The document discusses the dynamics of collaborative writing, highlighting the advantages of diverse ideas and perspectives alongside potential disadvantages like incompatible styles and unequal workloads. It emphasizes the importance of understanding personal writing styles, choosing complementary collaborators, outlining the story, dividing tasks, and maintaining open communication throughout the process. Additionally, it advises on the need for editing, seeking feedback, taking breaks, and sharing responsibilities in order to enhance the collaborative experience and achieve a successful outcome.

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