Angela Ackerman's Blog: Writers Helping Writers, page 77

Writing About Character Occupations: The Resource Mother Lode

With every new book release, Angela and I write a bunch of posts that cover various aspects of that topic. We’ve found it useful to collect all of those resources into one handy post so it’s easy for anyone looking for help to find what they need.

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Now that The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers has made its way into the world, here’s your round-up of posts on how to write character jobs in ways that will enhance your cast and your story. We’ll be adding to this list as new posts are published, so check in every once in a while to see the list of topics grow.

Why do occupations matter? This post on The Character-Building Details Writers Shouldn’t Overlook contains an excerpt from the introduction to The Occupation Thesaurus and explains what a carefully chosen career can do to enhance your story.

If you’re looking for a meaningful job for your character, consider how an emotional wound might play into their career choice.

Check out this post for ideas on what a character’s job can reveal about him or her and then also see how these details can become a secret characterization weapon, especially at the start of your book!

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One thing to remember is that we aren’t always thrilled with our jobs. What can a character’s dislikes or disappointments with their career tell readers?

BONUS #1! Looking for MORE jobs that aren’t included in The Occupation Thesaurus? Check out this list curated by our readers.

BONUS #2! We’ve uploaded some of the appendix tools from the book to help you narrow down the job search for your characters. Our tools page now contains Career Assessment and Occupation Speed Dating tools, as well as a downloadable template so you can create an entry for any job.

If you’re curious about The Occupation Thesaurus, you can find more information here, including a free preview, the complete list of jobs included, and a sample entry (Firefighter).

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Finally, if you want to see an expanded version of The Occupation Thesaurus, hop on over to One Stop for Writers, where you���ll find it in the largest fiction-focused description database online. There���s a free trial too, if you want to check the site out in-depth.

And PSST, as part of a fun event we held during the launch called The Hot Seat, we shared a code for One Stop for Writers that gave attendees 75% off a month’s subscription at the site. If you’d like to use it, the code is HOTSEAT (case sensitive, no spaces before or after). Just sign up/sign in, and then activate this one-time code on the My Subscription page before selecting the 1-month plan and the 75% discount will be applied to your invoice. This special code ends July 31st, so hurry to take advantage of it!

Happy Writing!

The post Writing About Character Occupations: The Resource Mother Lode appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Conflict Thesaurus Entry: Losing a Job

Conflict is very often the magic sauce for generating tension and turning a ho-hum story into one that rivets readers. As such, every scene should contain a struggle of some kind. Maybe it’s an internal tug-of-war having to do with difficult decisions, morals, or temptations. Or it possibly could come from an external source���other characters, unfortunate circumstances, or the force of nature itself.

It’s our hope that this thesaurus will help you come up with meaningful and fitting conflict options for your stories. Think about what your character wants and how best to block them, then choose a source of conflict that will ramp up the tension in each scene.

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Conflict: Losing a Job

Category: Power struggles, increased pressure and ticking clocks, failures and mistakes, duty and responsibilities, losing an advantage, loss of control, ego

Examples:
Being fired
Being laid off due to budget cuts, a merger, etc.
Having to leave a beloved job due to personal circumstances beyond the character’s control (needing to relocate, having to care for a sick relative, etc.)
Being intimidated into quitting (through discrimination, harassment, etc.)
Reluctantly choosing to leave because of difficult work circumstances (dealing with an inept or abrasive boss, being unable to advance professionally, the company making a moral shift that one can’t support, etc.)

Minor Complications:
Difficulty finding another job
Leaving valued co-workers
The character having to explain to people that they lost their job
Having to downsize or relocate one’s family
Dealing with the inconveniences that accompany a job change (finding new insurance coverage, etc.)
Having to deal with work associates after the termination is complete (to fill out paperwork, to bring someone up to speed on a work project, etc.)
Being contacted by a client who doesn’t know about the termination and having to rehash everything after the fact
Lack of organization resulting in a long, drawn-out termination process

