Ghostbloggers need to have more than writing abilities. They’ll also need some acting abilities if they’re going to be successful at taking on the (writing) voice of someone else. There are some great ghostwriting opportunities out there and if you’re good at it, it can be very lucrative.

Some ghostwriters are very good at this, as is evidenced by the James Chartrand’s underpants discussions happening throughout the blogosphere.   Sharon Hurley Hall’s response post about identity gave me goosebumps. You should read it (What Defines You? More Thoughts on the James Chartrand Story).

James is a female with a male online personality and like James, I have to pose as a man at times for my ghostblogging clients. Yes folks…I, too, am a Canadian online cross-dresser. Just a few minutes ago I donned some britches, as a matter of fact. I’m a white Canadian woman who, just ten minutes ago, was writing as a black British bloke. Yesterday I was a male internet marketer with an Aussie accent. Then I was an Australian female relationship therapist. Later today, I’ll be a white guy in a suit who lives in Florida and that has a very specific specialty (a specialty I don’t, in reality, actually possess.)

Some people are down on James for pretending to be someone else. I find it funny that a lot of those people are ghostwriters. They pretend to be someone else to earn a living, too.

When I was a little girl I wanted to be a lot of different things. Mostly I wanted to be a writer so my reality has worked out well because I sort of get to be  other things, too.  I get quite a variety of subjects and writing styles in a day at times.  My 13-year old son makes me laugh. The other day, after I described my writing topics for the day, he said, “Smack the piñata!” It feels like that some days. A whole whack of various things fall onto my calendar at times and sometimes there are pretty big extremes in a single day.

So, how do I jump from voice to voice?

-I work to understand my client’s desires. What outcome do they have in mind for the piece of writing? I need to write as them and know what message they want to convey.

-I research their niche so I can write with authority. I don’t just need to sound like their character, I need to also sound like I know what I’m talking about.

-I read their existing work so I can use some of their phrasing and try to “sound” like them.

-If I’m writing for someone in a different country, I try to familiarize myself with some local slang and catch phrases so that I can sound local when I write.

-I get feedback from clients so that I can continue to work at capturing their voice and helping them to meet their objectives.

It’s not always easy to jump from voice to voice and I don’t have to do it every single day. Some days I’m writing for several clients. Sometimes I don’t have to attach a voice as I’m writing a dry piece or an article that doesn’t need a personality attached to it. It can be difficult at times but it’s typically fun and with regular clients, I find I can slip in and out of their character easily out of habit.

Oh, and another thing that I suggest, if you’re a ghostwriter: I also make sure that I continue to write as me for my own projects. By writing with my own voice regularly, I won’t lose my Dana-ness.