Did you get all A’s in English class? Did your friends copy your college notes because they were so neat? Did you aspire to write a novel or author a work of non-fiction? Then you might just have the traits of a great ghostwriter.
In all honesty not everyone has the personality and skills to be a top-notch ghostwriter. However there are some things that are common among most good writers. Pay attention as we discuss them and see if you might be a good fit for this great profession.
Ghostwriter Trait #1 – You Notice Details
A good ghostwriter pays attention to details. They notice the little things and they realize that that great content is a compilation of small details combined into an experience the reader benefits from.
Ghostwriter Trait #2 – You Like to Share Ideas & Stories
Some people like to talk, a lot. They love to share ideas and stories that they’ve come across during their day. These people might be known as ‘wordy’ or a ‘talker’. Quite often someone who talks a lot can also write easily. They simply take the content they have available to them and put it down on paper, or on the computer screen.
Ghostwriter Trait #3 – You Love to Research & Learn New Things
Are you one of those people who has a new hobby every month? Well that’s a good indication that you like to learn new things and research new projects. A ghostwriter needs to be willing and able to take in a lot of information, sort through it and pump out something new as a result. It helps if you LOVE to do this sort of thing when you’ll be researching up a storm on a regular basis.
Ghostwriter Trait #4 – You Can Type Pretty Fast
This is more of a skill than a trait but if you want to write a lot of content fast then you need to learn how to type at an above average speed. The good news is if you can’t type fast now but have all the other traits then it’s never too late to learn. The hunt and peck method just won’t work if you want to make a good living with ghostwriting. Take a local course or one online and get practicing, it’s the only way to get better and faster. And if you really can’t type, it might be worth checking out some voice recognition software such as Dragon Naturally Speaking.
Ghostwriter Trait #5 – You Must Be Self-Motivated
Again, this is not really a trait. Anyone can be self-motivated given the right incentive. I mean a teenager who sleeps until noon will quickly get up at six am to go on a ski trip he’s been dying to take, right? Deadlines are so important to a successful ghostwriter. Nobody wants to hire a writer who makes you sweat at the deadline wondering if you’ve got to tell your clients that their work isn’t ready! It’s all about how badly you want to do this thing.
Ghostwriter Trait #6 – You Are Open to Criticism
If you think you are right about everything and your work is the most awesome in the world, then you may not be cut out to be a ghostwriter. Making clients happy requires being open to some criticism and being able to adapt to the needs of your clients as they come up. Remember the golden rule of providing services: the customer is always right.
This list of traits is not written in stone. Use it as a starting point, a guideline to help you determine if you want to dig deeper into this a potential profession for you. The most important trait you can have as a ghostwriter is to deliver what your client wants and more. If you can do that, once word gets out you shouldn’t have a problem getting your practice booked solid.