Welcome to this blog where we talk about how to work with a ghostwriter if you only have a rough idea about the kind of project you want them to do.
This can happen to a lot of projects whether it is projects related to web content writing or whether it is more traditional-sided projects such as a project on fiction or nonfiction books.
Whatever the case maybe you may not have a lot of idea about the project because it might be just a partial vision for you which is often the case with any ghostwriting project.
For example, you might have seen something and you might have a partial idea about how you want to transform that vision into a book.
You do not need to worry because this is very common and in fact, in some types of ghostwriting this is the only norm as the client only shares an idea and the ghostwriter needs to create an entire book out of it.
So having that out of the way let us now understand how you can make sure that your rough idea also gets translated into the best work possible.
In order to do so you need to convey your rough idea to a professional ghostwriter so that they can fill in the gaps of the vision.
Doing that is not really difficult as we will tell you all the ways in which you can tell the ghostwriter exactly what your idea is and assist them with the project.
So, here are the ways in which you can work with a ghostwriter if you have a rough idea.
Ways to Work with The Ghostwriter If You Have a Rough Idea
Clarify Your Vision and Goals
It is not a crime to have a rough idea but you need to clarify it to yourself and understand what you actually want before you go looking for a professional ghostwriter in order to do the work for you.
That is why the first step of this process is to polish that rough idea into something that can be conveyed to your ghostwriter.
This is a very important process simply because you might have ideas in any shape or form because you might be travelling in your car and you might see a flower blooming on a broken wall and that might give you an idea about resilience.
However, that idea is too vague to be conveyed like that to the ghostwriter and you need to come up with something much more concrete even though it might be rough.
You need to think of all the themes you want the story to portray and you must also find a target audience that will be willing to read that story.
You need to narrow down an idea into something concrete that can actually be utilised by a professional ghostwriter.
That will be your very first step in this journey.
Select the Right Ghostwriter
The second thing you need to do is just find the right person for the job because not every ghostwriter out there can turn a rough idea into a complete idea.
That is why you need someone with a lot of experience in order to do a job like this and in order to find that out you need to look at their portfolio and check out if they have what it takes for this kind of a project.
After you do that, you need to make sure that you can create a good working relationship with that ghostwriter and that the vibes match properly.
Vibes are important for any ghostwriting project but it is even more important for a project like this where you simply have an incomplete idea that needs to be completed.
This is a very collaborative kind of project that requires the best form of communication with the professional.
Establish Clear Communication Channels
In order for a project like this to be successful you need to be very transparent with the ghostwriter from the very first day and after you have selected the ghostwriter you need to specify to them about your incomplete idea.
If you do not do this then it is going to cause unnecessary miscommunication and disagreements and it will just waste your time as well as the professionals.
Most ghostwriting projects these days are remotely done and that is why you need to pick the best forms of communication and always have multiple methods of communication.
This can be something as simple as phone calls and text messages and it can also be done through emails and video calls.
This is going to come in handy in the next step of the process.
Provide Background Information and Source Material
The thing you need to understand is that no ghostwriting project can work with zero supporting material and that is also the case when you have a rough idea about the project.
That is why you need to translate that rough idea into anything you can gather whether it is pictures, voice recordings or any detail that can capture your idea into something much more concrete.
If you were inspired by something you have seen in your daily life like a movie then you need to find a copy of the movie for the ghostwriter to watch or if it is a book then you need to get them a copy of the book.
If it was something you had seen with your own eyes outside then you should make the effort of documenting that inspiration as much as you can and in as much detail as possible.
You need to then categorise this information into digestible segments and carefully organise it so that you can then send it out to the professional ghostwriter for them to work on it.
You do not have to be very organised but you should make the effort to be as detailed as possible as it will only help in shaping your idea for the ghostwriter.
Collaborate on an Outline
Since you are providing them with a very difficult challenge where they have to come up with the complete Idea themselves you need to be a little bit relaxed on the deadlines.
You also need to have a fairly collaborative approach to the entire process of writing the content and the very first collaborative step you should take is to come up with an outline together.
This is when the professional is going to decode different themes, characters and plot lines from the rough idea which can be translated into something like a book.
The reason why collaboration in this step is important is because you already have a vision in your mind no matter how rough it is.
You now have to help the ghostwriter create a blueprint from those ideas and observe the flow of the content and the key points that they have managed to bring out from that rough description.
It will take some time because when the ghostwriter comes up with plots and themes as well as points for the content you might not be happy with the result because it might not match with your idea.
This is where you need to guide them and highlight the areas that need adjustment and provide very timely feedback regarding the areas that actually match with the kind of idea you have in your mind.
This will guide the professional in the right direction so that they can continue with the project.
Engage in Regular Reviews and Feedback
In a ghostwriting project like this without a lot of specifics, regular reviews and regular feedback becomes a necessity for the client as well as the professional.
This is because the ghostwriter here has to imagine up a lot of things and when someone imagines something they usually do it from their perspective and not the perspective of someone else.
That is why it is your duty to always provide constructive feedback and criticism to the work regarding all the different adjustments the work might need.
Saying that is one thing and doing that is different because whenever you have to provide feedback to a professional you might seem like you want to micromanage things.
When you do that to a creative work the creative work can be quite badly affected by it and the ghostwriter doing the creative work might get discouraged.
The only way out of this is to set their expectations straight from the beginning as you have to mention it as clearly as possible before signing the contract that you will need them to provide regular drafts of the work and that you are going to provide feedback.
Review Drafts and Provide Feedback
Once they have started working and they have agreed to provide the drafts for review you need to take your time with the review and provide them feedback whenever possible.
This feedback can be provided in any shape or way you feel like.
You can do that the traditional way by printing out the drafts and highlighting the areas that need change and writing down in pen what the changes you require.
You can even do it in a much easier and advanced way which is to open the Word document file and highlight the areas that need changes and add voice notes so that they can listen to them and make those changes.
This is an area where you need to be very articulate because you simply cannot afford to also be vague regarding the feedback as it will simply make the ghostwriter even more confused and it will also slow down the speed of the work and the efficiency of the work that you need.
If you are not really acquainted with this kind of work then you can even get external help and get someone to review the material and then highlight the areas or documents the areas that need change.
Or if you like to do things directly then you can ask the ghostwriter to use a software for writing that is collaborative which means you can see the work in real time.
This will allow you to add important notes to the work directly in the software so that they can take their time and make the changes.
Trust the Process
And finally, the most important thing we have for you is to simply trust in the process because any creative process can only be successful if there is patience.
This is not like creating a building and simply working according to a plan because there is no such plan involved in this kind of a ghostwriting project.
However, the greatest advantage you have at your disposal is this professional who is going to create the plan out of thin air from just a simple idea that might be a paragraph or even a sentence long.
That is why you need to trust in the creative capabilities of this professional and simply let them do what they are good at.
You need to remain open to their suggestions and their ideas and you need to be very accommodating of what they have planned for the project.
Oftentimes you might find that their suggestions are actually better than what you have thought in your mind and it will lead to the overall betterment of the project and result in a better final product.
We hope this blog has helped you understand how to work with a ghostwriter if you only have a rough idea about the project.
We also hope now that you will be able to turn any rough idea into a work of art with the help of a professional ghostwriter.
If you are looking for such a kind of professional then we are here for you because we are Ghostwriting India and we are the fastest-growing and most popular ghostwriter-for-hire agency in India.
We will help you with all your ghostwriting needs and we have some of the finest people working under a single roof to assist you with all your content needs.
We welcome you to visit our website and check out everything we do.
