Create professional ghostwriting style guides
AI analyzes interview transcripts and writing samples to document client voice patterns, vocabulary, and style preferences.
Create professional ghostwriting style guides
River's Ghostwriting Style Guide Creator analyzes client voice and creates comprehensive documentation of their unique speech patterns, vocabulary preferences, sentence structures, and writing style. You provide source material like interview transcripts, emails, blog posts, or any client writing. The AI identifies distinctive voice characteristics, common phrases, vocabulary level, humor style, metaphor patterns, and emotional range. The generated style guide becomes your reference document throughout the project, ensuring voice consistency from first page to final manuscript.
Unlike generic writing style guides that focus on grammar rules, this tool documents individual voice patterns specific to your client. It tracks their natural sentence length, vocabulary choices, words they would never use, favorite expressions, how they structure narratives, and how they handle emotional content. The guide includes direct quote examples showing authentic voice, negative space documentation of what they avoid, and guidance on formality level, humor frequency, and emotional tone. This systematic voice documentation prevents the common problem of manuscripts that sound generically professional but do not sound like the actual client.
This tool is perfect for ghostwriters starting new client projects who need voice documentation, writers managing multiple client voices simultaneously who need quick reference, or ghostwriters mid-project who realize voice is drifting from authentic patterns. If clients give feedback like 'this doesn't sound like me' but cannot articulate what is wrong, a detailed style guide helps you identify and fix voice mismatches systematically. Use it after your first 2-3 client interviews when you have sufficient voice data, then reference it constantly while writing.
Why Voice Documentation Matters for Ghostwriters
Voice authenticity is the number one factor determining whether clients approve manuscripts or request major revisions. Clients may not be able to articulate what makes something sound like them, but they recognize immediately when voice feels wrong. Professional ghostwriters document voice systematically rather than relying on instinct or memory. When writing a 60,000-word manuscript over 4-6 months, you cannot keep all voice nuances in your head. Written documentation ensures consistency throughout the project and helps you return to authentic voice when sections drift.
Effective voice documentation captures both positive patterns (what they do say) and negative space (what they would never say). A client who never uses words like 'utilize,' 'leverage,' or 'plethora' should not have those words in their manuscript even if they are technically correct. Voice authenticity comes from matching natural speech patterns, not from polishing into generic professional prose. The best style guides include 20-30 direct quote examples from interviews showing authentic voice, lists of distinctive phrases and verbal tics, vocabulary to avoid, and descriptions of emotional tone and humor style.
Style guides become especially critical when multiple ghostwriters work on a project, when projects span many months and memory fades, or when you manage several client voices simultaneously. Without written documentation, voice consistency depends on subjective memory and feel. With comprehensive style guides, any ghostwriter can match client voice by following documented patterns. The guide also helps clients articulate voice feedback. Instead of vague 'this doesn't sound like me,' you can point to specific documented patterns and ask which ones the draft violates.
What You Get
Voice analysis identifying sentence length patterns, vocabulary level, and natural speech rhythm
Documentation of distinctive phrases, favorite expressions, and signature verbal patterns
Negative space list showing words, phrases, and styles client would never use
Humor and emotional tone guidance specifying how client handles different content types
Direct quote examples (20-30 sentences) showing authentic voice for reference
Formality level specification and guidance on when to elevate versus match exact speech
How It Works
- 1Provide voice samplesPaste interview transcripts, client emails, published writing, or any text showing their authentic voice (500+ words minimum)
- 2AI analyzes patternsSystem identifies sentence structures, vocabulary choices, metaphors, humor style, and distinctive expressions in 5-10 minutes
- 3Get style guideReceive comprehensive documentation with examples, guidelines, and reference quotes for voice matching
- 4Reference while writingUse guide throughout project to maintain voice consistency and resolve unclear voice decisions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much source material do I need to create an accurate style guide?
Minimum 500 words, ideally 2,000-5,000 words from multiple sources showing client's natural voice. The more source material you provide, the more accurate the voice analysis. Best results come from interview transcripts where clients tell stories naturally, plus any casual writing like emails or blog posts. Avoid overly formal published writing unless that is the voice they want for this project. If you only have formal writing samples, the guide will document that formal voice, which may not match how they actually speak.
Should I create the style guide before or after writing sample pages?
Create the guide after your first 2-3 client interviews but before writing substantial content. Use it to write your first sample pages (5-10 pages), then refine the guide based on client feedback about those samples. Initial style guides capture your voice analysis from interviews. Client feedback on samples reveals patterns you missed or aspects they want adjusted. Update the style guide after each major feedback round so it reflects their actual preferences, not just your initial analysis.
What if my client wants their manuscript more polished than how they actually speak?
Most clients want elevated versions of their natural voice, not verbatim transcription. The style guide documents their authentic patterns, then includes notes about elevation level. For example: 'Client speaks in casual fragments but wants complete sentences in manuscript. Keep their natural rhythm and vocabulary but complete sentence structure.' Or: 'Client uses technical jargon naturally but wants manuscript accessible to general readers. Translate jargon while keeping their explanatory patterns and metaphors.' The guide documents both natural voice and desired polish level.
How do I use the style guide when client feedback says voice is wrong?
Compare the problematic section to documented patterns in the guide. Check: sentence length (are you writing much longer or shorter sentences than their average?), vocabulary level (are you using words they would never say?), emotional tone (are you more formal or casual than documented patterns?), metaphors (are you using comparisons foreign to their thinking?). Often voice problems trace to specific pattern violations. The guide helps you identify exactly what is off rather than guessing. Show clients the guide and ask which documented patterns the draft violates.
Should I share the style guide with clients or keep it internal?
Usually keep internal, but some clients find it helpful to review. Sharing can be valuable when clients struggle to articulate voice preferences. Seeing their patterns documented helps them confirm 'yes, that is how I talk' or correct 'actually I would never say that.' However, some clients feel self-conscious seeing their speech patterns analyzed. Use judgment based on client sophistication and relationship. Always share if they ask to see it. Never share if it contains notes about voice problems or patterns you are intentionally not matching.
What if I am ghostwriting for multiple clients? Do I need separate style guides?
Absolutely yes. Managing multiple client voices requires written documentation for each. Your brain cannot reliably switch between client voices based on memory alone, especially for clients with similar voices or overlapping vocabulary. Create comprehensive style guides for each active client and review the appropriate guide before every writing session. Professional ghostwriters who manage 3-5 simultaneous projects credit style guides as essential for maintaining voice distinctiveness and preventing cross-contamination where Client A's patterns leak into Client B's manuscript.
How often should I update the style guide during a project?
Update after major client feedback that reveals voice misunderstandings, after discovering new voice patterns in later interviews, or when client clarifies preferences through their edits to your drafts. Treat the guide as living document that improves throughout the project. However, avoid constant minor tweaks that create inconsistency. Make substantive updates when you discover significant patterns, not for every small observation. Most ghostwriters update style guides 2-4 times during book-length projects: after initial interviews, after first sample pages, at manuscript midpoint, and after final feedback if doing another project with the same client.
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