Simple ways to introduce collaboration into your writing process
Writers misinterpret what it means to write effectively. Collaboration is important and a significant part of the writing process if you allow it to be. The concept of locking yourself in a room and never letting anyone see your work till you’re three drafts in is outdated. I’m actually not sure it ever existed.
How can you be more collaborative? Try this out:
Do book readings when you’re still constructing your manuscript. Most cities or towns will have “open mics” where they give you five minutes to read an excerpt from your book. Get up on stage and read the parts you think are most appealing and gauge the reaction. If you can’t gauge it, ask people what they thought after the reading is over.Have an ideation session. I love the story of Mary Shelley, Percy B. Shelley and Lord Byron getting rained in for three days in a rented Geneva summer house back in 1816. Those three days produced two literary classics in Frankenstein and The Vampyre. Writers are often hesitant to let other people into the idea stage of their writing, but if you find people you trust and who you know are creative, why not bring them together and see what you get out of it.Join a writing group. This helped me tremendously with my second novel. My writing group gave me solid direction but most importantly gave me the confidence to take a risk and tell a story from a female perspective.It’s almost 2020. Technology has made collaborating easier than ever. You technically don’t even have to be in the same country as someone to do two of the three things I suggested. Open your mind and let down your guards. Collaborating with peers is a good thing.
CRY
MORE FROM CRYDon’t forget to grab a copy of my novel BEAUTY SCARS.
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