Page 13 - Unleashing the Creative Process.pdf

In many instances, people approach me with voluminous pages of notes or text, and triumphantly declare, “I already have a manuscript, but I don’t know what to do next.” With the most profound respect, I must honestly say that if you are not a writer, you don’t have a printable manuscript - no matter how many pages or meticulous notes you possess. Be prepared, therefore, to receive your writing collaborator’s impressions and ideas about changing and enhancing the text, so as to produce a viable, print-worthy composition. Ultimately, you should expect and assume creative control; but never be averse to input (which you can either accept or reject at intervals).
If you initially undertook the project yourself, you are to be commended. It is truly noble when one embarks upon a writing task without training or exposure to the process. However, trying to write a book independently without the advice and guidance of a professional is analogous to displaying your painting in a museum without possessing actual knowledge of how to manipulate the brush.
The definition of a “manuscript” not only refers to a collection of words in a document that tell a story or express an idea. Rather, a manuscript is a print-ready composition, expressing cogent thoughts in comprehensible, interesting, and orderly fashion, set forth with authenticity, feeling, and lyricism. Your ghostwriter should be able to evaluate any materials that you have, inform you of necessary changes, and obtain your consent to proceed. Once the process begins, the mystery and anxiety should instantly dissolve, as you place your concept, outline and/or notes in the hands of a trustworthy wordsmith.
Release the Shame Factor
Many prospective authors do not comprehend the efficacy of ghostwriting, and feel ashamed to delegate the writing task to someone else. In fact, you are the catalyst, the source point, and the architect of ideas, and your ghostwriter is the conduit through which such longstanding notions find expression.
Members of our government, celebrities, and other luminaries often avail themselves of ghostwriters’ skills, so as to more effectively communicate with their audience. So can you. There is no hierarchy in humanity, and we are all the
12