Almost everyone who plans to try their hand at writing runs into the same thing: they don’t know how to do it. A perfectly normal state for anyone trying something new. Drawing on my experience writing my own books and on the literature I’ve written as a ghostwriter, I’m putting together a series of articles…
For many beginning writers, a good opening for a book turns out to be very difficult — sometimes outright impossible. One Hundred Percent Ready? It seems like everything is in place. The core of the book is there. The knowledge and the thoughts you want to convey to readers have taken shape. All that’s left…
Talking about the work of a ghostwriter, I can’t avoid talking about the people who commission books. You may recognize yourself here — or you may realize that you do need a book written, because you have something to say. Professionals One example is specialists who want to sum up their professional path and write…
In every profession there are professionals — and there are people you really shouldn’t hire. The world of ghostwriting is no exception. Some do this work well. Some do it adequately. And some do it very badly indeed. Strange Texts I know this for certain because colleagues approach me from time to time with offers…
There’s a question every writer hears sooner or later: “Do you have a plan?” A client comes to a writer and asks whether they can be given a plan for the book they want commissioned. In general terms, the writer answers — but rarely with the kind of concrete detail the client is hoping for….
There’s one foundational principle in storytelling: nothing extra. It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing a novel, a screenplay, or a short story — the rule is the same. Nothing belongs in your story that doesn’t move the plot. Not characters. Not events. Not even descriptions of the setting. Few people consciously know this rule. But…
Ghostwriters. The phantom writers. Professionals who help other people write their books. You’ll never see their names on a cover — and most of them prefer it that way. Some genuinely have no appetite for fame. Others just enjoy working with interesting people from behind the scenes. Are Ghostwriters Worse Than Famous Authors? Is this…
