A couple of pieces on the subject of speechwriting, by people with some form.

One by Brian Jenner:

Any closing questions, comments or additional advice?

Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead!

The other by Simon Lancaster, looking more at the long-distance Whitehall speechwriter who (sometimes) goes on to great things:

The good news is that there’s no shortage of opportunities for speechwriters who reach this point. You can go into business. In the last few months, a number of FTSE companies have scoured Whitehall for top-level speechwriters. They’re insistent on only seeing people who have had their talents forged in the white heat of Whitehall. This is proof they’ll be able to withstand the heat of a corporate environment. And they pay handsomely – six-figure salaries are the norm.

Cor!

As someone put it to me recently:

I learnt recently that one ex-New Labour speechwriter doesn’t do an hourly rate, he charges a fixed fee for a CEO for a 20 minute speech – £6,000

Come on, CEOs. Hire me.

Might (or might not) be cheaper. But it definitely will be better!