Ghostwriting is one of the most rewarding yet aggravating jobs a writer can take on. It demands listening skills, humility, and an uncanny ability to capture someone else’s voice, vision, and story – often when they don’t even understand it themselves. Over the last 7 years or so, I’ve written for CEOs, pastors, influencers, and everyday people with extraordinary lives. I even wrote a book about how to be a successful ghostwriter that launched the careers of others in the industry. And while the experience has sharpened my writing skills and expanded my perspective, it’s also left me with some regrets that I think every creative, especially those who build behind the scenes, should hear.
1. You Can Lose Your Own Identity
When you spend your days living in someone else’s voice, it’s easy to misplace your own. There were seasons I would finish a book that went on to sell thousands of copies, top the charts, and earn my clients 100,000s of revenue through increased services, speaking engagements and more. I would get excited and forget that I didn’t write it as me. I was just the pen, not the name on the byline. Over time, if you’re not careful, the lines between your voice and theirs begin to blur. If you’re not careful, you can spend your whole life living as the people you write for.
2. You Can Find Yourself Fulfilling Your Dreams Through Their Platform
Helping people publish bestsellers, launch movements, land TEDx stages showed me the power of leveraging your thoughts to get on stages and make an impact on the world. At the same time, I was still “figuring things out.” It was a complicated place to be. I’d write the dream life into existence for others, then go back to living a quieter, unfulfilled version of mine. Yes, I had a front row to see what was possible with my skill of writing, but I didn’t unleash that power for myself. And honestly, I was content. I got to see my writing change the lives of the people that read it and the clients that I served. Somewhere along their line, my dream of making a change was lost in the noise of the dreams of those I served
3. You Can Get So Busy You Forget to Share Your Own Thoughts
The work never ends. There’s always another project, another deadline, another person’s life to step into. But in the middle of ghosting for everyone else, I stopped documenting my journey. I had become a content machine for others, but starved my own creative writing. Everything I wrote was around the purpose of drumming up business as a ghostwriter, not sharing the lessons, experiences, and memories I had to share as well.
Don’t get me wrong! Ghostwriting is beautiful work. It’s a backstage pass to people’s lives and legacies. But if you’re not intentional, it can cost you your own story. So to every ghostwriter, builder, behind-the-scenes creative—don’t forget to show up for you too. Your story matters just as much as the ones you help tell for your clients!
Also, be sure to follow me on all platforms @joshafinley for more insight to my life and the stories I’m telling now!