Ghostwriting can be quite profitable. Yes, it often requires a great deal of research and time, but if you enjoy writing, this can be both a rewarding and lucrative endeavor.
A man recently asked me to ghostwrite his life story. It would require both the aforementioned generous doses of research and time. He offered me a generous amount to write it as well. And his life story sounded like the stuff of a Lifetime TV drama. The juicy fodder was there.
And yet, I turned his offer down.
The reason?
A big part of his life story involved his passion for hunting.
“It’s about winning.” His eyes gleamed. “It is pure sport.”
He made it clear that hunting had everything to do with his love of guns and taking the life of another animal.
To write someone’s memoir is to spend hours with someone, to study countless photographs and letters, documents and newspaper clippings, until you can hold the essence of a person in the space between your mind and heart.
I had no desire to hold a hunter’s essence in my mind and heart.
Oh, I tried. For the generous amount of money he offered, I tried. But my gut kept got tighter the more he spoke about his love of guns and killing defenseless animals in the wild.
He will no doubt find the right writer for his memoir. It will be a tale of conquest and winning at all costs.
The heart of a writer bleeds onto the page. It can be tasted between the words. I couldn’t create a likable protagonist for this life story without my heart feeling torn and without a certain element of passive-aggressive sarcasm oozing between its pages.
Someone else might feel differently. And that’s okay. We each have to do what speaks to our inner compass.
Years ago, I would have pushed down the discomfort that arrives when you feel something you don’t like. I would have resided in the Land of Denial.
Age (and a steady meditation practice) has taught me to heed that — even subtle — tug of discomfort. Much better to address it early on, then spend years addressing an ever-growing issue with psychological Band-aids.
Sheri Jacobs 