Writing Partnerships - Creating Together

Writing Partnerships
            Creating Together

“Actually, none of us on this planet ever really choose each other.  It’s all quantum physics and molecular attraction.  There are laws we don’t understand that bring us together and break us apart.”
              - Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) Bull Durham

If the thought of exploring writing partnerships has ever crossed your mind you may have  chosen one of two paths, outright dismissed it because, after all, writing is a solitary business, or figured you could never find the right partner.  Though there are certain things that necessarily stem from good writing partnerships much of the alchemy of creativity comes from transforming the raw substance of each partner.  The outcome is as unique as the two writers themselves. 

Some of the reasons people work together is it’s just more fun.  It’s not that either of you couldn't create the project on your own but it’s not nearly as exciting as brainstorming, laughing and creating together.  Those who have written together, and the list is longer than you might think, swear they’d never go back.  For one thing, it’s just not as motivating writing alone day after day.  Although you can both hit lows at the same point, somehow partners manage to pull each other through.  One of the other key benefits to working together usually results in work that is more well-rounded.  Inevitably each partner brings different strengths to the table.  One may have more gut-splitting humor, the other an incredible way of turning intimate scenes into smoking-hot eroticism.  One will have a knack for weaving complex subplots the other for pacing and momentum.  Collaboration makes it possible to turn out work that is better than either alone could create.  It’s the key to incredibly creative output, and as readers, movie-goers and TV-watchers, we are all better off because of it.

Although writers often enjoy writing alone the synergy that occurs in a writing partnership cannot be duplicated.  The plots and characters are more robust, the scenes more alive.  And lest you think all writing partnerships are about both people writing consider that some writing partnerships are most fruitful by collaborating on story arc or character development.  Others, when stuck or struggling can be the think tank needed to stir new juice into the mix.  Brainstorming, working out scenarios and crafting pitch perfect endings are other ways writing partnerships can enhance your writing process.  So the next time you feel stuck or your creative streak has gone bone dry, invite someone your respect, whose mind inspires you, to spend twenty or thirty minutes in collaboration.  You’ll be amazed how quickly the compounded benefits of two minds working together will have you over your struggle and off and running again.

Writing Partnerships - The Alchemy of Creativity

Writing Partnerships
The Alchemy of Creativity

“I always collaborated with somebody, because if you think that I am speaking lousy English now, you should have heard it then.”
- from Conversations with Wilder


Like any artist, most authors have come to accept that our craft is a solo activity.  Yet as writers we have the unique ability to challenge that notion by introducing partnership into the creative process.  Writing partnerships offer a unique opportunity to enter the creative unknown.  Writing partnerships bring both the normal challenges of story, structure and character and the added challenges of process, communication and personal relationship together.  In working out the first set of challenges with a writing partner, we usually encounter the other.

The emotional impact of working with a writing partner can range from disagreement and annoyance to an almost magical sense of joy and aliveness.  The important thing to remember is that most emotions, positive or negative, can be channeled into the creative process.  Here are some guidelines that may help with the transformation of emotion to creative output.

1. We must give the other time.  The process of working with a writing partner is different than writing alone.  Like any partnership we are affected by each other.  Sometimes the interplay of writing, back and forth, taps a genuine place of mystical connectedness, of love and magic but the spoken dialogue brings it crashing down, breaking that spell.  Learning these dynamics within the writing relationship requires time to integrate and negotiate the process with each other.
2. Remain conscious of the relationship dynamics and how they affect you.  Spend time processing both your work and your reaction to the relationship interaction, and then negotiate your path.
3. Be open to change.  The partnership will change you.  The project will be the result of your willingness to grow as a person and as a writer.
4. Growth means change.  Change can be painful.  Take the time you need to learn about yourself, commit to personal growth.  A writer’s depth of self fuels story.
5. Incorporate what you learn into your writing and your story as you go.  This is a creative process and one fuels the other.  Incorporating the organic byproduct of your relationship fuels your growth as a writer and the growth of the story.
6. Some of the most creative writers work in teams.  Think Boswell and Johnson Bronte, Wordsworth and Coleridge, Rowan and Martin, ok, well maybe not.  But think of television writing teams like Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert of Nickelodeon or the staff teams of classics like Mary Tyler Moore, Saturday Night Live, or The Simpsons.  In reality we all work in teams even when we work alone.  The wild, crazy, raw and creative material comes from one part of our minds while the more practical, disciplined, editing portion somewhere else.  Their interplay must be navigated and combined for maximum, creative output.  Given the diversity of ideas and interaction, writing with an outside partner multiplies the creative input.  

So the next time you’re struck by a creative idea, impulse or project look around and consider the possibility of a collaborative writing partnership.  Even if it is a simple piece or short essay, try it on.  Try it out.  It’s one of the best ways to get your creative juices flowing again and turn lead into gold.