Be the story

When I first began ghostwriting, other people would give me credit I didn’t deserve. “You’re the one who actually wrote this,” they would tell me. “You made him a bestseller.”

It was nonsense. Sure, the authors I worked with often used my ideas, but my ideas came from listening to their experience. Sure, I sometimes helped them take it to a deeper, more insightful level, but I was still acting as a catalyst, not an original creator.

The heart of their authorship didn’t end when the manuscript (or multimedia) was done. That was when it started. In our current work with business authors and thought leaders, Juliette Powell and I continue to live with the same principle.

Be the story you have to tell.

It isn’t enough to write, publish, or produce a narrative. You need to stand up for what you said.

Being the story is a great experience for most authors. It doesn’t mean being narcissistic or talking about yourself. It means transcending some limits. You continue to live the life and do the work that you are talking about. You step back to see it from a distance. By doing both at the same time, you tap into the core of your authority.

The words “author” and “authority” are cousins with the word “auction.” They all share the same Latin root augere, meaning to increase or create. Authority has always carried the connotation of power not just through position, but through reputation and ability. Authors wield that kind of authority. Be the story means wield it consciously.

Don’t define the story by what you believe other people expect. Define it as a story you can represent: that you can live up to. Clear away the underbrush that distracts.

I think of the people I’ve worked with who are well-known. They all get this. When they work with a ghostwriter or producer, their comfort level depends on how well the message reflects them. Otherwise, they won’t be able to represent it.

Yes, there’s artifice involved. There’s craft. Juliette and I are often invited to help with that. But long before the practical work begins, the first part of our job is to ask, as simply as possible:

How can we help you be the story you have to tell?