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.