Collaboration - or How to Write Together Without Killing Each Other - We present guidelines on how to write together and make it fun instead of torture.

1. Collaboration
Writing Together
without killing
each other
Larry K. & Lorna Collins

2. Advantages:
• More ideas
• Greater variety
• Different POV
• Different voices - different characters
• Fresh approaches

3. Disadvantages
• Incompatible styles
• Different goals
• Different focus
• Different writing standards
• Unequal loads

4. Know Your Own Style
• Formal?
• Informal?
• Risqué / Erotic?
• Inspirational?
• Lots of detail?
• Short and crisp?

5. Know Your Own Voice
• What is your rhythm?
• How do you structure sentences?
• How do you express emotions?
• Do you use lots of adjectives / adverbs?
• Do you write only complete sentences?
• Do you write dialogue?

6. Know What You Do Well
• Identify your individual strengths
• Are you accurate?
• Are you funny?
• Are you sensitive?
• Are you a researcher?
• Can you edit well?

7. Know Your Weaknesses
• What don’t you do well?
• Do you have trouble spelling?
• Do you make punctuation mistakes?
• Do you have trouble with tenses?
• Do you leave words or ideas out?
• Do you put too many words in?

8. Choose a collaborator who …
• Complements you
• Shares your values, approach and work ethic
• Is strong where you are weak
• Is weak where you are strong
• Is flexible
• Knows how to compromise
• You like – and who likes you!

9. Outline your story
• Establish the overall arc of the plot before
starting
• Establish the personalities and arcs of the
characters – even though they may change
• Know the beginning and end of each chapter
before writing it

10. Divide the work
• Decide who is responsible for what part
• Who will do the research?
• Will you write together, simultaneously,
sequentially or separately?
• Will you divide up the characters?
• Will you write separate chapters?

11. Don't fall in love with your words
• Editing may require cutting – even your
favorite “stuff”
• “Wow” words and phrases may interrupt the
flow
• Your best thoughts may not be right for the
current work

12. Learn to rewrite
• Make changes together
• Negotiate changes
• If there is a dispute over the “best” word or
sentence, learn to scrap both and come up
with another choice
• Edit, edit, edit

13. Get another opinion
• Read aloud to each other so you can hear the
words and the rhythm
• Join a critique group
• Give the work to friends to preview
• Find a good editor and listen!

14. Know when to take a break
• When discussions are at an impasse
• When you are too tired
• When you’re hungry
• When you’re ready to murder
• When your relationship is suffering
• When it’s not fun

15. Share
• Share the responsibility of getting the work
done
• Share the ownership of the project
• Share the fun of discovery
• Share the positive feedback
• Share the high of publishing