Writing Like a Ghost

Ghost writing is a rather bizarre part of working as a freelancer. Mostly I don't mind. I write a story, sign a release and the client has the option to do with the story what he or she wants. Mostly I don't even think about the stories anymore. I move on, working on the next project or working on working on the next project. Occasionally, though, I bump up against my stories out there in the vast expanse of internet space. That, I'll admit, is a bit strange. Seeing my words under someone else's name is a bit disconcerting, but there is also a feeling of pride. I've written anonymously and written (and still write) under pseudonyms. It used to be harder for me to let them go, as I would hold on to every word I'd written. I used to panic at the thought of losing a poem or story, but nothing is sacred. Though I love them, I no longer make them into more than they are. They're words, assembled alongside other words. Twenty years ago I would not have imagined ghost writing, but twenty years ago I was a different person. A different person who saw words differently.