Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Cagan.
Andrea, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I was in elementary school, I had a little red cane chair in my bedroom where I loved to sit and write. I never stopped writing and it became my go to method for calming my nerves. I went away to a ballet boarding school when I was fourteen and I wrote every morning before I went to class. It focused my mind and helped me deal with my loneliness.
I joined a professional ballet company when I was sixteen and for the next four years, as we performed all around the world, writing helped me feel grounded. I wrote about wherever I was and however I felt. I never thought about showing my work to anyone. I did it solely for me. I wrote in my apartment in Greenwich Village when I rehearsed. I wrote when we went on ten week, one-night stand tours across the United States. I wrote when I lived in Monte Carlo for a year with my fellow dancers. I wrote when we had a three week residency in Barcelona and I wrote when we performed at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. And when I left the ballet, I used my writing to get through the transition.
I wrote my first book about my travels in the Philippines to research the famous healers when I was in my late twenties. I shopped it for a long time, about three years, and finally, I got a publishing deal with Simon and Schuster. I got my first ghostwriting job as a favor to help a friend who couldn’t finish her book and the unprecedented success of that project catapulted me into a thriving career in ghostwriting, something I could never have predicted. I’ve worked with legendary music divas, rock and rollers, news casters, singer/songwriters, sports champions and everyday people who have faced catastrophes and triumphed. I have learned and grown from all of them.
I can’t imagine my life without writing. I’ve used it to battle depression, to understand my self better and to enjoy a creative outlet. Today, I teach and I do editing for people but when it comes to whole books, I write them for myself. I wrote a memoir called “Memoirs of a Ghost” to great reviews. When I became a writing coach, I wrote “A Friendly Guide to Writing and Ghostwriting” and I’m currently working on my first novel.
My philosophy is: If you tell the truth on the page, if you allow the raw emotion to come out, that’s good writing. If you can quiet your inner critic, that annoying judgmental voice that arrives at your sessions uninvited, writing can become a powerful ally and a welcoming place to be.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think I’ve been lucky in my career, but it was far from smooth sailing. I shopped my first book for three years and I was discouraged but just when I was about to give up, I got a publishing deal,
Each new ghostwrite I’ve done goes hand in hand with the Imposter Syndrome that I have to maneuver.
Being a ghostwriter means working your ass off and getting no credit.
It’s a daily task to evict the inner critic.
When you write day after day, it becomes difficult to evaluate your work but you have to keep on going.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
When I sit down to write each day, I never know what’s going to show up. When I write my weekly blog for Substack and Facebook, I may know the topic but I’m constantly surprised at the point of view.
I’m known for my consistency, I’ve done over four hundred blogs and they keep coming.
I ghostwrite, I write my own books, I coach, I write a weekly blog, I edit people’s work and I walk them off the ledge when they get discouraged.
At this time, I’m proud of how much my writing students have grown and flourished under my tutelage. And how I still love writing.
What’s next?
I’m excited about my new novel. The first draft is done. I remember getting the sudden brainstorm about how to end it. And I’m excited about getting it out there.
I’ll continue coaching and practicing my craft.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.andreacagan.com
- Facebook: Andrea Cagan
- Other: Substack andreacagan.substack.com
