In corporate settings where office politics and reputations are often at play, ghostwriting is a tight balancing act between writing skills and managing professional relationships… as projects can sometimes involve multiple ghostwriters, departments and tiers of management.
Whenever you work with others, managing schedules and expectations are just as important as the deliverables. Set things too tightly – you’ll get called a control freak and teamwork will dissolve. Set too loosely and you end up with miscommunication and underperformance. The editing process is not as straightforward as you may think either. Even if you receive an absolute mess of a document, your responsibility as an editor is to preserve the original message and tonality. Join Wordsmith as we explore how to effectively delegate ghostwriting tasks and make sure that our edits are on point!
Ghostwriters R US
What do you call a group of ghostwriters? A haunt?
Regardless what the collective term is, ghostwriters occasionally need to band together for projects – this means someone will need to take on leadership and delegate tasks.
According to Maryann V. Piotrowski in her book Effective Business Writing: A Guide for Those Who Write on the Job, this responsibility should fall to someone who knows the target audience inside and out.
“In order to write effectively, every writer needs to be well informed about the subject and audience,” explains Piotrowski. “If you are considering delegating a writing project, ask yourself who in your department understands the situation sufficiently to take on the task.” If no one is knowledgeable enough… then that responsibility would fall to you (since you are reading this article and we assume you want the project to succeed)!
Before you delegate work, you should complete the following checklist:
· Establish who the target audience is
o Does this audience expect their content to be delivered in a particular way?
· Understand what the content is talking about
o If it’s foreign to you, consult the person who assigned the project for more details – don’t be afraid to ask questions! The more you learn early on, the easier it is for you to work on the project efficiently
· If possible, find previously published content (great for references if the person who assigned the project isn’t very helpful)
These are pretty standard requirements for any writing project, but you’d be surprised how many people decide to just “wing it” and end up missing the mark entirely. “Delegating work just to get it off your desk might be self-defeating, for you may end up having to complete the task yourself, usually after feeling disappointed with the writer’s effort. If you do delegate the task, involve the writer in the situation and work closely with him or her – especially if that person has little writing experience,” Piotrowski adds.
Once you have the checklist filled out, relay the information with your team of ghostwriters and make sure everyone is on the page – the same goes for how you want the copy to be presented as well. Since every writer has their own unique writing style, you want to sync up tonalities and writing styles to reduce the editing load later.
And since ghostwriting involves writing on behalf of someone, we should also check to see if the “author” has any unique writing quirks that we can sprinkle across the copy to make it feel more authentic. This can range anywhere from idiom usage to unique mannerisms, which makes having reference material all the more important!
Are we ghostwriters or ghosteditors?
Ghostwriting isn’t always about doing full write ups. Sometimes we just need to give the copy “a quick onceover to make sure the spelling and grammar are okay,” assures the supervisor… but what we receive is a dilapidated and incoherent mess that should never see the light of day. In such a case where serious edits need to be made, what are the protocols to avoid offending the original author?
“Few writers respond well to editors who make copious and thoughtless comments,” warns Piotrowski. “Editing someone else’s writing calls for objectivity, maturity, and tact. Few interactions demand more diplomacy.” This is especially the case if it’s written by someone high up in management and meant to be distributed to the public! Even if your comments and edits are well-intentioned, overediting could lead them to taking it the wrong way (and possibly dropping a metaphorical hammer on you).
Regardless of the number of errors in the opening sentence, Piotrowski recommends sitting on your hands and reading through the entire document first. “When you have read it through, ask what overall impression the intended reader will have. What are the strong points? The weak points? How could the document be improved?”
The biggest hurdle is determining what needs to be changed. To that, we once again consult a checklist – this time for editing:
· Is the information accurate?
· Are the points sufficiently developed?
o If they are under- or overdeveloped, what are the key points that must be included?
· Will the reader have any questions after reading this?
o If we can anticipate them, would it be prudent to answer them in the document beforehand? This is something you should consult with your supervisor and the writer!
· Is the language and tone correct?
· Is the spelling, grammar and punctuation free of errors?
· Is the document visually appealing to look at and read through?
Should significant changes need to be made, it’s a good idea to talk with the writer first and talk them through your proposed edits. You’ll have an easier time convincing them of your editing rationale in person versus over email. Proofreading and editing is all about propping up someone else’s work, so do give praise when it’s due and do your best to make your criticism constructive.
There’s more to corporate ghostwriting and editing than just being a skilled writer – you need to be effective at managing dialogue with your colleagues too. Remember, if you find there to be strong points during your initial read through, make sure they stay evident even after your edits. Furthermore, be vigilant about keeping the writer’s tone and style intact – careless editing can lead to you overriding the tone and style with your own!