I will never forget the comment I received from a client early in my career about a blog I had written for her. She had circled several sentences and stated emphatically, “This phrasing is rude and offensive – change!”
The irony? Those phrases were verbatim quotes from the client. Without realizing it, she was admitting that how she spoke and communicated was rude and offensive.
Like the tactful ghostwriter I am, I simply made the requested changes and moved on. But this brings out a very key point: a ghostwriter often sits on the horns of a dilemma. On the one hand, we are charged with capturing the “voice” of the subject matter expert for whom we are writing the white paper, article, blog, etc. On the other hand, we must have the wisdom (and diplomacy) to modify that voice when necessary so that it is appropriate to the target audience.
Modifying a client’s voice may involve omitting inappropriate language, simplifying complex statements, and truncating verbose monologues. Sometimes clients resist these changes, saying, “That doesn’t sound like me!”
That may be true. But before you go back with red lined copy to the ghostwriter, consider: “This may not sound like me … but is it how I want to sound?”
A good ghostwriter will take your voice and polish it until it shines. Today, my clients frequently exclaim, “Wow! You make me sound really good!”
That’s the job of a ghostwriter. And I’m proud to do it.
Author: Paula Marolewski