes as you tell the story. They might stop you every so often if they hear a major continuity issue and say something like 'Hold on. Let me get this straight. Person A goes to point C and meets person L. But 5 minutes ago person L was in France...how'd they wind up in Helena, Montana?' Once that issue is cleared - the teller will continue.

Continued...

...Once that issue is cleared - the teller will continue...

As you've probably figured out - this could take some time. It's best to NOT try to recount an entire epic tale in one sitting. Work for MAYBE an hour -- until you get to a point where you both know exactly where the story is going. Take a break for a day or two so they GW can put together a rough cut of what they gleaned from the conversation.

In a day or two - pick up with the story where you left off. Don't worry about going back over what you've already done! The GW will say something like, "When we stopped Person A was yelling at Person Q because Person J was arrested for killing the mayor...'

Follow this same routine until the story is told completely. And within a couple of days the GW will have a ROUGH draft for the 2 of you to go over together.

You'll start ironing out the wrinkles and over time - if the GW is a diligent writer and has taken very good notes - you'll wind up with YOUR story the way it always looked in your head - the only difference is YOU didn't have to slave over word choice or voice or tense or any of that stuff. The GW did it all.

Remember it is YOUR story - a GW should never say something like 'How about so and so does this instead?' That's not their job. They might say something like, "That didn't sound logical - shouldn't this happen instead?' Do you see the difference?

It's subtle but the first example is the GW 'feeding ideas that are theirs into the story' where as the second scenario is the GW attempting to make clear something that obviously stood out to them as being a bit off.

Once you've finally got the whole story down - THEN ... THEN it's time to start editing! (GWs don't write 'final draft' work when they're getting that general story down - usually the book will go to an outside editor who isn't so intimate with the story...to let their 'fresh eyes' read it for the basics, 'the big picture', and 'continuity.'

What exactly IS a ghostwriter (GW)?

Basically a ghostwriter is called upon to help someone who might have a wonderful story (or article for a magazine - lots of those nifty interviews you read in magazines aren't actually written by the person who did the interview...) but simply doesn't have the time OR, more likely, the necessary skills to take an idea from a wandering thought and putting it into an expanded, well-constructed story.

But if they can get a GW to help them – it can make a world of difference! Of course, it’s a job done ‘in the shadows’ so to say. A good GW is trustworthy and won’t divulge info about the story being written. Likewise, they won’t go around going, “Oh, yeah, that book? He didn’t really write it – I did.’ So why do it?

If a GW is a professional - it's an economic venture and it can be a very lucrative one, too!

Of course, if a GW is simply doing it to help out someone - it's purely altruistic because remember 9 times out of 10 ... no one will ever know there was a GW involved at all. As in EVER...unless the author agrees to say that they received help.

No, it's not a glamorous job. BUT it's one that has helped countless GREAT works of literary art come to life. GWs have been used for 100s of years! After all, not everyone can be Dickens...but that doesn't mean their stories can't be just as enduring as his! What’s more, the more ‘less skilled’ writers work with a GW the stronger their writing skills become until eventually they don’t really need a GW anymore. (It’s sort of like Nanny McPhee ‘When you need a GW but do not want a GW they are there to help you. When you want a GW but no longer need a GW they will move on to the next great author searching for someone to help their story come to life!)

Think of your favorite actor/comedian/musician - have they written an 'autobiography'? Look closely at the book's cover (or more likely somewhere on the inside title page) and you'll probably see a 'co-author's' name. These folks are 'kinda-sorta' GWs.

Why 'kinda-sorta'? Because the most important thing about being a GW is that no one is supposed to know that the person who is listed on the cover as the author didn't actually write the entire book. They may have written bits and pieces but for the most part a GW takes those tidbits and puts them into a neat, coherent story format.

Most fiction books are NOT written with the assistance of GWs whereas a LARGE number of nonfiction books are. And the reason for that most likely has to do with the fact that nonfiction typically requires a good deal of research. And as the 'author' is doing the research he or she will hand off large amounts of information to a GW and then let the GW read thru and pick what they think might be the most important information.

After which the researcher/'author' will read over what's been pulled together - discuss what needs to added or removed with the GW and then the GW gets to work on those things while the researcher/'author' works on more research. So, as you can tell - in these sorts of cases it might be best to think of a GW somewhat like an administrative assistant who can make REALLY boring stuff not quite so boring. And if they're AWESOME - they can actually make what can be very dry reading - actually interesting.

GWs are also hired a lot by folks who work for major corporations and are told that they need to write a professional sounding biography of about 2 to 3 pages that details their strengths/weaknesses/likes/dislikes, etc...but NOT in a 'resume' or 'curriculum vitae' sort of way.

Oh, and for those of you who might be considering going to a college or university that requires one of those essays about 'Why YOU deserve to accepted into the school' - LOTS of times those fabulous essays are NOT written by the applicants. Nope. They (or more likely Mom & Dad) will hire someone through a GW service (but it might not be called a GW service) to take their kid's not so awesome essay to make it all squeaky clean, free of errors, and filled with so much 'see how wonderful I am' verbiage - a university would be crazy not to accept the applicant. And yes, universities KNOW that people do this all the time - they don't really care - because when it comes to the final product...the client (mom, dad, applicant - whomever it may be) will have the final say as to whether or not to submit the essay.

(Keep on Reading…)

If you are interested in becoming a GW Please post your name and Genre here. Also Post any information you think may be helpful in pairing you up with a potential Story writer. Such as available time. Preferred type of communication Etc. Note: Do not post E-mail address or Phone number in this thread.
That will be handled Off Site to protect your privacy and that of the story teller.

I will be setting up a special e-mail account for the purpose.

Have you got a story Idea but are having trouble putting it into writing. If you do. Just post the title and the Genre on this string, along with your name and any other information you think would be helpful to pair you with a GW. Such as available time. Preferred type of communication Etc.

Note: Do not post E-mail address or Phone number in this thread.

That will be handled Off Site to protect your privacy and that of the story teller.

I will be setting up a special e-mail account for the purpose.

Welcome Adam, E.K. and Amber. I hope you enjoy the group.