Wodke HawkinsonThe Three C’s of Collaboration
A lot of elements go into a successful
co-writing experience. But the following three basic considerations will apply
to almost any type of writing collaboration.
Compatibility
When working with a writing partner,
compatibility is very important, not only between writing styles, but also in
regard to your personalities, work ethic, expectations and goals, and approaches
to conflict resolution.
We are fortunate to have been friends long
before we became co-authors, so a large part of the compatibility question was
already decided. Before starting on our first novel, we did some writing
exercises to determine if we could work well together. We also discussed
expectations and found that we both want to turn out the best possible end
product, regardless of how many revisions it takes. We have similar dedication
to the process of writing and we share a desire to work through any
disagreements. Even though we have known each other for years, there was still
a lot of very necessary discussion on these points.
For writers thinking of collaborating we
would suggest detailed dialogue with your potential partner(s) to clarify the
following issues: How do you each feel about revisions? Can you take criticism?
How many words/pages do you feel should be written per day? How many words
should a finished book contain? How will you resolve disagreements about plots,
characters, sentence structure, etc.? How will you divide the work on each
project?
The more compatible you are on these
points, the smoother your writing partnership will go.
Communication
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This seems like a no-brainer, but it can
surprise you how much different your viewpoint is from your co-author’s. For
instance, when writing our second novel we assumed we had pretty much the same
idea of how a particular house would look. When it came time to write the
scenes, we were surprised to learn we each had wildly differing images in mind.
This experience taught us it’s a good idea to decide as much as possible in
advance of writing the first page. Of course, not everything can be decided
ahead of time because the writing process is a fluid thing and often changes
are made mid-story, but much can be determined at the beginning.
How do we accomplish this? Pictures help.
We find photos on the internet of what our characters look like. We also use
pictures as a starting point for structures. Even animals. These pictures never
make their way into our books; they are for our use only. Diagrams and maps are
useful tools as well. For instance, the Guju bird in our novel Tangerine
is loosely based on a white peacock; and before finishing Betrayed we
knew exactly how Lance’s cabin was laid out because we had already drawn a
diagram.
We also find it beneficial to describe our
characters, just for our own information, well in advance of starting the
story. We need to know what their personalities are, their histories, their
attitudes, their approaches to situations, their habits, their flaws, their
positive qualities.
The bottom line is, never assume you and
your co-writer have the same idea in mind. That said, do we always get all
the bases covered? No, of course not. There are still times when something will
crop up and we’ll be surprised at each other’s perspective. Then at least one
of us has to reconfigure her mental outlook, and often we end up somewhere
between our individual visions.
Compromise
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Ego has no place in writing. Confidence,
yes. Ego, no. If you are so married to your work that you refuse to make
changes, working with a writing partner may not be the right move for you. Keep
in mind that the ultimate goal in your writing is to produce the best possible
end result. If something will make your project better, then it’s worth
considering.
For us, there is a lot of compromise, and
it’s surprisingly easy to do. For instance, one of us wanted a character of
ours to have scars and the other did not like the idea. In a separate story,
one of us wanted a character’s wife to be a baker, but the other didn’t think
it necessary to include her livelihood. A trade ensued. We kept the part about
the baker and eliminated the scars. This was an agreement we could both live
with. Often if one of us has a cherished line of dialogue or other element we
wish to keep in the story, the other will acquiesce. Then the next time around,
the one who previously yielded will prevail. And sometimes you have to admit
the other person’s idea was the best. It’s a balance.
There will be times when no compromise is
acceptable. Our best advice for those times involves three things. Number one;
be ready to make your case for why you want a certain element in the story.
Back it up with good reasons. Number two; be willing to listen as your partner
makes his/her case. Ask questions and sincerely make an effort to see the other’s
point of view. Be willing to give the matter careful consideration. And number
three; know when you need to take a break from each other. It might be just a
several hours or possibly even a couple of days before you can come together
again and resolve the issue.
Methodology
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There are four main steps in our process.
1. Planning. We take an idea and toss it around. Sometimes one of us will have a
clearer vision than the other. In those cases, communication plays a very
important role. Through many hours of discussion, we lay out the gist of the
story, work with outlines, photos for inspiration, maps, and diagrams.
2. One of us begins the book with a
chapter or two. When completed, it is then sent to
the other for editing, revision, and addition of material. We pass it back and
forth. Sometimes we assign certain parts. For instance, if we know a fight
scene and a love scene are both approaching, we assign one scene to each of us.
However, ultimately we both work on all scenes, making our own contributions and
suggesting changes. This step is the actual writing of the book.
3. Editing. When
we have finished a book, each of us will go through the entire thing, make
comments, and send it back to the other. She will then consider the comments,
accept or reject the suggested changes, and read through the entire book to
make her own suggestions for revision. This back-and-forth continues until both
of us feel there is nothing left to add or subtract from the manuscript. This
way, the book is gone through multiple times by each of us until we are satisfied
with the result.
4. Proofreading. It’s important to note that even with multiple proofreading
efforts, errors sneak in. After publishing the book, we each re-read it in its
published form to ferret out any mistakes that slipped past the pre-publication
proofreading stage.
Advantages to co-writing
There are many advantages to the co-writing
experience. For purposes of brevity, we will mention only three.
1. An expanded supply of ideas. Co-writing gives you access to another person’s brain, their
perspective, their entire history of experiences, and their creative ideas.
This can add dimension to the story that had not occurred to you.
2. Two sets of eyes. It is a huge advantage to have two sets of eyes as far as editing
and proofing are concerned. What you miss, hopefully your co-author will catch,
and vice versa.
3. A division of labor. Splitting the workload can be a relief. It can also mean getting
twice as much accomplished or finishing twice as fast.
Author bio and books:
Wodke Hawkinson is the name under which Karen Wodke and P.J. Hawkinson produce their co-authored works. Each has published a
solo work. Together, along with several short story singles, their books
include:
Tangerine - Romance and intrigue in a future where space travel is commonplace and aliens a part of everyday life.
Tangerine - Romance and intrigue in a future where space travel is commonplace and aliens a part of everyday life.
Betrayed
- Brooklyn is taken captive during a botched
carjacking. And so her nightmare begins.
Betrayed - Alternate Ending - Written
especially for readers of Betrayed, this publication begins at chapter 49
of the original novel and takes the story in a completely different direction.
Zeke - A dark novel of sexual obsession and psychological suspense. How
could a man who looks so good be this wicked?
CatchHer in the Rye - Selected Short Stories Vol. One - Thirty-one short tales from various genres.
Blue- Selected Short Stories Vol. Two - Eighteen
short stories, three of which are novelette-sized. A cross-genre reading
experience.
Alone- Selected Short Stories Vol. Three - Eighteen genre-spanning works of
short fiction that include drama, humor, sci-fi, and paranormal.
Karen and P.J. can be located at the following:
Website:
http://wodke-hawkinson.com/
Reader
& Fellow Indie Authors site: http://findagoodbooktoread.com/
Smashwords
author page: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/wodkehawkinson
Barnes
& Noble page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/wodke-hawkinson
Twitter
ID: https://twitter.com/WodkeHawkinson
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/wodke.hawkinson
Thanks for the Co-Authoring Masterclass, Ladies; it has been both instructive and encouraging. My best wishes to you both.
Eric @ www.ericjgates.com
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