For many people, writing is difficult, even a chore. Good news for us ghostwriters right? On the flip side, there are others who believe that all you need in order to be a ghostwriter is an ability to write.
That is certainly true, to an extent. But in order to be successful, many more skills are needed. The following is a list of 5 of the most important traits that define a successful ghostwriter. Yes, even more important than the ability to write.
Avid Reader
As with any profession, if you want to be truly successful, you have to practice your skills. In this line of work you’ll have plenty of opportunity to practice your writing, but another way to improve your skill is to read. Reading, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, adds to your diction (your choice and use of words), expands your vocabulary and even helps improve your spelling.
If you are an avid reader, then chances are you’re already gifted with the another essential trait for ghostwriting success…
Thirst for Knowledge
Are you naturally curious? Do you like to learn new things? As a ghostwriter you’ll be called upon to write on many topics, subjects you may know little to nothing about. Without a desire to learn, you’ll find yourself turning down a lot of work based solely on the topic. This is a tough industry at the best of times, so ask yourself; can you afford to leave money on the table?
Adept at Research
Being an avid reader and having a strong desire to learn are key ingredients for another essential skill: research.
Research isn’t just about learning a topic, it’s the ability to discern facts from opinions. The ability to read around the topic as well as into it. It’s also forms part of the ability to distil all of the information and produce a unique piece of written material (as opposed to re-iterating what’s already been said).
Ability to Work Alone
As with most freelance careers, ghostwriting can be a very lonely profession. But it’s not just the isolation you’ll have to deal with. You’ll be wholly responsible for your decisions, what work to take on as well as what to turn down. Furthermore, the majority of your writing work will be conducted on your own as opposed to being part of a team.
This can be both a freedom as well as a burden.
Patience and Perseverance
It’s as true for ghostwriting as it is for anything you want to achieve success in – you will need a great deal of patience and perseverance. Success after all, doesn’t happen overnight.
I can’t speak for other forms of freelancing, but the freelance writing market can be a very cut-throat industry. Your skills will be undervalued, you will be offered a pittance for your services, and some will even try to get you to do the work for free.
You will need to persevere. Keep marketing yourself and looking for work. You will also have to be patient, so that you can educate potential clients of the value of your services and why they should pay you more than the writer willing to work for less than he/she is worth.
Conclusion
There are many other traits that define how successful you’ll be, skills such as your ability at marketing yourself, but the 5 traits above are a great place to start.
Do you think you have what it takes to be a writer? Why not give it a try? There will always be a market for writers, even during tough economic times.
If you struggle to find the right words, hire a successful ghostwriter to pen them for you.
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