Wednesday, April 3, 2013

C is for Co-author

I wear to two separate writing hats, switching between YA contemporary and YA horror.  It can be challenging at times, but the sense of fulfillment I get from writing each genre is more than worth it. While my YA contemporary has always been a solo venture, my YA horror is the product of two twisted minds coming together to explore the dark and often tormented depths of human mind.  My co-author on that often disturbing journey is the talented Lindsay Currie.

As many of you know, writing can be a very lonely process.  You exist for long periods of time inside your own mind, dreaming up characters and weaving in threads.  Having a co-author allows me to balance that, gives me the freedom to to close in on myself while writing contemporary and retain the human link, the collaboration of another mind if you will, while writing horror.  It is that balance that enables me to write across multiple manuscripts each day.

12 comments:

  1. Co-authorship has intrigued, and scared, me ever since I've found out about it. Amazing when you find the right person for it. Devastating when you end up with that lab partner from high school that doesn't do anything and expects you to do it all for the grade. You know what I mean!

    Writing is definitely lonely. But the internet, blogs, twitter, and facebook all seem to bring the writing community together to make it not so lonely! :D

    Jamie Dement (LadyJai)
    http://writebackwards.we3dements.com

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    1. LOL...I've been lucky; my lab partner is fantastic :)

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  2. It's great that you have someone to work on your horror projects but also have solo time on contemporary, the best of two worlds!

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  3. I'm too much of a narcissist to envisage having a co-author! Thanks for yesterday's explanation of the term Beta reader. I had been wondering

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    1. Oh I have plenty of time to torture myself with my contemporary :)

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  4. I don't have a co-author, but I do have a creative partner--my amazing hubby. (And now my awesome son too.) It's so nice to have people to bounce things off, right?

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    1. Absolutely, Crystal. We all need a creative sounding board!

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  5. Co-authoring sounds like a lot of fun. I like to think of some of my writing friends as co-authors, because when I rant about a problem, they'll either offer a crazy solution or I'll have a revelation while talking to them. :)

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    1. It's great to have people that you can bounce ideas off of, talk through a difficult scene with, or just plain old commiserate with. Whether a co-author, a CP, or just a friend, that relationship is invaluable!

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    2. I'm just enjoying your writing Trisha,wonderfully put together. I'm probably one of those who love working with co-authors - not on fiction yet, but mostly on academic and administrative works, although it is usually required (works with multiple authors), the experience has been satisfying. Warm regards from KL, AF

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