Potentially Disastrous Results:
Angrily saying or doing things during the termination process that make a positive recommendation less likely (in the case of being laid off or let go reluctantly)
Having to take a job one doesn’t want or is overqualified for, resulting in a lack of fulfillment
Having to take a pay cut
Seeking vengeance against the party responsible for one’s departure
A lack of support about the decision from one’s spouse or children (if the character chose to leave, even reluctantly)
One’s family struggling to adjust to less income
Getting stuck at a certain point in the grieving process
Being rejected by former co-workers, friends, and colleagues
Floundering in the aftermath; being paralyzed with indecision or too stunned to move forward
Attempting to strike out on one’s own and struggling to succeed

Possible Internal Struggles (Inner Conflict):
Struggling with bitterness or resentment (if the character didn’t want to leave)
Embarrassment over the termination
Internalizing any unfair accusations or claims that caused the termination
Second-guessing the decision to leave
Losing one’s sense of identity

People Who Could Be Negatively Affected: family members, clients and customers, co-workers, employees, subordinates

Resulting��Emotions:��Anger, anguish, annoyance, anxiety, apprehension, betrayed, bitterness, defensiveness, denial, depressed, despair, desperation, determination, devastation, disbelief, discouraged, disillusionment, doubt, dread, emasculated, embarrassment, fear, hurt, indignation, insecurity, intimidated, overwhelmed, panic, powerlessness, rage, reluctance, resentment, resignation, sadness, self-pity, shock, stunned, unappreciated, uncertainty, unease, vengeful, vulnerability, worry, worthlessness

Personality��Flaws��that May Make the Situation Worse:��Abrasive, childish, cocky, confrontational, controlling, disloyal, disrespectful, indecisive, inhibited, insecure, lazy, martyr, melodramatic, nervous, pessimistic, resentful, uncooperative, vindictive

Positive Outcomes:��
Being able to pivot into a new career that is more fulfilling and rewarding
Having the freedom to relocate to a better place for one’s family
Choosing to fight back against an illegitimate termination, thereby righting a wrong
Hindsight providing clues to the end result that allow the character to recognize those clues in the future and avoid the same situation
Adopting a positive, forward-looking mindset instead of one focused on the past
Accepting the part one played in being fired and resolving to do better

If you’re interested in other conflict options, you can find them here.

Need More Descriptive Help?



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While this conflict thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (15 unique thesauri and growing) is available at our main site, One Stop for Writers. 

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough, and then give our Free Trial a spin.

The post Conflict Thesaurus Entry: Losing a Job appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Release Day Celebration: The Occupation Thesaurus Is Here!

Celebrating a new book NEVER gets old for us. Aside from the obvious feel-good-ness of having another book in the world, it’s satisfying to know everything WE learned as we wrote the book is now yours…and your writing is going to be SO MUCH STRONGER FOR IT!

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The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writers Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers

What if you could fast-track the reader���s understanding of a character without chunky paragraphs of description that kill the story���s pace? And what if you could use a common element of daily life to explore story goals, relationships, themes, and even the character���s internal growth? You can. It���s time to activate the power of your character���s occupation.

Whether a character loves or hates what they do, a job can reveal many things about them, including their priorities, beliefs, desires, and needs. The Occupation Thesaurus will show you how a career choice can characterize, drive the plot, infuse scenes with conflict, and get readers on the character���s side through the relatable pressures, responsibilities, and stakes inherent with work.

More about The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers
The List of Occupations in this guide
A sample entry: Firefighter
BUY THE BOOK

Becca and I are so excited to bring you a book that will help you weave character and plot in a new, meaningful way, shorten the “get-to-know-the-character” period with readers, and give you an endless supply of conflict options to challenge your character’s commitment to their goal.

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Because this book is on occupations, we wanted to create a giveaway that can help YOU with YOUR writing career. After all, you work hard. You’re dedicated, showing up every day, to get the words down. Let’s face it, you’re freaking magnificent!

So we’re giving away Showcase GIFT CERTIFICATES to help with the costs associated with writing & One Stop for Writers�� SUBSCRIPTIONS so your story is as powerful as it can be.



Here’s how it works…



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The Services for Writers Showcase is a collection of small businesses within our community, most writers themselves. They offer important services to writers to help them reach their publication goals, and the income they earn supports them while they pursue their own goals.

