I’ve made no bones about my extended creative hiatus. It’s been a dark 12-plus months, and grief delivered a sledgehammer blow to both mind and heart.

With my creative spark effectively extinguished, my business shifted to editing. Editing requires more of an analytical mind than a creative one. I consider very carefully whether I wish to apply for or bid on a writing project. Do I even want to do it? Can I handle it? Will it overwhelm me? Do I even care? It’s been easier to focus my attention on editing, to making someone else’s work better. That way I don’t have to be responsible for the ideas or their development. It’s a break I needed.

However, time is working its magic. The spark has flickered to life.

On Sunday, I didn’t feel like reading. I didn’t feel painting. I was restless. I picked up my laptop computer, opened the file of my latest and languishing work-in-progress, and began to write. I added 6,000 words to that manuscript. It felt good, cathartic even.

Last night, I added 4,000 words. That felt good, too. Proper. Natural. Right.

I won’t kid you or myself that this recent spurt of creative energy signals the end of that creative hiatus, but I do consider it promising. The story is coalescing, finding direction. I can think of what happens next.

I’m not writing this story for Matt. He never read what I wrote and considered my being an author of romance and fantasy as more than a little embarrassing. However, I would like to think that Matt would want me to continue to write and embarrass him, because that’s what Mom does. I hope he understands.

Regardless, I am grateful that this critical, integral part of me hasn’t been entirely lost. It’s coming back. Whether I will regain the earlier productivity of two years ago is undertermined. I do know I must care for my psyche and nurture this delicate spark so as not to extinguish it. It’s terrible to lose a piece of yourself.

Emston Media LTD recently contacted me to solicit my services for ghostwriting. I read through their letter and their specifications for hiring, and was happy to reply. One of those specifications as that their ghostwriters sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) prohibiting them from claiming any of the projects. The letter specified that the ghostwriter’s name would not appear anywhere within the published document, nor would the ghostwriter be acknowledged in any way by the author or the publisher beyond having received payment for the work.

I’m good with that. I don’t need to see my name on the published work, although it’s nice to be recognized for my contribution. When someone asks me what I’m working on and/or if I’ve got similar experience, I may refer to the project in very general terms: for example, I’m working on a young adult trilogy based on the Mahabharata. (I actually am. And there’s no way anyone could figure out what the story is or who hired me to write it from that general description.)

In my reply to Emston Media, I stated that upon completion of the project, I retain the right to claim it in my resume and portfolio and, after it’s published, to link to the work in my resume and portfolio.

I received a request to provide evidence of my having written content in the genre for which they would hire me. I directed them to an example, House Secrets by Perry Freeman. My name appears nowhere in that book. I receive no royalties on book sales. I do not own the copyright. And that’s OK. He hired me to write it and I did. It was a terrific project for a wonderful client. I would gladly write for him again.

I pointed out the hypocrisy of the NDA to the Emston Media representative: They wanted me to point to work I’d ghostwritten for someone else to show my experience, but would not allow me to point to work I’d produced for them to show a potential future client my experience. Emston didn’t like that and withdrew the offer.

Well, that didn’t last long.

When explaining my rationale for retaining the right to claim work-for-hire in ghostwriting project, I state that readers will not ask who wrote the book. They will assume the author wrote the book. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Not mentioning the ghostwriter gives a suspicious reader no clue as to whether a ghostwriter did write the book and, if so, which writer. Basically, no one is going to see House Secrets, suspect Perry didn’t write the story, and then pester him to reveal who really did write it. No one is going to download Riding Lessons by Dawn Coyote (yes, I was hired to write that, too) and look for the “real” author.

Expecting a ghostwriter to provide evidence of related experience on past projects without allowing that same writer to use more recent work for you is selfish. It’s akin to requiring a ghostwriter to sign a non-compete agreement, because it stifles the writer’s ability to find more work in that area. 

If you want a ghostwriter to bring your story to life, then let’s talk. I won’t ask for your royalties or to share the copyright. I will require that you allow me to claim the finished project in my resume and portfolio for future clients, just as you want to see evidence of my past work for other clients. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Fair’s fair.

Every word counts.

#henhousepublishing #freelancewriting #ghostwriting

Today we’re having a mid-season holiday dinner with our older son’s former neighbors.

When Matt  died, his neighbors across the corridor offered to take in his dog, Moose, until we could get down to Birmingham to pick him up and bring him home. These kind souls not only took in Moose, but they boarded their own dog at a kennel to accommodate a near-stranger’s pet. They took him to their veterinarian to get some tranquilizers to ease the poor pup’s distress. After we brought Moose home, they sent gifts for the dog and for us.

It really brought home our dependence upon the kindness of strangers.

In October, I finally had the honor and pleasure of meeting Cheyenne and Tyler for the first time. I didn’t quite know what to expect. They’re unlike our boy with tattoos and free spirits. But these two young adults brim with kindness and compassion and I am eternally grateful to them.

So, we’ve essentially adopted them.

Cheyenne and Tyler moved to Columbus, Ohio in July and have no family here. We’re stepping up as their “Ohio mom and dad.” I want to be their go-to resource for support. If they need anything, I want them to contact us. We not only owe them for their kindness, but we like them as people, too.

Matt couldn’t have asked for better neighbors.

So, today we’re celebrating the holidays as their busy schedules allow. I’m cooking dinner: roast duck, mushroom risotto, baked squash, and green beans. The china and stemware have been washed. We’ll use Aunt Josie’s glasses for water and Grandma Wacek’s silver plate silverware. These two young people are now our family and we will use our family’s fine dinnerware in honor of them.

Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash.