Corey, Annie, and I had a great call today. After chatting for a few minutes on everything from colds to hypnosis, we got down to business. Corey was feeling compelled to talk about a ghostwriting project that had stretched and challenged him from multiple standpoints: business, creative, emotional, and financial. As I listened, I tried to figure out how the story would translate to writing. Though the story was engaging, it was really only skimming the surface, which doesn’t fly with the written word. Then Annie, mindreader that she is, paused the conversation. In her nurturing but firm way, she guided Corey to push beyond surface-level exposition and reveal the emotional depth of the story. I thought, Ah! That’s just what I needed! Sure enough, we got to the bruised softness of the story’s core, and Corey was excited to be making new revelations about the experience.

This call made me think about Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s be more clear: A story needs the right voice. In the case of Corey’s book, which I’m co-writing, it needs Corey’s voice. Not mine, not some vague idea of what a creative executive should sound like, not an imitation of similar books out there (if there were any)—not any of these; it needs Corey’s voice.

A couple of years ago, before I was a full-time professional writer and editor, I sent a few of my fiction and narrative nonfiction pieces out to literary magazines. I was prepared for rejection, just as all writers should be. So imagine my surprise when, just a few days later, I found an acceptance letter in my e-mail! My short narrative nonfiction piece had been accepted by a top-tier magazine. I was in happy, dazed shock. But then Read the rest of this entry »

Hello! I’m the third member of Corey’s book-writing, storytelling, epiphany-creating team—Katie, the writer. Corey has asked me to contribute one blog per week describing our unique process from my point of view, and I’m happy to do it. The truth is that, to many, the writing part of this equation is quite mysterious. I’d like to shine some light. But, first, a little history.

Corey and I have been collaborating on projects since fall of 2007. That was when he hired me to proofread Robert Renteria’s wonderful book, From the Barrio to the Board Room. Because of the subject, Robert and Corey specifically wanted feedback from a Latino or Latina editor. I fit this bill, and I was Read the rest of this entry »