Paying the bills right now is a challenge, and many are struggling. So, if you win a Showcase gift certificate in our giveaway, you can redeem it at any business listed in our Showcase. With COVID in the mix, it is more important than ever to support our own.

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You can also win subscriptions to One Stop for Writers��, a site Becca and I created.

One Stop for Writers is a portal to powerful storytelling tools like the Character Builder and the largest show-don’t-tell database anywhere containing ALL our thesauruses (15 and counting!). There’s much more to One Stop, so stop by. Writing can be easier.

Want to win one of these great prizes? Enter using THIS FORM.

Then, go check out our Services for Writers Showcase so you can see what services there are to choose from, and PSST! check out the special deals some of these businesses have put together just for you!

This contest ends July 23rd, at 11:59 PM EST, so hurry and enter. One entry per person, no cash value, or exchanges. More general rules and conditions here.



But Wait…There’s More!



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Because there are literally thousands of jobs and we had to choose only a fraction to include in the book, our fantastic Street Team helped us create a special resource: a Contributed List of BONUS Occupation Entries. Check it out…you might find the PERFECT FIT for your character!

A giant thank you to everyone who helped us launch this book <>, and to all of you for your support of what we do.

Be a good writing bud and let your friends know about this draw? Good luck to all!

The post Release Day Celebration: The Occupation Thesaurus Is Here! appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Conflict Thesaurus Entry: Peer Pressure

Conflict is very often the magic sauce for generating tension and turning a ho-hum story into one that rivets readers. As such, every scene should contain a struggle of some kind. Maybe it’s an internal tug-of-war having to do with difficult decisions, morals, or temptations. Or it possibly could come from an external source���other characters, unfortunate circumstances, or the force of nature itself.

It’s our hope that this thesaurus will help you come up with meaningful and fitting conflict options for your stories. Think about what your character wants and how best to block them, then choose a source of conflict that will ramp up the tension in each scene.

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Conflict:��Peer Pressure

Category:��Power struggles, failures and mistakes, relationship friction, moral dilemmas and temptation, loss of control, ego

Examples:
Doing something irresponsible or dangerous because others are doing it (using drugs, cliff diving into unknown waters, etc.)
Giving in to a dare (picking a fight with a stranger, vandalizing property, etc.)
Going farther physically than one wants to because they’re pressured to do so
Laughing at an off-color joke, even if one feels uncomfortable about it
Seeing wrongdoing and not pointing it out, due to fear of losing friends
Covering for someone who’s doing something they’re not supposed to do
Taking part in a prank
Allowing oneself to be subjugated to someone else (laughing off insults, agreeing to ideas the character doesn’t believe in, etc.)
Participating in activities one isn’t really passionate about because important people in the character’s life are involved (joining a country club, trying out for a sports team, etc.)
Living beyond one’s financial means to keep up appearances (buying a luxury car, taking expensive trips, only wearing designer clothes, etc.)
Expressing support for political, religious, or social ideals one doesn’t actually believe in
Going to great or unhealthy lengths to maintain a certain physical appearance simply to look like everyone else
Making important life decisions based on what others are doing (where to go to college, where to send one’s kids to school, what career to pursue, where to live, etc.)

Minor Complications:
Embarrassment over the foolish decisions one has made
Getting into minor trouble at school or work
One’s reputation being damaged

Potentially Disastrous Results:
The character losing their sense of personal identity and values
Experiencing physical, mental, or emotional trauma from the fallout (getting pregnant, developing an eating disorder, being abused, getting into a car accident, etc.)
Being guilty by association
Choosing dysfunctional relationships over healthy ones, and losing the friends and loved ones who would speak wisdom into the character’s life
Seeking other unhealthy ways of gaining control (self-harming, promiscuity, controlling people outside of one’s peer group, etc.)
Going into debt (if the peer pressure impacts financial decisions)
Being arrested
Getting suspended or expelled from school
Getting fired
Developing co-dependence tendencies
Living an unhappy or unfulfilled life
Hurting someone else (if the peer pressure involves oppressing or bullying others)
Losing the ability to think for oneself

