As this blog is about encouraging writers to write, I thought it might be a good idea to give some tips on how to build a solid working relationship with your ghostwriting clients.

Whether you’re ghostwriting a how-to book on business techniques or a personal account of someone’s life, it is important that you get to know your client. After all, you will be working with them for some time!

Some clients have very limited time. This might be why they are hiring you to ghostwrite for them! So, please understand that I’m not suggesting that you engage in endless chit chat. Your goal is to learn about your new writing partner, so that you can better serve them.

Find out what goals they have for this book. What prompted them to write it and why do they feel it is important to share this information with others?

Allow them to take the lead in the early conversations. Ask questions and let them know that you’re interested in the answers. Be genuine with them.

Whatever you do, don’t cut them off, thinking that your time is too valuable. Plan to spend whatever time is needed in the beginning to build a strong relationship.

Throughout the ghostwriting process you will be communicating back and forth frequently. Most conversations should be done via email, because it is good to have your client’s thoughts and ideas in writing.

Plus, it is important to have their approval for outlines, chapters and corrections in writing as well, so there are no miscommunications later.

However, once in a while, pick up the phone. It is good to hear their voice, and have them hear yours. Certain things just don’t communicate through email. A more personal touch is needed.

Make sure to maintain constant communication with your client throughout the project.  Send them chapters ahead of time, if possible. If you exceed their expectations, they are likely to hire you again.

Image by Bright Meadow via Flickr

I have really enjoyed working with all my writing clients this year. I have the good fortune to work with people that I sincerely like and respect. Communication and creativity flows easily and I genuinely have a lot of fun!

This year, I wrote the outline for a story about an entertainer, based on the true stories of a man who opened for many celebrities. I am also writing a book about a mother’s nightmare of her child’s battle with illness, which was misdiagnosed. Then there is an exciting sci fi novel, about a series of characters living one lifetime after another.

On the nonfiction side, I wrote many articles for Mortgage Match. It’s nice that I can tap into my five years of experience as a mortgage broker to help others navigate the waters of this arena.

I have also been working with a company in LA to write articles about automotive repair. These articles are being used in newsletters around the country.

In the new year, it looks like I have a few more projects queuing up. One is a story about a man’s experience dealing with the murder of his brother. There was a TV show produced on this story.

Next I have a new client with a series of mafia books which need to be written. These will hit this subject from a new angle!

I also became truly enamored with haiku this year and have been enjoying working with the Haiku Foundation to introduce this ancient form of poetry to others.

Visit our new forum. You’ll need to register to post comments and see all the discussions, but it is free. If you’re new to haiku, there are places to post questions or request help with your haiku. Please join us!

Thank you to all my clients for making this my most successful writing year to date. I look forward to beating this record in 2011!

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There are many ideas that probably hit you every day that you should jot down somewhere.  Perhaps someone says something that tickles you or you suddenly get a brilliant idea for a new story.  Write it down immediately!  It might just be the start of researching a future project.

I recently purchased a little black notebook, where I keep ideas for haiku. Ideas hit me without warning and if I don’t write them down, I might lose that little snippet.  Even if is just a line, the way something strikes me, I write it down.

One example recently was watching children play on an abandoned boat on the beach.  It turned into this haiku:

children giggle
inside an abandoned boat –
hermit crabs

If you have that kernel of an idea, go ahead and open a Word doc now and start putting research information about it into that file.  It will help you create a future project.

I did this with one story.  All I had was the basic concept: mushrooms take over the world.  Then I started researching a bit about mushrooms, here and there, bit by bit.  Then as time went on, I’d come up with other ideas and stick them in that file.

When I sat down to write the story it didn’t take long.  I had done all my research and was prepared.

You can read that story here.

If you have any old ideas that are sitting there, untapped in your mind right now, start a new file on your computer.  Write those ideas down (don’t worry about editing), just get them out of your mind and onto a page.  Download all those old ideas and see if you are inspired to write a new story today.

Image by graciepoo via Flickr

I watched him jog past as I bagged two oranges for Mrs. Murdock. Try as I might, I couldn’t stop my heart from beating faster. He had the most amazing form as he pulled that little two wheeled contraption behind him. I could watch him all day.

“That’s a fine rickshaw Stephen has,” Mrs. Murdock said with a knowing grin. For a little old lady she sure was observant. Annoyingly so.

“Yes, it is,” I said casually.

She handed me a twenty. I pulled out a wad of bills to count out the nineteen dollars in change.

“Oh, no dear,” Mrs. Murdock said. “That’s a tip for you. Just about enough for a ride, don’t you think?”

I blushed. Mrs. Murdock giggled. “What a delightful shade of crimson, Angela!”

I thanked her as a young mother with a wriggling three year old daughter in her arms walked up. The little girl was trying to touch the apples.

“Would you like one?” I looked back at the Mom for belated approval and she nodded gratefully.

“Yes!” the girl squealed as she flung her body full force down toward the pyramid of red Delicious apples.

