Leah Kristie Dixon, Copyright 2020
Capturing the subtlety of a subject’s voice—their tone, phrasing, quirks and repeated words or ideas—is the chief task of a ghostwriter. We may have all of the key information, but if a reader cannot “hear” our client in the text, we’ve missed the mark.
Here are three questions to help strengthen the client’s voice in your writing:
Am I embracing the client’s most valued points?
Can I hear the client say it this way?
Are there areas where I need more information or clarification?
Am I embracing the client’s most valued points?
In your interviews with your client, when did they speak the most animatedly? What ideas or stories did they return to or repeat? What common themes did you hear? Avoid the temptation to table seemingly irrelevant information, especially if the client reiterated it. Perhaps there is an important connection. If not, this may be a good opportunity to suggest the disconnect, acknowledge the value of the story or idea, and pitch it as a separate piece.
Can I hear the client say it this way?
Learning a client’s voice and style takes time. In our most intimate relationships, we can often predict what the other person will say and how they will say it. Such knowledge is built on years of spending time together, sharing meals, working through conflict, and listening to each other. As ghostwriters we typically do not have that breadth of time or personal access to our clients. However, we can take advantage of the often-vast collection of public information available to us. Does your client have lectures, speeches or interviews on Vimeo or YouTube? Does he or she post on social media? Has your client published articles previously? Listen and read for repeated words or phrases, areas of passion, and anything quirky or memorable about the way they present. As you familiarize yourself with your client, you will better embrace their unique voice and tone in your writing.
Are there areas where I need more information or clarification?
Finally, as you flesh out the article, are there any key pieces of information missing? Particularly around the client’s most passionate points? As writers, it can be tempting to engineer the flow of the text around the data we have, but this is a choice that often leads to a weaker final product. Humility is the ghostwriter’s most valuable tool, especially when you have a hunch that you are missing something. Perhaps a meaningful personal story was left unsaid. Or perhaps you bypassed a key question. Going back for more information and spending time on additional research will undoubtedly strengthen your final piece.
We have the meaningful, creative task of taking on a client’s voice and giving them the gift of being heard. Ultimately, our success hinges on our ability to listen. What has the client said? What has she not said? And how does her tone, personality and experience inform what we’ve heard? As we give careful attention to our clients by embracing their values, conducting thorough research and clarifying where necessary, we will strengthen both our relationships with our clients and the work we produce for them.