Good Morning from sunny South Carolina. Lynette Eason is here and it's finally stopped
raining!
So as I sit and look out over my back yard, I’m thinking about a new
project. Of course I have a book due March 1, but that doesn’t stop my little
brain from spinning with new ideas and excitement over this particular new project.
What am I working on?
So glad you asked!
Here’s the latest: Co-authoring a novel.
Recently another published author and I have started working
on a little project. It’s sort of
an experiment for both of us. Neither one of us has ever done this before so we’re
kind of learning as we go.
We’ve decided to co-write a story together. (Is that
redundant? Using co-write and together in the same sentence?? Sorry, no time to look that up.) Anyway, we’re working on
a story that we hope will turn into a series, but our goal is to work on the
first story and see how it goes. So far, we’ve come up with character sketches,
our character’s goals, motivations and some conflict and some plot elements. I find myself thinking
about that story quite a bit. It’s my fun story, my stress reliever when I need
to take my focus off the contracted one I’m currently working on. Without a
contract on the fun story, there’s no pressure and no deadlines, except maybe
self-imposed ones.
Some things/tips I’ve figured out just in this beginning stage of the whole co-author thing are:
1.
Respect each other’s talent and time.
2.
Co-writing is cool because you can bounce ideas
off each other. One idea fuels another and soon you have some really great
material to work with.
3.
Co-writing, brainstorming, sharing your work
with another person/author is a pretty intimate thing. It builds a friendship,
a trust that can be hard to find with just anyone. Be careful not to do
anything to destroy that trust or friendship, it would be hard to get back!
(No, I’ve not personally had this happen, but I sure can imagine!)
4.
Everyone who writes has their own voice, but
with co-writing, the voices can blend to make a unique voice that tells a page-turner
of a story.
5.
Realize that the story is the work of BOTH of
you. Be open to suggested changes. Your partner, too, wants the best story the
two of you can create!
As of today, I’ve finished the first scene of the story. I’m
excited to hear what my co-author thinks about it. I look forward to her ideas
on how to make the scene better. And I’m rubbing my hands in anticipation of
the scene she will soon write.
Stay tuned as this new adventure in co-authoring progresses.
I’ll keep you updated!
I think you two will write a totally awesome book together. Look forward to reading the updates. ;)
ReplyDeleteSo interesting, Lynette. I've never co-written a book, but it's certainly something that could happen down the road.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jen and Jill for stopping by. :) Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteThe Ravensmoore series sounds like my type of books, and I'd love to have the trilogy! I'm getting pickier about which novels I read, and these books are an exact fit for me from what I can tell. I love historicals. I don't know if I could co-author a novel, but I've done some ghost writing. I imagine co-authoring would be an interesting and growth experience for any writer. I've thought about the Thoenes and imagined how they bounce things back and forth between them as their plot progresses.
ReplyDelete