Project to Published: Top 5 Tips on Successful Co-Authoring
Top 5 Tips on Successful Co-Authoring
I decided to start with the most requested post. Many of you who are regular followers of my blog know that I co-author many of my short stories with Michael Cross. He is a wonderful author who enjoys genre hopping as much as I do and we hit it off right away. I’ve heard about many successful and failed co-authoring attempts so here are a few of our tips and tricks along with tips and trick from a few other co-authors from around the web! Feel free to ask questions in the comments!
#1 – Decide on a system and schedule before you start. Michael and I use Google Docs a lot because we can sign in from anywhere and one of us can write while the other edits. When we switch off we don’t have a bunch of files drifting around that have to go back and forth. It also has chat so we can brainstorm as we go.
From Lisa Mantchev: “Google documents will be your best friend and your worst enemy.”
From Derinda Love: “When Mads and I wrote Ready For You, we used a Google doc to communicate. I would send him a chapter via email, then he would do his chapter and back and forth till the book was done.”
#2 – Be reliable. It can be stressful having to rely on another person. Give yourself a deadline and work together to figure out how things can be accomplished by that deadline. If you’re both reliable and serious about it then it helps both members stay motivated. I find I write faster when I co-author with Michael because we are able to push and encourage each other throughout the process. We stay motivated and end up fueling each other along without pressuring. The best part of being reliable is the trust that comes from it. Developing that trust was one of my favorite parts of co-writing.
#3- No egos. The story comes first and that is that. You need to be able to give critical notes and receive them in a positive and professional manner. Sometimes one person will lead and sometimes another. Don’t just be the follower or the leader, let it switch fluidly based off the situation. By the end of the story, if you did it right, you likely won’t know or care which specific words belonged to either of you because everything blends into one cohesive story and style.
From Lisa Mantchev: “Writerly ego has to get checked at the door. Your darlings are not their darlings.”
From Derinda Love: “With Ready For You our words really bled together so there was really no prior planning until we got to the ending. It was as if he would work from my words and I worked from his, if that makes any sense. The important parts of co-writing; you must have time and patience, you have to be able to let the co-author lead you sometimes, and also be able to lead. You also have to be willing to write out of your comfort zone. The most important part is communication.”
#4 – Don’t be afraid to have your first co-writing experience be a short story. I found that this helped keep us on track. We knew what we were going to submit to. We gave ourselves ample time in our schedules. Having a shorter project means you get to find out if you work well together before you have agreed to write something longer. Full length novels can takes months or years. Short stories are less of a time investment. If you find out you are a great match then you move on to something longer.
#5 – Don’t over think it. Mike and I map out our plot from start to finish then tell each other what details about the characters are most important to each of us and go from there. If you get too detailed on your mapping of events it can bog you down. Plot basics come first because of continuity. Then character ‘must haves’. Discuss setting enough to give some clear imagery then jump in. Mike and I also call dibs on favorite scenes based off what we are best at. We write our hook for the first page after we have finished the rest and it normally ends up being a joint effort. Our joint Pinterest boards are also a great tool for showing each other what we are thinking visually so we are on the same page with descriptions.
About Emma Michaels
Emma Michaels is a cover artist, blogger, author, and director at Hallowed Ink Press. Growing up her library card was her best friend and books were her home. Her love of blogging started when she created a book blog in 2009 which gave her the courage to submit her own novels to publishers and the rest, as they say, is history.
