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July 2nd, 2009 - The Qualities Of A Freelance Ghost Writer
Marsha Maung
When you hire a freelance ghost writer, this is what you should expect and what the writer should provide you with:-
The number one quality is to be flexible. There is no amount of money that can buy flexibility because all of this comes from experience. An experienced professional freelance ghost writer will learn this in his or her career as a freelancer over the years that many times when you step in and out of shoes, you have to adopt different styles of writing which will eventually capture the attention of the intended audience. If you’re writing about motorcycles, you’ll have step into the shoes of a biker, adopt their mentality and write in such a way that is completely believable. On the other hand, if you’re writing about menopause, the writer would have to step into the shoes of an aging woman or a doctor who is experienced in dealing with women that age. That’s the job of a freelance ghost writer….flexible enough to step into many different shoes and remain believable.
The other quality to have is independence. Nothing irks a client more than having to spoon-feed the freelance ghost writer that they’ve just hired. If the writer is unable to do his or her research on his or her own, then what’s the point. Of course, it is unfair to say that the writer is on his or her own because when you dive into a topic, we’re drawing blanks everywhere. This is a time-consuming affair and it’s unfair to cram ten years of experience into a single week…or day. Any help from the client will help but basically, the freelance ghost writer would have to land on his or her own feet once the client sets them on the right path.
Although price is a big thing with a client, the freelance ghost writer should recognize the fact that earning the trust and loyalty of a client is far more important than just immediate gains. If the client is willing to pay XYZ amount of money for good work and the writer is only willing to work for ABC amount, there’s always middle ground. Try to negotiate well with each other and find the balance and work on the relationship not on a one-off basis. Clients who are consistent and flexible is far better than clients who are one-off. I am speaking from experience so listen because it’s important.
Religious work ethics is another good quality to have for a freelance ghost writer. This is not to say that we have to be workaholics and have no personal life but being a freelancer often means that you have all the freedom in the world – and to a client, they want to have a deadline and know when to expect stuff. So, have discipline. You need to iron out your working hours and the ways that the client can reach you. If you want to be a good freelance ghost writer, you’ll have to keep your client in the know.
All in all, there’s no one single formula that works out for every freelance ghost writer in this world but there are rule of thumbs. As long as a professional approach is adopted, there’s really no way you can fail at being a professional freelance ghost writer.
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<b>Marsha Maung</b> is a Malaysian-based <a href="http://www.marshamaung.com" target="_blank">freelance writer</a> with two kids. She spends her time ferrying her kids around, watering her plants, writing web content, SEO stuff, ghostwriting books and also indulges in the occasional Facebook-ing. Visit her <a href="http://www.marshamaung.blogspot.com" target="_blank">blog</a> for more dirty details on the life and times of a mother, writer, designer, housekeeper, coffee-maker, poop-wiper, chef...and just about everything else under the sun.
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