Helen Grant - Ghostwriter

No one can deny the power of the written word when it comes to undying love. If you’re happy for your words of adoration to be used by thousands of other romantics around the globe, write the object of your passion a letter of adoration, be accosted by the love bug, and share your passion with the world here. If you haven’t already guessed, I’m feeling romantic today.

A collection of photographs for Vanity Fair magazine are on display at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. About 150 images of Albert Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, Jean Harlow, Arthur Miller and Madonna are on show at the touring exhibition in Edinburgh. Some of the images date back to as early as 1913. This image of Cary Grant by George Hoyningen-Huene was published in 1934. The exhibition runs until September. More info here.

Mookychick is looking for writers who are sweet, ballsy, sassy and damn funny. Mookychicks write about cats, drugs, boys, bands, the perils of being a woman and the joys of having the world at your feet. Click here for submission guidelines. It’s a darn cool website too.

Another one I did earlier - 10 years ago as part of a single parent campaign. This news item appeared in the Plymouth Evening Herald on Tuesday September 8th 1998.

The gingerbread men might not be edible but they are set to brighten up a Plymouth hospital ward. Kiddiecare Nursery, based on North Street, Plymouth, held the first of three planned art workshop days to raise money for Woodcock Children’s Ward at Derriford Hospital.

Using their own ideas, children helped put together four paper gingerbread men, to represent the different seasons in the year. With paint, card, plastic and cloth, they designed the four figures which are to hang on ward walls and will be presented to the hospital on September 16th, along with a cheque.

Helen Grant (Mackie back then), 24, who runs the event, felt the success of the initial workshop would guarantee two future workshops to be held in forthcoming holidays - one at half-term and one at Christmas. She said “the aim of the workshops is to encourage children to work and play together. Each of the workhops will have a different theme, so the kids can explore different backgrounds. Letting children come up with their own ideas and use their imagination is very important.”

Here’s one I did earlier - like 10 years earlier! This news item was published in the Plymouth Extra newspaper on Wednesday July 15th 1998.

Plymouth’s Helen Grant (Mackie back then) is doing her bit to change the image of single parents - by setting up an art workshop for children during their summer holidays. The new venture, she hopes, will help promote creative freedom for children.

Helen, 24, is a single mother with a strong artistic streak who is out to change what she describes as “the ill-conceived public opinion of single parents being a burden on the tax payer and government.

“The government and the general public often take the view that single parents are just out for what they can get, but that’s completely unfair. It’s not always the case; the problem is usually down to the circumstances in which they find themselves.”

She is acutely aware of the problems facing people like her and is anxious to help. Helen, who has a four year old daughter Louise, is planning to combine her concern for single parents and her desire to encourage children to take an interest in art in the workshop held in Kiddicare Nursery in North Street.

It will entail a group of 15 children creating four large gingerbread men laden with imagery from the four seasons, which, when complete, will be presented to the children’s wards at Derriford Hospital to decorate the walls. All profits made from the workshop will go to charity, but Helen is primarily concerned with the educational benefit of her scheme.

She believes that the process of creating art should improve the children’s social skills, freedom of expression and relationships with their parents. Helen thinks parents should “sit with their child for an hour or so each day and show an interest in their art work”.

On a national scale, Helen believes that, although the tides may be turning, single parents still face huge problems without support or aid from the government. She believes that more creches and nurseries are needed to help single parents haul themselves out of the vicious trap they often find themselves in.

They need the income of a job but have to spend a large majority of what they earn on child care. “Single parents often find staying on income support financially better,” she says.

Helen, who hopes to study creative arts at university next year, has established an internet page entitled Plymouth Parent about her project, with advice about adult education for parents wanting to gain more qualifications. She is appealing for any old, unwanted or surplus art materials for use in her workshop, which runs on Saturday August 22 from 10.30am to 1pm. Admission is £1.50 per child and parents are invited to join in with the activities.

If you’re in the States, amNewYork is looking for freelance writers for its nightlife, style and weekend sections. The team are also looking for a photographer/writer with an interest in fashion. Queries to jgordon@am-ny.com.

1. Adopt the person’s voice. The quicker you get under their skin, the better chance you have of telling their story successfully. Writing in someone else’s voice is one of the hardest ghostwriting tools to master, but the most crucial too. The trick is to listen. Let their voice wash over you. Listen to the way they talk, the phrases they use and the way they say things. Visualise how they would deal with certain scenarios; easier to do when you have got to know a client over a number of weeks. 
2. Listen more than you talk. During an interview, the only time you should speak is to ask a question or reflect back. The purpose of your question should be to draw specific information from your client. 
3. Do tons of research.  Know the subject inside out. Make yourself an expert on the issues affecting your client’s life; be it abuse, domestic violence, breast cancer, and so on. Make yourself an expert on their interests and activities too. You need to write as if an issue has affected you personally, impossible to do when you haven’t got a clue.
4. Be prepared to pester. If you don’t know something ask. You’re not the person’s best friend, but to do your job well you need to feel that it’s okay to call, email, text at any hour of the day or night (within reason).
5. Draw up a list of deadlines. Break the book down into chapter deadlines and 60,000 words won’t seem as daunting. All ghostwriters have different methods of working. My preferred method is to show my client draft chapters as I pogress to ensure they’re happy with the direction and content.