Why I Am a Ghostwriter

As a ghostwriter, have I given up on getting that all important novel published by a real publisher under my own name? Yes, and no. yes, I love writing for other people so much that every day I look forward to learning what I will be committing to paper. The work is rewarding and I am not working in isolation. My clients give me an essential story line and I am expected to fill it out and bring it to a logical conclusion.

I started doing this so that I would have time to write those deathless words. Words that are all my own. Those words must be boring holes in my mind somewhere, as I am not contented unless I have spent at least four or five hours a day writing. And another one or two hours typing what I have written. And then another three or four hours editing and building on what I typed. Every day I ask myself why I don’t have time to put words into my own novels. However, when I accept work from a client, I must get so much out, every single day, or I quickly fall behind schedule. My own novels must take a backseat to the business at hand.

But, the words I write for one client are better, and more well chosen than the words I wrote for the one before, and I get paid for doing this. It is so wonderful to be able to pay my bills doing work that I love.

And as I said earlier, I am working in tandem with someone else. Writing is a lonely enough profession. Having someone else to consult with who has a very real stake in how the book will turn out is a necessary part of my work. Knowing that I am delivering what that person wants to see is highly gratifying. And that is why I have not had the time to write my own novels.

Still, every so often I write up another scene, or play with another plot twist. Perhaps there are other good ways to get a story out, but this is the way that I like best.