Possible Internal Struggles (Inner Conflict):
Feeling powerless and trapped, like the character isn’t really in charge of their own life
Struggling with feelings of insecurity and self-doubt
Constantly feeling conflicted about what one is doing and what one really wants to do

People Who Could Be Negatively Affected: friends and family who truly care about the character, anyone who is victimized by the character’s choices (someone who is belittled or bullied, for instance), people who look up to the character and are negatively influenced by their example

Resulting��Emotions:��Agitation, anxiety, appalled, apprehension, conflicted, confusion, contempt, defeat, defensiveness, denial, depressed, discouraged, doubt, dread, emasculated, embarrassment, flustered, guilt, humiliation, hurt, inadequate, indifference, insecurity, intimidated, loneliness, nervousness, powerlessness, regret, reluctance, remorse, resignation, self-loathing, shame, tormented, uncertainty, unease, wariness, worry, worthlessness

Personality��Flaws��that May Make the Situation Worse:��Addictive, callous, catty, childish, cruel, cynical, defensive, dishonest, evasive, frivolous, gullible, hypocritical, ignorant, impulsive, indecisive, insecure, irresponsible, mischievous, selfish, subservient, timid, unintelligent, weak-willed

Positive Outcomes:��
Recognizing manipulation in others so it can be avoided in the future
Wanting to regain control of one’s life
Seeing how far one has come from their roots, and determining to get back to their true origins
Learning to accept responsibility for one’s actions, even for things that happened because one stood passively by
Deciding to be a leader instead of a follower

If you’re interested in other conflict options, you can find them here.

Need More Descriptive Help?



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While this conflict thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (15 unique thesauri and growing) is available at our main site, One Stop for Writers. 

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough, and then give our Free Trial a spin.

The post Conflict Thesaurus Entry: Peer Pressure appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

The HOT SEAT with Angela & Becca Is Today, July 16th – Sign up!

What’s more fun than an Author Q & A? Easy, a HOT SEAT.



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Hot, as in Angela will put Becca in the Hot Seat and ask questions she won’t see coming…and then Becca will repay the favor.

Hot, as in YOU decide what those questions are, not us!

Ask us about how we met, the almost-calamity when we visited Disney World, how we work together, our books, or things that force us to expose our weird side!

Want to ask Becca a question? Send it to Angela here.

Want to ask Angela a question? Send it to Becca here.

Want to join this Zoom event to watch the whole crazy trip unfold and ask even more questions live? SIGN UP! The zoom will be Thursday, July 16th at 8 PM EST. We hope to record it, so if you can’t make it, sign up and you’ll get the recording.

For more information on the HOT SEAT, visit this post.

(Psst. There might be prizes.)

See you there!

The post The HOT SEAT with Angela & Becca Is Today, July 16th – Sign up! appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

The HOT SEAT with Angela & Becca Is Tomorrow…Have You Signed Up?

What’s more fun than an Author Q & A? Easy, a HOT SEAT.



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Hot, as in Angela will put Becca in the Hot Seat and ask questions she won’t see coming…and then Becca will repay the favor.

Hot, as in YOU decide what those questions are, not us!

Ask us about how we met, the almost-calamity when we visited Disney World, how we work together, our books, or things that force us to expose our weird side!

Want to ask Becca a question? Send it to Angela here.

Want to ask Angela a question? Send it to Becca here.

Want to join this Zoom event to watch the whole crazy trip unfold and ask even more questions live? SIGN UP! The zoom will be Thursday, July 16th at 8 PM EST. We hope to record it, so if you can’t make it, sign up and you’ll get the recording.

For more information on the HOT SEAT, visit this post.

(Psst. There might be prizes.)

See you there!

The post The HOT SEAT with Angela & Becca Is Tomorrow…Have You Signed Up? appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

CRITIQUES 4 U!

Welp, Angela and I are in full-blown, a-million-balls-in-the-air, pre-publication madness right now. It’s crazy, but we love it because it means that by this time next week, The Occupation Thesaurus will be available at all our regular distributors :). In case you were looking for news on that, you can find some information about the book here.

