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COLLABORATIVE WRITING
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ajblack4567
 25 Aug 2011, 11:25 #127925 Reply To Post
So my brother and I are going to try and write something together, collaboratively. He's in Denmark and I'm in Ireland so we're still working out the actual logistics at this stage (God bless Skype!), BUT -

when we get to the point of committing ink to paper, what do YWOers think is the best technique or approach to writing collaboratively?

The piece is a commercial fiction novel and I just don't know if we should both try to write everything, then choose the better, or mash those two together to capture the best of both, or maybe one one of us should write roughly, then pass it back and forth to polish, or what?

Also (we can all dream) I've never heard "the publishing world's" view of co-written novels - does anyone have any experience of, or advice about, or thoughts on that?

Thanks in advance for your ever generous input.
My story, 'An Encounter' - as improved by YWOers - is available in this anthology:

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sulcus
 25 Aug 2011, 15:12 #127951 Reply To Post
Quote: ajblack4567, Thursday, 25 Aug 2011 11:25
So my brother and I are going to try and write something together, collaboratively. He's in Denmark and I'm in Ireland so we're still working out the actual logistics at this stage (God bless Skype!), BUT -

when we get to the point of committing ink to paper, what do YWOers think is the best technique or approach to writing collaboratively?

The piece is a commercial fiction novel and I just don't know if we should both try to write everything, then choose the better, or mash those two together to capture the best of both, or maybe one one of us should write roughly, then pass it back and forth to polish, or what?

Also (we can all dream) I've never heard "the publishing world's" view of co-written novels - does anyone have any experience of, or advice about, or thoughts on that?

Thanks in advance for your ever generous input.


The Martin Beck detective series in Sweden were written by a husband and wife team and seem very good. I know they wrote alternate chapters then swapped the finished product. Presumably they discussed the outlines first.

I wouldn't think you both writing fulls makes much sense, twice the amount of work?
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ajblack4567
 25 Aug 2011, 15:32 #127954 Reply To Post
Fair point on both writing fulls, Sulcus, but it would make things a lot cleaner in the event that mine turned out to be brilliant and his was shit !!!
My story, 'An Encounter' - as improved by YWOers - is available in this anthology:

Speech Bubble Magazine Best Of Issues 1, 2 & 3 ebook

Mostar
 02 Sep 2011, 19:09 #128717 Reply To Post
I've seen a few publishers (in articles in magazines) say that they are interested in books written in a quirky or original way. So you may well fit that criterion.

I think it would really depend on the type of story you are trying to tell. I agree with sulcus and the not both writing the full thing.

A friend and I came up with an idea of writing a joint story; it was a story about reality v insanity or fantasty. We would both develop the plot and structure together, then we would each take alternate viewpoints of the plot, from two characters' povs - one writing the reality, the other writing the fantasty or insanity element; then bring them together.

I thought that might work quite well. We never did it though!

Your relationship with your fellow writer is likely to be a key element to how you handle the collaboration, I feel!

All the best
Mo
On turning fact into fiction: African Violet blogpost on Sue Howe's site: http://howesue.wordpress.com/
Talking Horse
 04 Sep 2011, 21:56 #128887 Reply To Post
Who rembs Bernard and Manny sitting down at their desks in Black Books to collaborate in writing the 'great' childrens tale. It was hilarious needless to say. I think the lady friend (Tamsin Greig) cant remb her name was gone on a girls' weekend away and they'd a bet on that they'd have 'done' something by the time she'd return.
pam1234writing
 04 Sep 2011, 23:20 #128890 Reply To Post
Check out our own writing success couple, Mark Williams and Saffina des Forges. They've sold thousands of their first novel Sugar&Spice on Kindle and are doing great with their second. Saffy lives in London and Mark lives In South Africa and they met on YWO and decided to give it a go! It worked! Also, Indies Mark Edwards and Louise Voss have just been signed up by one of the big publishers after the success of Killing Cupid and Nicky French is a husband and wife team. Lots of duos going on out there.

http://tinyurl.com/42m7tzy

There's the link to S&S and if you scroll down the page to Saffy's author page there are various contact details that you can ask questions on. Hope it helps and good luck. Pam.
This post was last edited by pam1234writing, 04 Sep 2011, 23:27
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tchaibov
 10 Sep 2011, 16:55 #129455 Reply To Post
Quote: pam1234writing, Sunday, 4 Sep 2011 23:20
Check out our own writing success couple, Mark Williams and Saffina des Forges. They've sold thousands of their first novel Sugar&Spice on Kindle and are doing great with their second. Saffy lives in London and Mark lives In South Africa and they met on YWO and decided to give it a go! It worked! Also, Indies Mark Edwards and Louise Voss have just been signed up by one of the big publishers after the success of Killing Cupid and Nicky French is a husband and wife team. Lots of duos going on out there.

http://tinyurl.com/42m7tzy

There's the link to S&S and if you scroll down the page to Saffy's author page there are various contact details that you can ask questions on. Hope it helps and good luck. Pam.



Thanks for the mention, Pam!

In fact we now have expanded our collaborative work and have a four-person collaboration working on a new YA series, as well as our partnership on a dozen more books due out over the next two years..

Our debut novel Sugar & Spice, which began life here on youwriteon a year ago, has now sold 100,000 copies on Amazon alone, and is currently in the top ten in the Waterstone's e-charts. Our second novel, less than a month old, is already a top 100 Amazon seller.

No agent required. No publisher required.

Meanwhile NYT best-selling novelist Ruth Harris has just released a new thriller which she co-wrote with her husband Michael Harris.

And despite being a multi-million selling author she has chosen to by-pass the pointless trad-pub circus and self-publish as an indie author. See her story on MWi -
http://markwilliamsinternational.com/2011/09/04/secret-lives-of-2-genre-jumpers-nyt-best-selling-author-ruth-harris-embraces-self-publishing/

BTW Pam, I'm in West Africa not South Africa. Far too cold for me down there! :-)
Don't get left behind by the e-publishing revolution.

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