Writing Means Rewriting: Finding Your Voice Together
Every successful ghostwriting experience begins with a creative partnership. One common misconception authors have about collaborating with a ghostwriter is that an experienced writer should be able to sound exactly like the author on the first attempt.
The truth is, no matter how much talent a ghostwriter has or how strong the bond between author and writer is, replicating the author’s voice is an iterative process. It takes time for an author to discover how to communicate their written voice and for the ghostwriter to understand how to express it across the page.
Following your discovery call, the author and ghostwriter should have a good idea of how they will work together.
Some productive takeaways from a first dive into the author’s book ideas:
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1. Establish a schedule for sharing and reviewing material
The cadence of installment submissions is ultimately up to the author. It’s usually best to review the work when the writer reaches a natural stopping point rather than interrupting the creative process.
This may mean reviewing half or an entire chapter each week, or larger sections at less frequent intervals. Ten carefully considered pages may be more valuable than twenty if the material requires extensive research or a higher level of precision.
How often you meet to review new material is a separate consideration. This is commonly done once a week or twice a month, though the timing of these checkpoints is secondary to compatibility. Typically, authors find it beneficial to meet with me once a week, as it provides enough time for substantial development of their project.
Some authors prefer not to see the manuscript until the first draft is complete. That can be an efficient way to work, but there should be early checkpoints to ensure the author’s voice is making its way onto the page and remains consistent as the manuscript develops.
At the outset of the project, both parties should agree upon how feedback will be communicated and how often the manuscript’s overall direction will be reviewed to ensure they remain aligned throughout the writing process.
2. Establish how revisions will be handled
Every writer has a process for drafting and revising a manuscript, but revisions are an essential part of every project. As the ghostwriter gradually discovers the author’s voice, revisions occur continuously as new material is written, followed by one or more dedicated revision passes through the completed manuscript before it moves on to proofreading.
3. Determine how new ideas will be incorporated into the manuscript
A book almost always changes during the writing process. Better examples are remembered, stronger illustrations present themselves, and entirely new connections are discovered. The author and ghostwriter should agree on how those discoveries will be evaluated and incorporated without losing sight of the overall direction of the manuscript.
4. Understand that writing means rewriting
It is rare for a ghostwriter to iron out all of the peculiarities of an author’s voice on the first attempt. Realistically, it may take two or more tries before the voice is fully captured, with each attempt bringing it substantially closer.
That isn’t a sign that something is going wrong. It’s evidence that both people are paying attention and getting the job done properly.
Every revision teaches the ghostwriter something new. Just as importantly, every revision teaches the author something about their own voice.
When an author and ghostwriter are working together for the first time, it is common for the author to be unsure what to say to achieve the results they want.
Most people have never been asked to explain why one paragraph sounds like them, and another doesn’t. They know it instinctively, but putting that instinct into words is a skill that develops during the collaboration.
This is why it may take half a dozen attempts before the author says, “That’s it! You got it!”
That moment is significant because it means the collaboration has reached a new level of understanding. The ghostwriter has learned to recognize the author’s natural way of expressing ideas, and the author has learned how to communicate the nuances they want to see in the writing.
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By this stage, revisions become less about changing the author’s voice and more about refining the manuscript itself. The hard work of learning from one another has largely been accomplished.
The best ghostwriting projects are built through careful listening, convincing prose, honest feedback, and rewriting. With every thoughtful revision, the author and ghostwriter move closer to a shared goal: a manuscript that sounds so natural, readers never question who wrote it.