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Also, we’re doing something a little wacky for this launch (shocking, I know) that will allow YOU to put US in the Hot Seat and ask us whatever questions you want about our jobs, working together, etc. If you would like to attend this Zoom event or submit questions for us to answer, check out this post.

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(The Hot Seat is happening Thursday, July 16th, at 8 PM EST. We will have a recording I hope, so even if you can’t make it live, you can watch after the fact!)

And now, back to this month’s critique contest!

If you���re working on a first page (in any genre except erotica) and would like some objective feedback, please leave a comment. Any comment :). As long as the email address associated with your WordPress account/comment profile is up-to-date, I���ll be able to contact you if your first page is chosen. Just please know that if I���m unable to get in touch with you through that address, you���ll have to forfeit your win.

CRITIQUES 4 U!

Two caveats:

      Please be sure your first page is ready to go so I can critique it before next month���s contest rolls around. If it needs some work and you won���t be able to get it to me right away, let me ask that you plan on entering the next contest, once any necessary tweaking has been taken care of.

      I���d like to be able to use portions of winning submissions as illustrations in an upcoming presentation on first pages. By entering the Critiques 4 U contest, you���ll be granting permission for me to use small writing samples only (no author names or book titles).

Three commenters��� names will be randomly drawn and posted tomorrow morning. If you win, you can email me your first page and I���ll offer my feedback. 

We run this contest on a monthly basis, so if you���d like to be notified when the next opportunity comes around, consider subscribing to our blog (see the left-hand sidebar).

Best of luck!

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Ready to Put Angela & Becca in the HOT SEAT?

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You guys! Do you realize the NEXT Thesaurus Writing Guide, The Occupation Thesaurus, will be here in less than 10 days? *excited shrieking*

Our book release event is July 20th and many great prizes will be up for grabs. But before that, we’re putting on a LIVE event and we hope you’ll join.

The Hot Seat



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Because this book is all about occupations, we thought it would be fun to pull back the curtain regarding the work Becca and I do. Join us for a fun HOT SEAT event where YOU ask the questions about US, our work, relationship, and maybe our weird quirks.

If you’ve ever wondered about how we met, the crazy coincidences that keep happening to us, how we work together, or who’s weirder, now’s your chance. We’ll bring you into our home offices and dish all the details.

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When: July 16th, 8 PM EST
Where: Zoom
What to Bring: a beverage of choice, questions, and your sense of humor
Sign Up Here!

WANTED: Your Questions!

In addition to LIVE questions, You can suggest ones for Angela & Becca to ASK EACH OTHER…putting them in the HOT SEAT!

Have a good question? Click the link below to send it to either Becca or Angela!

Becca, ask Angela THIS QUESTION (Angela will not see these questions in advance)
Angela, ask Becca THIS QUESTION (Becca will not see these questions in advance)

SIGN UP & WE’LL EMAIL YOU THE LINK TO JOIN ON JULY 16TH, 8 PM EST

Can’t wait to see you all!

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Improve Your Fiction by Studying the Brothers Grimm

We all know how important it is to read within our genre. Doing so shows us what elements make those books successful (and also what overdone tropes to avoid). But reading outside of our genre can be just as helpful. It’s always a good idea to examine what works and why, so we can apply those successful components to our own stories. Fairy tales have been around forever, and Grimm’s stories have particular longevity. What universal guidelines can we borrow from them to bolster our own writing? Shonna Slayton is going to show us what she’s learned from these age-old tales.

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One of the best ways to learn how to write better fiction is to study the work of great authors. Now, the Brothers Grimm may not be the best technical writers, but their collection of fairy tales has stood the test of time. There are several lessons we can learn from them about entertaining readers.

1. Don���t Be Subtle

Too often, we tone things down. We write with nuance, assuming that everyone will know what we’re talking about. But the Grimms��� tales teach us how to work with extremes in all aspects of storytelling: characters, setting, plot, theme. 

Characters are either down to their last piece of bread or they live in a gold castle. It���s not good enough for the evil queen to send the princess away; the princess must be killed. If a bargain is struck, it���s in exchange for a life. Extremes can be useful when it comes to setting up stakes and character motivations. 

