We exploit celebrities by caring about shallow things like whether they've gotten a facelift. And we violate their children constantly. But we also love them in a way.
Hilary LiftinWorking with somebody who has a more interesting life than I do - and getting to take on that life temporarily - is an endlessly interesting way to have the experience of writing memoir.
Hilary LiftinThere are certain jobs I don't take because I feel no connection to the person. But if somebody is open with me, and honest about their motivations, and has some level of self-awareness, then I'm going to understand them.
Hilary LiftinIโve taken on some of the emotional weight of the stories Iโve worked on. I was writing about a very difficult time in the life of one of my clients and I burst into tears at a small, crowded cafรฉ... Iโm not a crier at all in my own life. Maybe thatโs why Iโm a ghostwriter.
Hilary LiftinI think that the celebrity memoir as a genre is looked upon as a lesser form. One of my missions as a ghostwriter has been to elevate that form. Maybe that sounds pretentious!
Hilary LiftinI don't think you can take a whole genre of very popular books and say, "This is all trash!" When we read a memoir that isn't by a celebrity, we feel like we're about to go on a journey and we don't know where the journey will lead. But when we read a memoir by a celebrity we feel like we already know the journey and we just want to travel it.
Hilary Liftin