#3 To Ghostwrite, or not to Ghostwrite – Is That a Question?

I’m currently writing a memoir with a semi-retired priest, but the doodle art at the top of the post is coincidental; I did it years ago during an extremely tedious staff meeting. I have no idea how the doodle of a priest appeared on the page underneath my pen. Suddenly, it just was. He seems to be dreaming of Hawaii.

I am fortunate in that I don’t seem to mind too much what it is I’m writing: I just love to write. Writing a new novel is like setting off on your own personal adventure with a seemingly unlimited number of options and the opportunity to find freedom through personal expression. But I’m happy to report that so, too, is writing someone else’s story. I love writing fiction, but I’ve always believed that truth is stranger than fiction, so when someone asks me to put their deepest truth down in words, I know it will be an interesting and rewarding experience. And the writer in me loves the challenge as much as if I’d decided to create a fiction. In addition, there are truths that are universal, which is, of course, why humans have been story-tellers from time immemorial. We seem to value story almost as much as we do food and love.

I was very happy to have those realizations as we wrote this most recent memoir. I was also somewhat awed as I entered into the author’s priestly world and sought ways to express his struggle with the uniqueness it deserved. If the end result of any memoir is to share a life experience with readers, imagine the level of intimacy and trust required between author and writer. It’s an exceptional process for both: the author must relive their greatest joys and set-backs, and the writer, if he wants to do good work, must honor and re-create those powerful moments in an appropriate style and tone upon the page.

The priest I’m writing the memoir with is an interesting fellow, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with him. He has a compelling story to tell, and he’s a very good story-teller. Lucky me. I’ll post more about it when it’s completed – probably sometime later this year.