Her mother apparently hadn’t been expecting that move. Apples spilled everywhere as we tried to stop them all from tumbling down. It was no use, they were all over.

The little girl looked so miserable, so I pulled out a crate and asked, “Will you help me put them in this box?” She brightened up immediately and her mom beamed at me.

We quickly had an efficient assembly line. I sat cross legged in front of the crate. The mom handed the apples to the girl, who handed each apple to me. We only had a few dozen left when she suddenly stopped. “No, that’s my job!” she shrieked angrily to someone behind me.

I turned around and looked up to see Stephen trying to hand me an apple. He grinned and handed it to the girl instead, who promptly handed it to me. Pacified she continued handing me more apples.

“Looks like you have things under control,” Stephen said, turning to leave.

I shook my head. “No! Not in the least!” I couldn’t have been more sincere.

Stephen laughed and said, “Damsel in distress?”

I nodded vigorously. “In desperate need of a rickshaw ride.”

“My favorite kind,” he said.

THE END

Note: This was a story I recently wrote for an online contest.  The game was to use the words, “rickshaw”, “crimson”and “sincere” in a story of 400 words or less. 

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I love ghostwriting.  It is very rewarding to help someone put their thoughts and ideas into a story, which communicates to their readers.

People often ask me about ghostwriting: what is involved, can you ghostwrite non-fiction, how much do you get paid and do you ever get a writing credit?  The answer is, each scenario is different and each client has different needs.

Most clients will not give you a writing credit, but some will.  Some actually want your name next to theirs and they like the idea that you’ll help sell copies when the book is published (because you have a stake in the sales).

You do give up all rights to the story when you ghostwrite.  That is difficult for many writers to accept.  Personally, I don’t mind.  There are tons of stories to write and I just enjoy writing.

A ghostwriter should be paid upfront.  I would strongly suggest that writers never accept a percentage of the royalties as a sole method of payment.  Many potential clients will offer this as compensation, but honestly they will probably not be happy in the end. 

On the whole, writers who accept this do so because they don’t realize what is involved in writing a book.  They don’t understand the research required and the hours it takes to create a story. 

Once they start hitting snags and realize that they need to pay this month’s mortgage, they will drop the project.  It is better to pay an experienced writer a fair price than it is to bargain hunt.

As a ghostwriter I write fiction and non fiction.  Both are in high demand.  And both are equally rewarding.

If you are a new writer, who is interested in ghostwriting, the first step is to let people know that you’re available to writer for them.  Tell your friends and family and any networking connections.  Post it on your status line on Linkedin or Facebook.

If you are new to the industry, maybe pair up with an experienced writer and split the commission.  Allow them to guide and mentor you, while you try out your writer wings.  Enjoy the process!

Image by Marquette University via Flickr

When you write good dialogue, you know it because it is very easy to read.  It flows as a real conversation would.  The reader feels like they are eavesdropping on your character’s chit chat.

For instance if two young girls are talking in the mall, the conversation would not sound like this:

“Mary, I am so happy that you decided to join me today at the mall.”

“Becky, I too am so very happy that you are here.”

“Mary, did you see the boy at our school yesterday?”

“Becky, yes I did.  He was very handsome.”

OK, I won’t belabor the point here.  This is very boring dialogue and not at all how it would really sound in real life.  Here’s how it should sound:

“Mary, finally! You’re mom finally let you come?”

“Yeah, I had to promise to watch Billy later. Drag.”

“You’re telling me. Glad I’m an only child.”

“I’m so jealous.  Hey, did you catch the new hottie at school?”

“Who didn’t?  He’s Hottie McHott Hott for sure.”

Of course the slang changes from minute to minute, but some phrases would set the era for you nicely.  Also some expressions stick around for decades.

If this doesn’t come naturally for you, go to the mall and listen to people talking.  Just get a gist of how they really speak.  You’ll catch on what words they drop, how they use contractions, and what slang is popular.  It may surprise you!

Image via Wikipedia

I wrote this a while back and entered it into Writers of the Future. I was honored to hear back from one of the judges. Although I didn’t win, I did make the Quarter Finals. Here’s a snippet from “Just a Job”. If you’d like to read the rest of the story, I’d be happy to send it to you.

Just a Job

This was Mildred’s second strike. She sat on the hard chair and tried to look as small as possible, feeling some small comfort in the veil of hair that fell over her face. One more strike and she would have to turn her brown dress in for a dull gray one. Looking around the room she saw the Blues bustling around helping Browns at their little government cubicles. Once in a while a Red or Green would pass by on the way to one of the nice offices to the right. Mildred dreamed of wearing a different color.

“Mildred 429?” a crisp voice called out.

“Here!” Mildred said in her best, most polite voice. She looked up and found a rather impatient looking Blue glaring at her.

“Well, come along,” the woman said. Mildred did her best to follow the Blue through the maze of cubicles. As she passed she overheard other Browns interviewing for work. A few of them had single black bars on their sleeves, but no one else had two like she had.

