Even once you master the art of expressing your client's ideas, you're still going to face one more challenge: That of maintaining your self.
That might seem a touch melodramatic. And maybe it is. But the reality is that as you busy yourself with the thoughts, concerns and reputation of another person, there will be consequences. What are some of these potential problems and how can you deal with them?
While you're ghostwriting, all of your work is building the brand of someone else. Another individual is going to take credit for everything you're doing. And at first, you might think – as I did - I'm not really concerned with the notoriety as long as I get paid.
Which is very practical of you. The problem with this thought, however, is that it's a complete falsehood.
Granted, you might not be looking for tons of attention from your work, but everyone needs affirmation. Everyone wants to know that their work is appreciated. Writers need their audience. As a ghostwriter, you are deprived that part of the experience.
As a result, you will very likely deal with frustration and discouragement at some point. This can especially be a problem if your client gets lots of attention for your work and you get very little. One of my former clients, for example, is a New York Times Bestselling Author. Jonathan Thompson is not.
And regardless of any noble ideals that I entered the industry with, this is annoying.
Even if the work doesn't go on to gain your client great success, you could face burnout simply because you're constantly being asked to write things that you don't care about. When I was first starting out, I was doing lots of generalist copywriting work – which meant that I was working hard to write about things that I knew and cared little about.
It was exhausting.
But that's enough negativity. I love my job. So, let's talk about solutions.
Along with selecting your clients and projects based on whether or not you think they will make a good fit with your personal values, you should also consider how much you're going to enjoy the job. While you may not feel like you have that liberty, you most certainly do. Remember, ours is a mental and emotional occupation. If you don't like the job, you won't be interested in it and if you aren't interested, you're going to write garbage.
Now, you might have the ability to make any gig enjoyable. That's amazing, use it. A dear friend of mine, who is also a writer, can take any subject and find something that totally fascinates her. From there, she's able to write in an engaging way that pulls the reader in. I am personally incapable of that sort of intellectual flexibility. I have my niche, and that's where I stay.
Which type of writer are you? Either way, find a way to fall in love with the material. After all, that's what makes anything an enjoyable read, isn't it? When the author's own passion and excitement bleeds through the page, you are more impacted by the experience. This is true whether we're talking about fiction or non-fiction; if you don't care, the audience won't care.
If you find that you're feeling burnt out, then reevaluate your work. Do you still enjoy the topics? Can you make yourself enjoy them? Could you be more selective when applying for work?
Even if you do manage to dig yourself a sweet little niche and gather some clients, it's possible that you're going to get some assignments that are particularly challenging for you. Do these first.
Whether that piece requires more research, a greater investment in time or just deals with something you really aren't excited about, making that assignment your top priority will make the whole experience better. Why?
First, you're going to have more mental and physical energy toward the start of your workday. Although you might not identify yourself as a “morning person,” most people have greater mental acuity within the first two hours of waking. For the most part, this has to do with your natural hormonal cycles – wherein cortisol is produced at optimal levels when you first wake up, sharpening your mind and giving you a boost of energy.
But this morning buzz could also have something to do with mindset, as well. When you first sit down to write in the morning, the chaos of the day hasn't totally gotten to you yet. Your mind is still (relatively) uncluttered, allowing you to focus on the more challenging task.
This approach could also have a major impact on the rest of your day, too. In his best-selling book, entitled Eat That Frog!, Bryan Tracy builds on this idea, arguing that if you take on your hardest task first, you'll learn self-discipline and be able to move on with a greater sense of self-satisfaction. This philosophy is pretty widely accepted and applied in the business world, and many successful CEOs swear by it.
Interestingly, the book's oddly appealing title is taken from the following quote, attributed to Mark Twain: “If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long.” Twain, for all of his wit, almost certainly did not endorse the consumption of amphibians for breakfast. Instead, the quote probably originated in France, around 1795. Either way, the idea behind the mystery quote is a sound one. Take on your hardest job first thing in the morning to get it out of the way and enjoy the sense of not having it waiting for you all day.
In the last chapter, I teased you with the fact that during my career I've developed a little trick to make some of my less agreeable assignments more bearable. It's time for the reveal.
Put simply, I use my bylined work to rail against the opinions I disagree with from my ghostwritten work. And why not? Articles written under my name represent my thoughts and opinions. The pieces bearing my client's name likewise contain their philosophies. My role as a ghostwriter requires me to pen my client's ideas. When I'm getting my own byline though, I can write what I want.
So, if a piece that I'm asked to write for a client gets me particularly bothered, I will then present the counter-argument in another publication under my own name. This allows me to both fulfill my obligations as a ghostwriter and honor my own opinions. Everybody wins.
Of course, there are some limitations here. For one, do not directly confront or condemn your client. That's just bad business. Remember, as well, that this technique primarily works for non-fiction. The opportunity to rebut fiction is going to be rare... and a little strange, actually.
In order to use this tactic, you need to have work – of both the bylined and ghostwritten variety. How to get that work will be discussed thoroughly in the next two chapters.