Collaborative Writing, part 3 of ????

And now for our next installment on Plotting with a Partner. Just a reminder, I’m only sharing what Alyssa and I have found works for us. There are as many ways of writing with a partner as there are authors who write.

And we did not figure all this out at once. It took several attempts at co-writing before we developed a method that clicked with both of us and yielded results we were satisfied with. (okay, more than satisfied!)

Before I go any further, let me begin highlighting our strengths as individual writers. Alyssa is a whiz at telling a story. She can take our phone-plotted scene outline and turn it into a beautifully creative, cohesive story with very little deviation or sidetracks from what we discussed. She does this, adding in her own unique touches (such as a grandmother who bans TV and confiscates televisions*) and inventing all of the dialogue, and the detailed personalities of our characters. She brings them to life. She tells their story, scene by scene, just as we planned.

She writes, she reads over her work, does a bit of polishing…she finishes the story.

Then she sends it to me — and heh, heh, heh…I get to do my thing. Such as add a Jacuzzi in the middle of the living room* (hey, with no TV, it needed to be good for something!).

*Examples from Bottoms Up Book I, Restrain Me

What are my strengths as a writer? Just what do I bring to this collaborative partnership? After a brief intermission and a couple other posts, I’ll be back to explain, so stay tuned.

Currently Reading: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Tags: Alyssa, story planning, writing