I find this job rather fascinating. To study a person and be able to know that person just as well as he or she knows him or herself or possibly even better takes great attention to detail. You have to be able to pick up on patterns very quickly. Ghostwriters must be very careful. The job is to make the person look better and more professional so it is important that everything is done mistake free. Ghosting takes over the life of the person doing it while he or she is on a project.
I can't say for sure if I would become a ghostwriter but if it paid well enough and took me to some interesting places I would at least consider it. I would also have to consider the amount of time that I would be gone for. I keep to myself a good deal of the time so I think I could handle it for a few months. I don't think I would want to be gone for years at a time on the same project though. It just seems like too much time to work on one project. I would like to be able to see and experience a lot of different things.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Poetics and Narrativity: How Texts Tell Stories
"Simply put, a story consists of two or more related, sequential events."
I can understand this statement in theory but I believe that a story is like a sandwich; it needs to have substance. Simply stating two events that occurred in sequence does not make for much of a story. There is no meat, no spice and no dressing. It is simply two pieces of bread. A good story has details. It is descriptive and gives the reader a good visual. If I were to say that I went to the bank, then the gym and then to lunch, no one would be very interested. But if I were to describe the people I ran into, what happened on the way there, what I did at the gym and what I ate for lunch, the story suddenly has a little bit of substance. An interesting story is all about detail. Sure, some things may be interesting on their own but people will then ask questions if I don't mention the details in the statement. This is what people want to know. A simple statement sounds no different than everyday life. But details give the reader/listener the variations, the things that make this trip to the bank, gym or lunch different from all the rest. Being able to visualize is what makes people want more. A simple statement can bore people and make them tune out.
I can understand this statement in theory but I believe that a story is like a sandwich; it needs to have substance. Simply stating two events that occurred in sequence does not make for much of a story. There is no meat, no spice and no dressing. It is simply two pieces of bread. A good story has details. It is descriptive and gives the reader a good visual. If I were to say that I went to the bank, then the gym and then to lunch, no one would be very interested. But if I were to describe the people I ran into, what happened on the way there, what I did at the gym and what I ate for lunch, the story suddenly has a little bit of substance. An interesting story is all about detail. Sure, some things may be interesting on their own but people will then ask questions if I don't mention the details in the statement. This is what people want to know. A simple statement sounds no different than everyday life. But details give the reader/listener the variations, the things that make this trip to the bank, gym or lunch different from all the rest. Being able to visualize is what makes people want more. A simple statement can bore people and make them tune out.
The Forest for the Trees: Publication
"Most books come into the world with the fanfare of a stillborn."
Maybe it wasn't the best way for James Purdy to say it but this statement rings true. Authors have to work very hard to get published and then they have to just hope that people will buy their book. Every story has its beginning and only time will tell whether or not it will make fans out of the readers. It's hard to imagine but "Lord of the Rings" was once an unknown story. J.R.R. Tolkien was not born a rich and famous writer. He did not expect his story to become a worldwide phenomenon but it did. It's amazing how an idea that enters one person's mind can capture the hearts and the eyes of millions. Movies have such huge fanbases before they're even released usually because people have read and enjoyed the novel(s). Novels, on the other hand, come into the world as a part of the unknown. This is why writers must have patience and perseverance. There is no guarantee that anything you write will ever get published. If you feel it is worth the risk though, you should keep working at it until you finally get your chance.
Maybe it wasn't the best way for James Purdy to say it but this statement rings true. Authors have to work very hard to get published and then they have to just hope that people will buy their book. Every story has its beginning and only time will tell whether or not it will make fans out of the readers. It's hard to imagine but "Lord of the Rings" was once an unknown story. J.R.R. Tolkien was not born a rich and famous writer. He did not expect his story to become a worldwide phenomenon but it did. It's amazing how an idea that enters one person's mind can capture the hearts and the eyes of millions. Movies have such huge fanbases before they're even released usually because people have read and enjoyed the novel(s). Novels, on the other hand, come into the world as a part of the unknown. This is why writers must have patience and perseverance. There is no guarantee that anything you write will ever get published. If you feel it is worth the risk though, you should keep working at it until you finally get your chance.
The Forest for the Trees: Rejection
"Rejection is a fact of writing life. If you are still unpublished, you probably suffer from the misconception that publication in and of itself will cure everything that ails you. But the pain of rejection doesn't stop the day a contract arrives."
A writer has to have a lot of confidence and mental toughness to deal with the rejection that comes along with the career. Just like with most things in life, writing comes with a lot of rejection and failure before success. But if you are willing to deal with the the rejection then the reward is worth it when you finally do succeed. A writer has to be extremely persevering and willing to make changes to his or her work to accomodate the people he or she is writing for. A writer must always strive to improve his or her work with each job. If you keep writing and improving your skills then there is a very good chance that someone is going to need and want you to write for them. Every company needs someone to write for them. It's just a matter of putting yourself out there and not being afraid of rejection because that's the only way you're going to get yourself noticed and hired for a job.
