Ghostwriting Collaborations: A Blend of Magic and Logic

Takeaways from the Gathering of the Ghosts.

Photo from Wix Media

"A blend of magic and logic." These words were used to describe a successful ghostwriter-author collaboration at this year's Gathering of the Ghosts conference, and I think they capture the essence of a successful writing partnership beautifully.

In the keynote panel, Lew Frankfort—who served as Chairman and CEO of Coach from 1985 through 2014—and Joanne Gordon, an award-winning writing collaborator, spoke about their experiences co-creating 𝘉𝘢𝘨 𝘔𝘢𝘯: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 (Harvard Business Press, 2025). It was a joy to hear about their process, and they touched on everything from how they handled 70+ third-party interviews to the logistics of lunch orders—essential to avoiding "hangry" moods during long days. Their discussion perfectly illustrated why both magic 𝘢𝘯𝘥 logic matter in this work.

The solitary writer might thrive beautifully on magic alone. They can "fall through the hole in the page," to borrow Stephen King's words, becoming so engrossed in the creative process that the rest of the world falls away.

But the ghostwriter can't manage on magic alone. When there are two people involved in the writing process, a more logical, structured approach is usually needed. Further, a certain amount of attention must be given to the mundane, from "What time are you free to meet next week?" to "Do you think we should order lunch now—are you hangry yet?"

On its surface, it might seem a bit less magical than the image of the solitary writer, click-clacking away at their computer, lost to the fantastic beast of the story. However, I've found that when two people are involved in telling a story, a different kind of magic results. Pinging ideas back and forth, building on each other's insights, and sometimes finishing one another's thoughts—that collaborative magic is a fantastic beast of another breed. And, in my experience that beast must be fed some logic if it's going to grow to its strongest, wildest, most extraordinary self.

The opening panel was just one of many moments during the conference that had me nodding quietly in agreement when I really wanted to stand on my chair and shout "YES!" Thank you to those who organized the event and to all the wonderful people I met. It was a trek of planes, trains, and automobiles to get there but it was 100% worth it. See you all next year!

Thank you for reading my blog! This is a space where I share personal thoughts — an opportunity for self-expression that has nothing to do with my professional writing. None of the thoughts or opinions expressed in this blog should be construed as anything but my own, nor should they be affiliated with any company or person I contract with or write for as a ghostwriter.

NOW that that's done... I'd love to hear from you about this blog post in the comments!