Ghostwriting Reflection

A little background into the ghostwriting that I attempted is as follows. My roommate is an opinion columnist for the Badger Herald and writes an article for each Monday’s edition of the paper. This week he decided to write about the United States lagging internet industry when compared to the rest of the world and how steps need to be taken to improve the internet for many economic reasons.

In class while discussing the ghostwriting assignment I realized that there were a lot of people that felt uneasy while completing a paper for a different person. I did not get these same feelings. I felt that it was almost easier to write a paper for someone else than it is to write one for myself. All of the main ideas were laid before me and all I had to do was simply put them into meaningful sentences.

The arranging of the ideas into sentences is what caused the most problems for me though. I had to make sure that my style did not overpower the paper, since it was meant to be written in a form resembling the person I was writing for. It was not a sense of uneasiness that made this assignment difficult; it was an inability to prevent my own ideas about the topic from shining through. My roommate told me exactly what he was planning on having in the article and exactly how much time I was supposed to spend discussing each main point, but it was difficult to not add my own twist and other topics since I had a little bit of a background on the topic. I continuously caught myself attempting to put this twist on the entire paper when in reality it was meant to be in his form and be his ideas.

Running into these problems led me to a better understanding of what the term “author” means. While writing this column for my roommate I was not the “author” of the work, because my ideas were not the ones being expressed and in the end my name was not going to be associated with the article. I have learned a better distinction between what it means to be a writer and what it means to be an author. When going through this assignment I learned that it is entirely possible to be either a writer or an author and it is not required that if you are one than you must be the other. It is possible to be a published author without actually being a writer. From this assignment I’ve learned that an author is the individual that has their name on the completed work, whether they are the ones who actually did the writing or not. All of the true work when completing a work lies with the writer or writer that puts all of the ideas together coherently and makes sure all of the ideas flow.

I can’t help but wonder if professional ghostwriters run into the dilemma of knowing that they are great writers but not considered authors. I would have been honored to have the article I wrote published, even though I would not have been associated with it, but I would have been left wondering if I would have been published had I submitted it myself. If one has the ability to be a writer, is it within reach for them to become an author also and submit work under than own name rather than the name of the famous author that employs them. Are professional ghostwriters immune to this because it is their career and they have to push these thoughts out, or like me, do they get the feeling that they could be doing more with their talents?

Plagiarism

After reading the articles for the week on plagiarism I have been left with unwavering concerns about how this "crime" is treated. It seems that each university, even each individual professor has their own idea about what plagiarism is and what to do to prevent it and this poses a great problem. If the threat of plagiarism that is facing our society is to be hindered and eventually stopped, a universal definition must be coined. Everyone individual cannot be left to define what plagiarism for themselves because if this continues to be the case people will never know when they are actually plagiarizing. For certain areas of study information that is considered common knowledge and does not require citing may not be considered the same in a different area of study and if not cited this is plagiarism. The biggest problem facing plagiarism and a lot of times, the lack of knowledge that it has been performed, is that it is such a broad topic. There are far too many other things that come into play when trying to determine whether or not something has been plagiarized and this also makes it difficult to determine a level of punishment. If someone subconsciously copies someone else's work they should not be punished the same as a person who blatantly steals another's ideas just to meet a deadline. The problem is though, how does one know whether the ideas of been stolen on purpose or by accident? What signs are there that tell professors and officials that a person maliciously stole the work or did it by accident? These are questions that need to be answered before any steps toward ending plagiarism can be taken. Also when does the idea of having ones work influenced by another turn into stealing that other person's ideas and thoughts? In our society I don't feel that one can distinguish a line between influence and plagiarism, there is definitely one there, but it is so thin that it is hard to determine if one has crossed it when their whole work is not ripped off.

Ghost Writing

When it comes to the idea of ghost writing i have mixed feelings. In certain instances the use of ghost writers to create a work is in my opinion a positive process. When reading autobiographies of celebrities or important figures, it is acceptable to use a ghost writer. Most celebrities would not be able to create a well written work, nor would they have the time it takes to sit down and write an entire book. The problem of ghost writing comes about when these people are employed to write novels. I am the type of person that likes to know the person that has written the books that I read and knowing how extensively ghost writers are used one can never really know if their favorite author is actually the one named on the cover. The deceit needs to stop and if a book is ghost written, they should be given a spot on the cover. The person that has come up with the ideas for the book and has laid out the plans for publishing can still have the most recognition, but the name of his/her ghost writer should be known also. If a book is well written the name on the cover is not as important, but it would still be nice to know whose work I am reading. Also, why is it acceptable in the literature world for this type of deceit when in most other parts of society it would be looked down upon and taken as being the easy way out?

Technological Connections

In class on Wednesday the thought that all of the technological advances our generation could result in less social capabilities. I feel differently on this subject when it comes to technology and social skills. I believe that all of the advances in technology could actually result in greater social skills for our generations and those coming into the world after us. I know that I grew up in a relatively small town that lacked diversity. The advances of online blogs, and things like facebook and myspace provide an opportunity to connect with people that one may not otherwise have had the chance to converse with. One of the most important social skills is the ability to get along with and find ways to relate to people that are different than yourself and the internet opens up the means to do this. Also, cell phones and texting do not worsen or social skills, they instead give us the opportunity to make them better. It is true that if something is hard to say in person or over the phone we can now use text messages because they allow us to remove ourselves from emotional attachment to the situation. Cell phones and texting do make it easier for people connect and set up meeting times and keep in touch in situations that would not allow for a phone conversation. If something important comes up when in a movie theater or other places where answering the phone is beyond rude, we can still get the message we need. Cell phones allow our generation to keep in touch better than the generations before us and this can be seen through the smart mobs that have organized through the use of cell phones. Technology will keep improving and it is for us to decide if we want to go along with it our remove ourselves from it and go back to the means of communicating that came before. Technology will continue to bring us together and the more advances that come through the years will only make it easier for everyone to keep contact.