The craft of ghostwriting / By Wendi Jane Ellis
Writing in
someone else’s voice.
Ghostwriting is an unusual kind of writing. The words are my work, but the book belongs to someone else: their knowledge, their perspective, their name on the cover.
That requires more than fluency with language. I need to understand what the author means, recognise what matters to them and find a form that allows a reader to follow their thinking. The work is personal, even when the subject is technical or abstract.
Listening before writing
An author does not always arrive with a clear outline. They may have years of experience, a collection of notes or a question they cannot leave alone. Sometimes the most useful material emerges while they are explaining something they had assumed was too obvious to mention.
I listen for those moments and ask questions that help the author look more closely at their own ideas. What do they mean by a particular phrase? What led them to that conclusion? What might a reader need explained? Those conversations give the writing substance.
Understanding a voice
A written voice is more than a handful of familiar expressions. It appears in the way a person explains a difficult idea, the examples they choose, their humour and the distinctions they insist on making.
My task is to recognise those qualities and carry them into language that reads naturally on the page. I may reshape a sentence or develop an explanation, but the author should recognise their own thinking in the result. Feedback is essential to getting that right.
Giving ideas a shape
Expertise does not automatically arrive in chapter order. A book needs a structure that gives each idea its place and helps the reader understand why it matters.
I consider what the reader needs to know first, where an example would help and which ideas deserve further development. I also look for repetition and material that belongs elsewhere. These decisions are part of the writing itself, rather than a tidy-up at the end.
Working with care
Writing on someone else’s behalf brings responsibilities. I need to be precise about what they are claiming, careful with research and respectful of experiences they have trusted me to hear.
Confidentiality belongs within that care. The author decides what becomes public; my role is to help them express it well. A successful collaboration produces a book they can stand behind, written in language their readers can understand.
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