Statement of Values
What you can expect from me
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Collaboration. For a project to be successful, there must be a free exchange of ideas, great communication, and trust in the partnership. I work with one client at a time. You will have direct and quick communication with me during the entire process. We will work at the pace that you want to work, and communicate on your preferred platforms.
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Communication. I’ll listen and take notes as you tell me about your project. You can expect thorough questioning from me so I know your project intimately. The result of our initial conferencing will be a detailed outline covering all of the major and minor points of your book. Generally, conversations are recorded so I may go back over them to fine-tune points as they develop your outline. All recordings are yours after our collaboration.
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Responsiveness. Your project is my priority from initial contact through finishing date. You’ll always be able to reach me for follow up or future projects. I respond promptly to all inquiries. That's usually within 24 hours. If you need to speak with me sooner, you may always call me.
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Speed. Writing takes time. Whether it is for oneself or another person, drafting excellent material is a process of trial and error, revision, revision, revision, revision, then proofreading. It certainly can be done expediently, but that's relatively speaking. Great writing takes knowing a story, planning how to write it, trying to write it, writing it better, then much better, then finishing it. Then finally, proofreading it. I believe I can beat your expectations of what it’s like to work with a ghostwriter, but this is a process that will take on average between six and eight months to complete a 100,000 word manuscript.
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Results. I believe you will be excited when you get the finished book in your hands, because you’ll have seen its development from the beginning. Your book will contain everything you want written, the way you want it to read.
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Accuracy. Reading what my clients have written and listening to them speak is how I learn how to write like them. While it's not easy, clues abound. Speech patterns can be found in the written word. Word choices are a clear indicator of how people express themselves in writing. I use what I can see, hear, and know about a person in order to sound like them. It's trial and error, often many times over. I have found when I dedicate myself to writing like someone, after two or three attempts, I have the rough cut of their written voice. What follows is developing that rough cut into the voice that carries the entire story. Finding a voice is the result of a systematic search. Great writing is the result of trial and error.
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Solution-focused. Sometimes I don't get the voice right away. I might start off well and then get stuck. It happens when I am writing my own work, and it may happen if I am writing for you. These are moments when I pause from the activity of writing to take a breather. It may be a meditative afternoon of reading a client’s notes, taking a long walk, and having a stab at it again in the evening. Ghostwriting is like a detective in a pot boiler: the clues are there, the evidence is around, the facts are going to be discovered. Part of writing a book is taking time away from it to gain perspective. Short breaks, long breaks, eating, walking, reading, doing something social. Then, when I go back to the material, I find the answers to write the section that had been stumping me. It's a combination of persistence and knowing when to take your mind off of task, that a task can be excellently finished.
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Flexibility. We’ll create a schedule that works for you. I maintain flexibility, because for the duration of your project you’re the only client I have.
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Integrity. I only work with one client at a time. Following our consultation, you'll know if I'm the right person to write your book. I will take your project if I believe I can write exactly what you envision.
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Anonymity. Our work is confidential. The work I do for you retains your name. Unless you ask for my name to be credited, it will not appear in your book. I became a ghostwriter because I love figuring out how to write like other people. If one is fortunate, sooner or later they find their niche. This is mine.
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Dedication. Your project has my complete attention. Aside from the usual things you can expect from a person with a life, your project is my sole occupation while we are working together.
Ready to get started?
In our call, we will discuss your book idea, your goals for it, and how we would work together. If you want me to write your book, we'll schedule a follow up meeting to dive in to your idea and give it all the time it needs.