Consider the evil queen in Little Snow-White when she finds out she is not the fairest in the land:

Then the Queen was shocked, and turned yellow and green with envy. From that hour, whenever she looked at Snow-White, her heart heaved in her breast, she hated the girl so much.

And envy and pride grew higher and higher in her heart like a weed, so that she had no peace day or night. 

She called a huntsman, and said, “Take the child away into the forest; I will no longer have her in my sight. Kill her, and bring me back her heart as a token.” 

The huntsman lets the girl go and kills a wild boar, bringing back its heart instead. Then:

���The cook had to salt this [heart of a wild boar, given as proof from the huntsman], and the wicked Queen ate it, and thought she had eaten the heart of Snow-White.

The queen thinks she is literally eating the heart of the one she hated so much! There is nothing subtle about that.

Take a look at your own WIP and see if you are being too subtle. Start with your stakes��� are they clear? What in the text specifically points to those stakes? Highlight those sections. If the highlights are few and far between, consider adding more references to keep the stakes in the forefront of the reader���s mind.

2. Focus On Reversals

Fairy tales are all about change, reversals in fortune. How the character begins the story is not how they end it. They grow up. They escape their captivity. They become kings and queens. 

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The classic tale of reversal is Cinderella. After her mother dies and her father remarries, Cinderella becomes the household servant, daily derided by her family until she goes to a ball and catches the eye of a prince. The reversal is made starker in the Grimms��� telling as even her father puts her down:

“There is still a little stunted kitchen-wench which my late wife left behind her, but she cannot possibly be the bride.”

The King’s son absolutely insisted on it, and Cinderella had to be called. She seated herself on a stool, drew her foot out of the heavy wooden shoe, and put it into the slipper, which fitted like a glove. And when she rose up and the King’s son looked at her face, he recognized the beautiful maiden who had danced with him and cried, “That is the true bride!”

What are the reversals like in your WIP? Create a chart and copy/paste the descriptions, actions, and dialogue you have of your characters at the beginning of your story and at the end. Do you see growth in the character? Do you see changes in circumstances? Can you define these more?

3. Remember Justice

A central theme in fairy tales is that the good are rewarded and the evil are punished. 

A satisfying ending includes a final judgment scene where the protagonist, who has been struggling and fighting for the entire story, finally wins. In contrast, the person or force they���ve been fighting is taken down and crushed. 

Here is how the Grimms end The Goose-Girl. When the false bride was asked how she would punish someone who acted falsely, here is her reply:

Then the false bride said, “She deserves no better fate than to be stripped entirely naked, and put in a barrel which is studded inside with pointed nails, and two white horses should be harnessed to it, which will drag her along through one street after another, till she is dead.”

“It is you,” said the aged King, “and you have pronounced your own sentence, and thus shall it be done to you.”

Analyze the final judgment scene in your WIP. Can you heighten the reward and clarify the protagonist���s downfall?

I love this example because all three of the techniques we’ve discussed have been implemented. The guilty party is being punished, the methods are extreme, and her role in the story has been reversed.

There are many more lessons to learn from Grimm. After all, there are two hundred and ten stories in their final collection of fairy tales! If it���s been a while since you’ve read these stories, why not take another look and see what you can learn?

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SHONNA SLAYTON writes the Fairy-tale Inheritance Series and is the co-creator of the Fairy-tale Forum group on Facebook. Her newest book, Lessons from Grimm: How to Write a Fairy Tale, is now available for purchase.

She finds inspiration in reading vintage diaries written by teens, who despite using different slang, sound a lot like teenagers today. When not writing, Shonna enjoys amaretto lattes and spending time with her husband and children in Arizona.

The post Improve Your Fiction by Studying the Brothers Grimm appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Joining Forces: Harnessing the Power of Coauthoring

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I always knew coauthoring had benefits ��� half the workload, and twice the platform to launch from are the obvious bonuses. Sure, you have to split your royalties, but you also share the costs. But I had reservations (how do you allocate who writes what? What if you don���t like each other���s ideas or writing?), so it was relegated to something other authors did. 

