Friday, September 30, 2011

The Myths About Co-authoring


Lindsay and I have a unique and amazing situation.  We think alike, have similar writing styles, and the same affinity for edge.  It is a seamless relationship that has worked pretty flawless for us so far.  Because of this, I get a lot of questions about co-authoring and how it works. I thought I would address a few here.  

The YA contemporary piece I want to write is too big of a project for me alone so I was considering taking on a co-authoring.  Ahh . . .yeah . . . no!  Co-authoring is not something you jump into because the scope of your manuscript is so broad you need a second brain to sort out the plot.  Narrow your focus, get yourself a couple of good critique partners, plot, outline, erase threads if you have to, but don’t expect another writer to come in mid-way through and sort things out for you.

I was thinking of taking on a co-author because writing is such a lonely task for me.    Co-author or not, writing is a lonely task.  Your muse solely resides in your head; he’ll bug you in the middle of the night, in car pool line, on your Friday night date regardless of whether or not you have a co-author.  Reach out, network with your fellow writers, join a critique group, but don’t take on a co-author just to have a writing buddy to talk to.

I think it would be fun to toss ideas around with a fellow writer, so I am in the hunt for a co-author.  Oh, its fun alright . . . so long as you are both on the same page.  Co-authoring is a melding of two minds and two writing styles.  When done right the reader shouldn’t be able to tell who wrote which part.  When done wrong or when one author has a completely different vision for you characters, you can end up with an emotionally charge heap of crap.

If I take on a co-author I can finish my project twice as fast.  Whoa hold up there a sec.  First off writing is a process not to be rushed through and writing with a co-author is no exception.  Period!

So you and Lindsay are tied to each other forever.  Yes and no.  We have a go-author agreement that spells out the all the details regarding any joint project and we do continue to write as a team.  But, we each have individual agent contracts, and we both write independently of each other as well.  I, for example, write a fair amount of YA contemporary; it is my first love and one I will continue to write regardless of how successful our joint projects are.

You and Lindsay must spend a crazy amount of time together. Nope . . . never met the woman J  LOL.  We are not college roommates, or PTO cohorts, or even drinking buddies.  I live on Cape Cod; she lives in Chicago.  Physical proximity in not a requirement to the co-authoring process.  We did, however, have a great deal of experience with each others writing BEFORE we became co-authors.

 So there you have it.  If you have a question I have not answered, feel free to ask!

18 comments:

  1. I'm still amazed at how well you two work together...especially considering your relationship is mostly digital!

    How did you guys hook-up? Online writers forum?

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  2. wow, I always wondered how people did this- thanks for sharing you guys's process!

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  3. Great insight! I've been so interested in knowing how you guys got started!

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  4. Hey! Found you on CQG's blog. Question - is everything a joint effort, like plot lines, character names, etc.. or do you find one of y'all takes the lead?

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  5. That was clearly something peopleare interested in. great post! More!

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  6. Great advice! I'm just beginning a co-authoring journey, and I'd love to read a post about your process when planning, drafting and editing a co-authored novel.

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  7. I'm not sur how I would work with someone else. I've never really thought of co-authoring. But you guys sound like you know what you're doing. And congrats on your contracts!

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  8. I'm going to echo the comments here and ask for some more insight into how you ladies write together. Dumb questions alert: do you go back and forth with chapters, then swap? Or is one of you responsible for physically writing, while the other comes up with ideas, or does fine-tuning? Do you ever disagree? Sorry, but this whole thing really blows my mind! I'd love to hear more! :)

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  9. It's fascinating. I can't imagine doing it, but I'm sure it's not nearly as easy as people assume.

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  10. Sounds like a perfect idea with the right person, and a potential nightmare with the wrong one!

    I love hearing about different processes, thank you.

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  11. Lots of great questions. I am keeping track of them all and was thinking of making this a weekly post topic so keep the questions coming

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  12. Thanks for the information. I'll be co-authoring a novel as well. Should be a good experience.

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  13. You guys really do think alike, especially when it comes to writing. (It's kind of scary to see how your comments mirror each other sometimes! *grins*)

    Great post! :)

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  14. Wow, fascinating post, Trisha. A weekly segment sounds like a great idea. I'd love to learn more about how you guys make this work.

    Also, just so you know, I am on holidays with limited computer access at the moment, but I plan to get my beta reading feedback to you ASAP when I get home (which will be towards the end of this week). :-)

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  15. You two have a lovely and inspiring marriage! And like a marriage, I imagine one or both of you must take turns quieting your ego – letting the other person have their way -- Yes? I love the idea of a writing partner, but that seems like the most challenging aspect. If you do this post on a weekly basis, maybe you could take turns writing it? Like, each of you could blindly answer some of these questions (without seeing the other partner’s answers) and then post your independent answers together. That dual perspective could prove really interesting!

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  16. Ooh, I like Fiona's idea. That would be very interesting indeed. :-)

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  17. I imagine this dynamic would also apply to editing the book of a fellow writer. For example, when you beta read/edited SWELL, it jelled perfectly. You were the right person to work with, and we got things done in a swift and natural fashion. It takes two to tango!

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