Passing through the cubicles they entered a large open area, filled with Blues interviewing Browns. The Blue Mildred had been following stopped and indicated that Mildred should sit down. “Back again so soon?” she muttered snidely.

“Yes, ma’am,” Mildred replied demurely.

“What happened this time?”

“It wasn’t my fault,” Mildred began. She concentrated and two fat tears fell from her eyes.

“What happened?” the blue snapped.

She quickly wiped her tears away and replied, “The kid ran away.”

“Was the child recovered?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Lucky for you!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The Blue looked at her in disgust. “I need to fill out the standard paperwork,” she said. She pushed aside some of the accumulated papers on her desk revealing an antiquated computer, built into the surface of the desk. She pulled out the keyboard from under the desk and started typing.

“Ma’am?” Mildred asked tentatively after a few moments.

The blue stopped typing and looked up at Mildred “Yes?” She took a quick glance at her watch.

Mildred stared at the edge of the desk in front of her. “I was just wondering if I could do something else. A different job.”

The Blue furrowed her brow. “Like cleaning or something?”

“No ma’am,” Mildred said with a deep sigh. “I mean like something completely different.”

The Blue barked a laugh. “You’re a Brown.” She resumed her typing.

The room is silent. You can literally hear the people breathing around you while you study the sixty-four checkered squares in front of you.

Glancing over at the chess clock you see you have plenty of time left in your game. A move cries out to be made, but you bide your time and check for others. You know that a move made in haste could cost your dearly.

Finally, confident that your initial idea is sound, you reach out a hand and grasp your knight, hopping it to its intended destination. There is an audible gasp from a few behind you.

You hit your clock signaling your opponent’s turn. Only then do you steal a glance at him. He meets your eyes with a look that speaks defeat. You see that he knows it is just a matter of time.

He shakes his head and stares at the hopeless position. You lean back in your chair and watch him study the board for possible flaws to your plan. There are none. It is hard to stifle the grin that threatens to spread across your face.

You glance around at your spectators. Some recognize your opponent’s fate, while others wear puzzled expressions. Two whisper to each other and finally nod their heads in understanding. One winks at you in admiration and turns to observe a game with a less determined outcome.

The fact that you are only ten years old, playing in an adult tournament, might have intimidated some, but not you. No, you know that your dedicated study and eagerness to learn the game has paid off.

You continue to improve each time you play.

Your teachers at school notice a difference, writing glowing praise home to your parents on a regular basis now. You know that you can do whatever you put your mind to do and it shows in various aspects of your life.

Your opponent shakes his head, stops the clock and reaches out his hand to you, signaling his resignation. You shake his hand, smile and offer to analyze the game with him, a ritual amongst players. He returns your smile and nods.

You know he doesn’t care about your age, because he knows your analysis will help him improve. How many activities are there where an adult would be eager to hear the thoughts of a child?

As you set up in the next room to go over the game you notice other adults have followed. They too want to hear what you have to say. There is no better feeling.

I wrote this story a few years ago and thought I’d post a piece of it for you to read.  If you’d like to see the rest, please email me at: LauraSherman@earthlink.net.

Gladys frowned as she pulled on the stubborn root. She had been tending the university garden for forty years now and had never seen a mushroom like this. The dull brown color was typical enough, but its tenacity was remarkable.

“Ouch!” she exclaimed as she tore off her gardening gloves and sucked on her finger. She examined the wound closely. It was bleeding the way a nasty paper cut would. Pulling out a small bandage from her left front pants pocket, she put it over the cut.

Tucking a wisp of gray hair behind her ear, she lay down on her stomach and took a more careful approach to the now bloody mushroom. Bending it back, she noticed the small razor sharp edges that protruded slightly from the pale stalk. Gently touching the edge, she wondered how it had developed the sharp blade. Self defense?

Taking a trowel from her supply belt, she dug a deep hole around the plant and scooped it up. Surely Dr. Harold Benjamin would know what to make of this specimen.

Her heart beat a little faster and she couldn’t help smiling. She was suddenly thankful for the bloodthirsty mushroom, as Harold always welcomed new species of plants, any plants. Plants were his passion.

She put the plant into one of the many empty pots she had in her cart and took off for the Science Building. As she motored along she wondered if Harold would know this variety or if he would have to look it up in a book. She hoped it would take a while, giving her an excuse to stay.

“Gladys,” said the professor as she walked in. She admired his snow-white hair and matching teeth. “Always a pleasure.”

Gladys blushed and stammered an awkward hello before thrusting the plant into his outstretched hand. Blushing further she realized that the hand had been outstretched in an attempt to grasp hers, but she had chosen to put a dirty pot in it instead.

When the dust settled, after our last writing contest, the creative juices were still flowing.  As I had hoped, many people had caught the writing bug and were enthralled by the six word short story concept.

Two stories that came in after were:

Colin and his son Xane:

“Gladys Foambutt finally changed her name.”

OK, I loved that one.

And my six-year-old son and I came up with this one:

“Alien argued, ‘No, you’re the alien.’”

Do you have any six word stories you wish to share?