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Ghosting Around
How writers can use their writing skills to help others tell their fascinating stories
This feature first appeared in print in the October 2024 issue of Writing Magazine
As writers, we have the skills to bring our stories to life. Understanding the importance of structure, grammar, and how to entertain readers in an engaging way also means we have skills others don’t.
Some people have the most fascinating tales to tell, but they don’t know how to go about sharing them. So why shouldn’t they employ a writer to help them tell their story? It’s no different to calling in a plumber to fix a leaky tap. When we need a job doing, we call in a professional.
Writing other people’s stories is called ghostwriting because the writer is usually invisible. The writer does the work, but the client gets the credit.
Some may think this is unethical. After all, if a book has by Joe Bloggs on the cover and it turns out somebody else wrote it, then it is understandable readers may feel misled. However, the name on the cover is whose story it is, not who decided which words to use.
Confidentiality Clause
Celebrities, or their publishers, often insist on confidentiality clauses, preventing ghostwriters from telling…
