Hidden gems in the world of literature and writing are ghost writers whose artistic talents bring to light otherwise untold stories.
These ghost writers anonymously complete all the writing utilising the facts of a story that are provided usually by the person it will be credited to.
Popular Bahrain-based author Seamus Gallacher ventured into the world of ghost writing just 18 months ago, following the success of his Jack Calder series which is now in its fifth instalment, with the sixth expected later this year.
“Someone approached me and asked if I would do it,” said Mr Gallacher.
“They told me they had a story that they wanted to get out there and I was delighted to help.”
Having just finished one, which for obvious reasons he cannot name, Mr Gallacher said he was currently involved in two other ghost writing projects.
As an established author, the Scottish national approaches these projects in much the same way he would his own stories, only he is given the facts.
Mr Gallacher and his subject meet for a series of meetings, and his main role is to listen and formulate notes.
As a writer, he guides the alignment of the sequence of notable events and memories. In that respect, it is no different from the planning of his novels. Background, story flow, invariably, highs and lows tumble easily into a cohesive narrative to shape the storyline.
The notes are typed up and used to form the working draft for editing and balance.
What is a departure from creating novels, however, is the incredible sense of personal involvement as the subject shares incidents and events from their life.
“All writing can or cannot be challenging depending how you approach it,” explained Mr Gallacher.
“With ghost writing, you have to be sensitive to make sure what they want to say is what is translated out and I use my artistic licence to embellish the writing, but of course not the facts.
“You must get the facts correct and the timeline must flow for it to make sense.”
He said that more than 20 plus meetings take place through the duration of each project, which is why the costs related to ghost writing are so high.
For those who perhaps are not writers themselves, hiring a ghost writer offers individuals the opportunity to share their story or an idea for a story and allows them to take the credit for the book, blog or whatever their chosen medium is.
“People find it attractive to have a legacy to pass to children and grandchildren,” added Mr Gallacher.
“It’s quite a challenge but I enjoy it.”
On the side lines of his ghost writing venture, Mr Gallacher’s own literary journey is expanding as his sixth Jack Calder book is in the works, while his first book The Violin Man’s Legacy has been turned into an audio book, and he is working on a new book that focuses on the idea of ‘universal truths’.
A member of the Bahrain Writers Circle, Mr Gallacher is a best-selling crime thriller author and a successful award-winning blogger.
Mr Gallacher’s Jack Calder books are available on Amazon Kindle and the first three books can be purchased from Jashanmal City Centre Bahrain and Seef Mall.
You can also visit www.seumasgallacher.com for further information.
&uuid=(email))