Using Transcription for Ghostwriting

Transcription as a useful tool for ghost writers

Overall, this kind of economy can bring many benefits to workers and businesses, and thereby also to end consumers. It can also help in better adapting some work roles to the specific needs of the marketplace, especially in the unpredictable situations like the current COVID-19 pandemic. Gig economy also enables a more flexible lifestyle, outside the traditional frame of 9-5 schedule, which is especially appealing to younger workers. In some cases, it can be done entirely digitally, independent of any physical location like office or company headquarters, reducing the need for commuting and thereby also benefiting the environment. However, this type of economy has its own particular disadvantages, because it erodes the traditional links between businesses and their workers, it is less regulated, and it can be considerably more financially hazardous and precarious for workers.

It is estimated that at the current moment over 55 million Americans are working independently. Some of them still working full time jobs, but they supplement their income by working various side jobs, which are often affectionately referred to as “side hustles” or “side gigs”. Some people, as we already stated, earn all their income through several side gigs at once, as much as their time constraints and energy allows. However, the crucial thing here is still the principle of supply and demand, how much are their services or products needed by employers, customers and clients.

  

How can transcriptions help?

The truth is that even though you don’t really get the credit for your work, being a ghostwriter pays pretty well, under the condition you have good clients. You also need to have good rates and find a way to write efficiently. If you need to write numerous pages, and you find yourself lost listing to a recording of your client explaining his ideas, you might feel that you are wasting time. The constant rewinding, listening and stopping of the tape can be frustrating. Here is where we could help. We will now give you some tricks on how you can be more efficient and fast in your ghostwriting project by using transcriptions.

Why is the quality of the transcription so important?

 

Getting a feeling for the main idea

Start with a draft

A good way to start your writing process is to make a draft, so you stay focused on the key information. Based on that you can also create subheadings and a first version of your introduction and/or conclusion. In the beginning of the book or article, you want to catch the attention of the reader. This is why it might be a good idea to start with an interesting anecdote your client mentioned in the recording. It is good if the end caries some sort of conclusion, or connotes ideas that are meaningful for the rest of the story.

The voice of the speaker needs to be present

This we already mentioned briefly. As a ghostwriter you need to keep in mind that you are writing a piece on behalf of someone else, the person who hired you. This is why you don’t really get to speak for yourself, but you need to be able to recognize and use your client’s voice. You have to know what is important to them, and you don’t really get to leave something out that your client mentioned in the recording. If it is mentioned, it is probably important to your client. Transcriptions can help here a lot, since you can easily find facts which have to be mentioned. It is important that each of your sections is supported by information you gathered from your client. Also, try not to repeat yourself.

It is worth mentioning that there is always a gap between the story that the speaker told and the actual truth of the events that transpired. There is also a gap between the speaker’s story and the story that you are trying to write down and edit into a coherent biography. The depth and width of this chasm depends on the mindfulness of your approach to gathering info, and your skill as a writer when crafting this info into specific literary form. Your personal style as a writer will influence the story, and since you are working in the shadows, it would be wise to follow the example of established ghostwriters, and write in clear, readable and inobtrusive style that does not draw attention from the speaker. You can do express yourself in your novel, if you find enough time to write in between various gig jobs. “Hope is the thing with feathers”, one famous American poetess once wrote.

Checking and editing your content

Pause

Also, if the deadlines are not already catching up on you, and breathing ominously on your neck, making you sweat cold bullets of stress, you should congratulate yourself for being well organized, and leave the text to rest a bit after finishing the first version. Let it cool down for a day or two and then read it again before sending it back to your client. This will allow you to review your piece from a new, fresh perspective. You have to trust us on this one, it is a tried-and-true principle for upgrading factors like readability of the text from “quite good” to “really great”, or reducing the rate of errors, omissions and misspellings from “ok” to “flawless”.