A writer has to have a lot of confidence and mental toughness to deal with the rejection that comes along with the career. Just like with most things in life, writing comes with a lot of rejection and failure before success. But if you are willing to deal with the the rejection then the reward is worth it when you finally do succeed. A writer has to be extremely persevering and willing to make changes to his or her work to accomodate the people he or she is writing for. A writer must always strive to improve his or her work with each job. If you keep writing and improving your skills then there is a very good chance that someone is going to need and want you to write for them. Every company needs someone to write for them. It's just a matter of putting yourself out there and not being afraid of rejection because that's the only way you're going to get yourself noticed and hired for a job.
The Forest for the Trees: The Neurotic
"Writers love to worry."
I feel like I understand this statement perfectly. Meeting deadlines can be very stressful. Not only do you have to worry about getting the job done on time, but you also have to worry about your work being top quality. You have to have tough skin to be a writer. You always have to worry about rejection and criticism and you also have to be able to force yourself to write even when you don't want to. Writing can be very frustrating at times and there can be many distractions. Whether it's writer's block or the lack of solitude, not being able to write what you want to write can be very discouraging. This is a rather extreme example but Jack Nicholson's character in "The Shining" became so stressed and frustrated over not having the peace and quiet to get his writing done that he went mentally insane and attacked his family. I don't think writers really "love to worry" but rather they love to challenge themselves to get bigger and better things done, which naturally comes with stress.
I feel like I understand this statement perfectly. Meeting deadlines can be very stressful. Not only do you have to worry about getting the job done on time, but you also have to worry about your work being top quality. You have to have tough skin to be a writer. You always have to worry about rejection and criticism and you also have to be able to force yourself to write even when you don't want to. Writing can be very frustrating at times and there can be many distractions. Whether it's writer's block or the lack of solitude, not being able to write what you want to write can be very discouraging. This is a rather extreme example but Jack Nicholson's character in "The Shining" became so stressed and frustrated over not having the peace and quiet to get his writing done that he went mentally insane and attacked his family. I don't think writers really "love to worry" but rather they love to challenge themselves to get bigger and better things done, which naturally comes with stress.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Camenson's Careers in Writing: Staff Writers and Reporters
As said in the book, "While freelancers have the advantage of proposing their own story ideas, staff writers and reporters generally have more job security and always know when their next paycheck will arrive. Freelancers trade job security and regular pay for their independence."
I am kind of in the middle here. While job security is very important to me, I also like the idea of being able to do my own thing. I guess if I knew that I was financially secure for a while then I could feel more comfortable about not knowing what my next project will be and where my next paycheck will come from. Although there would be a comfort zone in working with mostly the same people on the same types of projects on a regular basis. I would have to be very passionate about something to be doing the same type thing every day though. It can be fun to do your own thing and throw different ideas around but I would rather have job security and do the same thing every day as long as it's something I truly love doing.
I am kind of in the middle here. While job security is very important to me, I also like the idea of being able to do my own thing. I guess if I knew that I was financially secure for a while then I could feel more comfortable about not knowing what my next project will be and where my next paycheck will come from. Although there would be a comfort zone in working with mostly the same people on the same types of projects on a regular basis. I would have to be very passionate about something to be doing the same type thing every day though. It can be fun to do your own thing and throw different ideas around but I would rather have job security and do the same thing every day as long as it's something I truly love doing.
The Forest for the Trees: Introduction
"The writer labors in isolation, yet all that intensive, lonely work is in the service of communicating, is an attempt to reach another person."
I think this statement makes a very good point. While a writer usually is alone when he or she writes, he or she is writing as if someone else was there. The writer is telling a story on paper instead of telling it orally. It's like sending someone an e-mail instead of talking to them face to face, with the only difference being that a person can't sense emotion from tone of voice. A writer must be very descriptive to get his or her message across. He or she must use imagery and help the reader visualize what's going on. Eyes are always on a writer one way or another, even if no one is actually looking him or her in the face.
I think this statement makes a very good point. While a writer usually is alone when he or she writes, he or she is writing as if someone else was there. The writer is telling a story on paper instead of telling it orally. It's like sending someone an e-mail instead of talking to them face to face, with the only difference being that a person can't sense emotion from tone of voice. A writer must be very descriptive to get his or her message across. He or she must use imagery and help the reader visualize what's going on. Eyes are always on a writer one way or another, even if no one is actually looking him or her in the face.
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