So, for those people interested in pursuing the idea of becoming a ghostwriter, how do you practice this art? I’ve found that one way to do this, at least for fiction, is to take an existing short story and rewrite it from the perspective of another character in the story. As an example, I recently was “practicing” by rewriting short stories collect by both the Brothers’ Grimm and Andrew Lang. I choose a character who doesn’t really get much to say and rewrite the same story from the perspective of that character. While I’m doing this, I read the original text and carefully try to match my tone and language to the original author. This strengthens my skills as a ghostwriter.
My latest example is from Lang’s “The Troll’s Daughter.” “The Troll’s Daughter,” in its original form, is told from the perspective of the young boy who eventually becomes an emperor. This places emphasis on the boy’s service to the troll and the eventual role that he plays in assisting the first king in repaying the debt. However, by changing the perspective of the story to that of the troll’s daughter, the focus shifts to the blossoming love between her and the youth, and their struggle to be together. It is also possible to get a deeper insight into the emotions and viewpoint of the troll’s daughter, most of which are not included in the original story.
I’ve included my “practice” here to get a better idea of what I’m talking about:
There once was a young girl who lived in a palace at the very bottom of the sea. It was a lovely palace. The chairs were made of the whitest ivory and inlaid with both gold and pearl. The rugs and cushions were brightly coloured and soft under her feet. She even had flowers and trees to enjoy and little fountains which sprang from delicate snail-shells. These fountains created music that delighted the senses.
And yet, for all of this, the girl was not happy. She spent her days wandering from room to room, sad and forlorn. She lived in terrible solitude, unable to leave her golden prison. Her father, a great troll, had locked her under the sea to keep her from everyone. She longed for the day when she would once again be free, but felt that all her hopes were in vein. Her father would never set her free.
Then one day a lad entered her palace and spoke to her. At first, she was terrified. But he spoke so kindly and so gently that she soon lost her fear of him. The lad explained how he had come to be in her palace, and that he was the servant of her troll-father. The troll had turned him into a fish and sent him to explore the sea. The girl grew to trust him and was glad of his company. But she could not yet bring herself to tell him of her father and her forced imprisonment.
So the months passed and they revelled in their time together. But the girl realized that it would not always be this way. The lad, who had now grown into a youth, must return to the troll. He had to put on the shape of a fish once again so that he might pass through the sea alive when the troll called him home. Before she would allow him to leave, however, she told him that she was the daughter of the troll he served, and that she was being held against her will. She devised a plan that would allow her to spend her life with the youth free of her underwater prison. But there was much that must be done, so she bade the youth pay her close heed.
The girl told the youth of the many kings who were in debt to her father. Those who did not pay their debts would lose their heads. One king in particular, the first king who must repay his debt, did not have the money and would surely die.
“I know that for certain,” the girl told the youth. “Now you must, first of all, give up your service with my father; the three years are past, and you are at liberty to go. You will go off with your six bushels of money, to the kingdom that I have told you of, and there enter the service of the king. When the time comes near for his debt becoming due you will be able to notice by his manner that he is ill at ease. You shall then say to him that you know well enough what it is that is weighing upon him — that it is the debt which he owes to the troll and cannot pay, but that you can lend him the money. The amount is six bushels — just what you have. You shall, however, only lend them to him on condition that you may accompany him when he goes to make the payment, and that you then have permission to run before him as a fool.
“When you arrive at the troll's abode, you must perform all kinds of foolish tricks, and see that you break a whole lot of his windows, and do all other damage that you can. My father will then get very angry, and as the king must answer for what his fool does he will sentence him, even although he has paid his debt, either to answer three questions or to lose his life. The first question my father will ask will be, ‘Where is my daughter?’ Then you shall step forward and answer ‘She is at the bottom of the sea.’ He will then ask you whether you can recognise her, and to this you will answer ‘Yes.’ Then he will bring forward a whole troop of women, and cause them to pass before you, in order that you may pick out the one that you take for his daughter. You will not be able to recognise me at all, and therefore I will catch hold of you as I go past, so that you can notice it, and you must then make haste to catch me and hold me fast. You have then answered his first question.
“His next question will be, ‘Where is my heart?’ You shall then step forward again and answer, ‘It is in a fish.’ ‘Do you know that fish?’ he will say, and you will again answer ‘Yes.’ He will then cause all kinds of fish to come before you, and you shall choose between them. I shall take good care to keep by your side, and when the right fish comes I will give you a little push, and with that you will seize the fish and cut it up. Then all will be over with the troll; he will ask no more questions, and we shall be free to wed.”
With those instructions, the youth transformed himself back into a fish and was gone. The girl could do nothing but wait. Time passed and the girl knew the king would soon have to pay his debt to the troll. Finally the day came when she was called home by her father. She was made to parade before the youth as part of a whole crowd of women. She knew the youth could not recognise her so she pinched him as she walked past to make him aware of her presence.
The youth immediately caught her around the waist and the troll had to admit that the first of his riddles had been answered.
Then the troll asked, “Where is my heart?”
“It is in a fish,” answered the youth.
The troll scoffed. “And would you know that fish?”
The youth smiled and responded, “Yes, bring it forward.”
Schools of fish were brought before the youth, and the girl made sure she was close at his side. When the right fish finally appeared, she pushed him, and he grabbed up the fish. At her urging, he drove a knife into the fish and cut out its heart. He then pierced the heart with his blade, causing the troll to fall over dead.
The girl and the youth rejoiced as the bonds set by the troll were all broken. The birds and beasts once bound by the troll were all set free. The kings did not have to repay their debts. And the girl would never again have to return to her prison in the sea.
The youth was quick to wed the girl, and he was declared the emperor of the many kings of the area. He and his empress kept the peace and ruled with wisdom and compassion. To this day, they live together in harmony and love.
