Co-Writing

Several, as in over ten, years ago I was asked about collaborating on my “art” projects. I said I didn’t really collaborate because I was a writer. The panel rep then told me that Every artist collaborates; writers have to collaborate with editors, illustrators and myriad other people during the writing and publishing process. I’m not sure I believed them and have, over time, thought being a writer was ideal because I didn’t have to work with anyone else.

Yeah. Sometimes I don’t play well with others.

Then I had this brilliant idea a few months ago and shared it with my brother. It was a fantasy based storyline and I had absolutely no experience with that genre.  We talked the story through then made a plan to write it during November, National Novel Writing Month. He did awesome. He plugged out enough words so that added to my measly 10K we actually made the 50,000 word quota For The Win. He is right now finishing up the story (Book One of Three!) and we will start the rewrites and the characterization that I’m good at. He wrote most of the action sequences and together we created a new world.

How Freaking Cool Is That?

And the best part for me is that I have learned that I like to collaborate! Who knew? I sure didn’t! My brother is an AWESOME writer and I am more than happy to share the spotlight with him. It’s been an amazing experience to talk about characters and setting and plot points and then have him write it exactly the way I saw it in my head even without the input from me! Wow! I am so excited for this story to really form into something (and FINISH something) and now we are talking about collaborating on other projects.

How freaking cool is that?

Yeah, I’m a little excited. I admit it. His enthusiasm for the project gets me going and excites me to think through the ideas and work together on them. I’m still not writing like I need to be or want to be but I am excited because we are going to start the rewrites on this book and start Book Two in the next couple of months.

Keep an eye out!