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Ghostwriter

Since high school, I've been asked to write speeches, articles, press releases, letters, even a book gratis et amore.  My teacher gave me a T-shirt in high school for checking the formal themes of her English students. A grateful businesswoman gifted me with a sack of rice for writing the valedictory of her son, who later became a doctor and member of the city council.  A master sergeant who studied in the same college with me gave P10.00 (that was in 1973) for writing for him ten essays. Two years later, that military man tried to sign me on as a probation officer in the army: all I had to do was sign and presto, I was to become a second looey, on-the-job. I was newly wed then, and my wife did not want a military officer for a husband. I got honoraria from a friend for whom I ghost wrote a book on the history of Olongapo.   But most of the time I had written for free, my only compensation (or consolation) being those rare occasions when somebody whose name I can't even remember sings praises for me for having written his or her child's speech in the forgotten past. I once wrote a short story titled "The Runaway" which found print in the Philippines Free Press. I never received my check for it, but I was so thrilled at finding my name in that revered publisher of literary giants like Nick Joaquin that I didn't care at all. Funny but I don't even have a copy of the issue.

In 2005, I decided to try my hand at essaywriters.net.   I had surfed the net for writing jobs to find extra income. Then I came across this site that offered writing jobs for free-lancers. I filled in the application form, informing my potential employer my fields were on literature, law, philosophy, science, and the arts just to impress him.   However, I was dumb-founded to find one additional requirement: write a ten -page essay on the topic "Comparison between the U.S. Constitution and the Articles of Federation." The essay should be fully documented, using MLA or APA citation guide. I tried to write, managed two pages, and decided writing for rich kids in Harvard wasn't my forte.
One month later, I was applying for the same job. this time, the topic was easier: "Compare Ozzymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelly and Sonnet 55 by William Shakespeare" using footnotes for citation.
I was thrilled to be accepted. That was July, but I couldn't begin until the first week of August. I wasn't that computer-savvy, and I still had to be acquainted with the writing styles.
Finally, I decided to write my first essay, technically known as the "order." I selected an essay on "The New Deal".   I wrote the order in two days and a half, using as reference books from the city library.
Elated, I clicked my next order, a case study about sexual harassment filed by a female employee of the City of Boca Raton against the city government. It was a ten-page order including the bibliography, but I managed to finish it at ten P.M. I was about to upload it but decided to wait until the next morning so I could review the documentation and put on the finishing touches. I did not know that the moment I shut down the computer and left for home, the phone began ringing at the office: the nervous customer had e-mailed me about the status of the order and not getting any response, panicked. The following day, when I booted at five A.M., the phone started ringing.
I picked it up. A caucasian voice was on the other end. "How's the essay?" I told him I would upload it in two hours. He was mollified. I didn't know the time used was five hours ahead of Philippine time.

My next challenge was an assignment in legal theory about legal precedent, stare decisis, which I was sure I could explain readily, having studied it in law school. Trouble was, there was only 24 hours left on the deadline.   I sent a message request to the customer to extend it by a few hours: the female customer gave a 24-hour extension. I was glad and let go of my legal talent. Oops! there was a catch: the essay should be in U.K. English. I had clicked the order, and thought, "Well, I hope the Brit won't notice a Filipino is writing her homework."   Another problem: the cases that were given for me to analyze were kilometric in length. Obviously, justices in their House of Lords were as verbose writing decisions as our own magistrates in the Supreme Court. But I managed to finish the essay on time.

Posted by KamaongBato on 2008-07-05 09:48:44 | Rating: