Hiring a Ghostwriter Who Boils for You

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When hiring a ghostwriter, professionals and would-be authors can easily be disillusioned by ghostwriting job requirements. One would think that an English degree, impeccable grammar, and speed are of the utmost importance in the ghostwriting process. One would think. But sometimes, as in the case of the grammatical faux pas I’ve just committed, some cold-and-hard rules […]

Show Don’t Tell: an Excuse to Stare and Eavesdrop

Your creative writing teacher said, “Show Don’t Tell.” All the advice you’ve read on honing your fiction repeated, “Show Don’t Tell.” And just when you thought you couldn’t stand another piece of advice that you’re helpless to employ, a blog writer writes, “Show Don’t Tell.” I know, I know. What does Show Don’t Tell even mean? […]

Reading, Writing, and ‘Rithmatic: Good Grades for Ghostwriting

Remember grammar school? Most of the material was pretty basic, but I’m guessing you can easily pinpoint the subject that caused you the most angst. For me, it was geography. I found myself amused that The United States resembled a decapitated Thanksgiving turkey lying on its side, but ask me what was inside its borders […]

To Ebook or TBook?

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When writing a book, one burning book writer question will inevitably be, “To eBook or tBook?” “Screen or page?” “Updated or antiquated?” I must admit, I am a sucker for the traditional book. The sound of pages brushing against one another, the smell of the ink, the heaviness in my hand…when I crack open a book, I hear […]

Ghostwriters Earn Degrees

Ghostwriters, picture these: sensitive bank robbers who are good fathers (and mothers); nuns who steal lacy underwear; doctors, lawyers, psychologists, veterinarians, and pastors who cheat and the ghostwriters who help them do it. These must be characters in a short story I’m working on, right? Personalities with unexpected qualities…a little something to give them depth and interest, […]

A Short Story by a Little Writer

A story that’s short on words can be exceptional when it’s big on backstory and residual emotion. Here’s the shortest one I’ve ever read, and I repeat it like a mantra of all my blessings:  “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Ernest Hemingway It visits me when a baby is born…and when a baby isn’t. It haunts […]

Real People, Real Character Development

This is a shout-out to all you ghostwriters who aspire to short story, novella, and novel writing. Whether you’ve been supplementing your byline-writing income with some words on the down-low or you’re using your stint as a ghostwriter to hone your skills, listen up. This is a lesson from the streets, a hands-on snub to classroom learning. I’ve attended […]

Ghostwriters: Word Prostitutes?

A ghostwriter? That’s a writer who tried to be a real writer but failed, right? And now sells herself for rent money? Maybe Ruth from The Ghostwriter put it best when she asked the movie’s main character (whom she was seducing), “Didn’t you ever want to be a proper writer?” Recently, I was accosted with a similar inquiry: […]