Until a fellow author approached me, asking me to cowrite an urban fantasy series. I was nervous. I was intrigued. I asked some questions. I hesitantly agreed. Not long later, I approached another author friend wondering if we should do the same with an idea I had percolating. One that felt like it could be far better served if it was molded and cultivated by more than just one mind.��

And so my coauthoring journey began.��

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And it���s been such a delightful adventure that it sparked the very words you���re reading. With a highly successful dystopian series (which may or may not have interest to option the film rights���), and a twelve book urban fantasy series releasing next year, I discovered the benefits of sharing the writing and marketing process. 

Writing can be a lonely business, so I���ve really delighted in having someone to share the highs and lows with far more intimately. Your coauthor shares the excitement and the anxiety because they���re living it with you. What���s more, it���s exciting to see your word count grow on the days you don���t write, meaning books with your name on them are released twice as fast. It���s easier to rapid release and your backlist grows at twice the rate. 

I���ve been lucky. My experience has been overwhelmingly positive. But I know other coauthored projects never see the light of publishing. There seem to be several key ingredients that are the foundation for success in my coauthored projects. Here���s what I���ve learned:

Trust 

At this stage, Amazon only allows authors to publish under a single name. That means one person from your writing duo (or trio, or septuplet if you���re feeling ambitious!) will be publishing your books on their KDP dashboard. It will be their role (aka headache) to split the royalties each month for the lifetime of your books. 

What���s more, another writer is going to see your work at varying stages of draft (personally, this was a challenge for my perfectionism tendencies). If I didn���t trust my coauthors to be positive and constructive, it would���ve been a much more difficult process. 

Ask yourself:

Who will be publishing the books? How will you report earnings and costs? Do you feel the feedback you���d be getting is valuable? Do you think it strengthens your writing?Are you willing to be tied to this author for the life of your books? 



Respect

When you write a book with someone, you���re molding two creative visions into one. There are times that process won���t be seamless. The truth is, you���re not going to agree on everything. Authors get possessive about characters, have different ideas for the direction of the story, misunderstand communications. You���re probably at different points of the plotting-to-pantsing spectrum���

The assumption that everyone can, and should, speak their mind is a necessary foundation of coauthoring. But it needs to be done respectfully���with a willingness to compromise and a joint desire for a win-win solution. 

You need to consider:

Are you able to speak openly with your coauthor?How will you resolve disagreements? Are you both able to communicate different perspectives in constructive ways?



Complementary Skills



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This is one of the benefits of coauthoring, but the more you���re conscious of it, the more you can harness it. Is one writer better at character arcs while the other has a knack for thinking up plot twists? Does one author excel at seeing the big picture while the other will nit-pick at the details? Are one of you skilled with Facebook ads while the other works on building the newsletter?��

Spend a little time articulating the following:

What are your strengths? What will you bring to the coauthoring project?What are your coauthor���s strengths? How can you learn from each other?��What skills are you still developing? In what ways could your writing career benefit from working with another writer? How can you benefit theirs?



A Shared Vision

In the same way you���ll need differences and contrasts with your coauthor/s, you���re going to need similarities because these commonalities will be the foundation for your writing endeavors. A shared passion for the story concept and its characters. A desire to see your books succeed, even when life gets busy or the kids get sick. Ultimately, writing a book takes dedication and hard work. If you���re writing a series, then the workload and timeframes just multiplied. 

Make sure you discuss:

What are you hoping to achieve by publishing this story/series? Does your coauthor feel the same? Are you both equally excited and passionate about this concept?How will you actualize these plans? Shared calendars? Checklists? Word count targets?Do you both write at the same pace? What work and family responsibilities do you both need to take into account? Are you able to agree on timeframes (and stick to them)?    

I���ve found coauthoring to be deeply rewarding and something I���ll be continuing into the future. In fact, when you find the right person, the end product can be stronger than a book you write solo.

What about you? Have you had success with coauthoring? What have you found rewarding? Challenging? I���d love to hear your experiences.��



Tamar SloanResident Writing Coach

Tamar is a freelance editor, consultant and the author of��PsychWriter����� a fun, informative hub of information on character development, the science of story and how to engage readers. Tamar is also a USA Today best-selling author of young adult romance, creating stories about finding life and love beyond our comfort zones. You can checkout Tamar���s books on her��author website.
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