A ghostwriter stands behind the scenes. But that doesn’t mean he must remain quiet. The ghostwriter is the expert. If the client had the time and talent to do the writing himself, or herself, a ghostwriter would not be needed.
Stand your ground. This is different than being stubborn, obtuse or rude. A expert makes informed choices and sometimes those choices must be explained to the amateur. Not that the amateur will always understand. When that happens the ghost becomes the teacher, the cop, the spiritual adviser. Calm, patient — up to a point — and frank: You may not understand now what I am doing, but if you continue to look and listen some of this will eventually sink in.
What will sink in? Craft. Tenants of drama. Tricks of the trade…and so forth.
Be vocal early about objectives, your expectations of the client and the need for freedom. Life stories don’t pop from the oven like a perfect loaf of bread. Make the client know that the stage play must work for it to have any chance for a production.
One vocal exercise to avoid: “I quit.” Never feels good to be heard in this way. Instead, re-state the objections, challenges, disagreements and so forth that have created the impulse to quit. You’re buying time, true, but in that short space a solution, a mediation, an acomodation may occur to you.
One vocal exercise to learn: “We’re done.” This means the play has been written, re-written and is ready for production — where another kind of work will begin. Help the client understand the difference between nitpicking now, and adjusting in rehearsal when an actor is struggling with a line or scene.
Say “Thank you for allowing me to serve you.”
Other ghostwriting posts:
- How to Ghostwrite a Stage Play: The Beginning
- How to Ghostwrite a Stage Play: Prepare to Fail
- Ghostwriting Lesson: Capturing Voice and Story Takes Time
- How to Ghostwrite a Stage Play: Finish First Draft
- How to Ghostwrite a Stage Play: Don’t Explain
