5 Pros to Co-Writing a Story

I'm sure y'all know by now that Sarah Rodecker and I are co-writing a book together. And it's SO COOL.

Co-writing may not be for everyone, and it does take a slightly different mind-set then writing all by ourselves. But it can be really enjoyable and rewarding and exciting.

The Writer's Dream of a Story Magically Appearing in the Document

This is one of my favorite "pros" to co-writing. We are working on our story via google docs, and there is nothing so exciting as opening the doc on my phone and seeing that Sarah is currently writing her chapter.

And then I just sit there and read along as my story is being written. Like, it's so awesome y'all. The story is getting written and I get to read along as it's just poured out on the page and ahhhhhh so much fun.

Even if I don't get to sit and watch Sarah type in real-time, when I finally do get to the doc, there is a brand new chapter waiting for me to read it. :)

The Sounding Board

Probably the biggest bonus of co-writing is that you have a partner to work out the plot and characters and themes and scenes with. We all know that two heads are better than one, and Sarah and I build off each other.

Me: Wait, what if we did this?
Sarah: Awesome, that would build on this character and their arc, and maybe we can hint at this thing as well.
Me: Ohhh and we can mention that secret while we're at it.
Sarah: And bring this character into the scene to make things interesting.
Me: And build a catapult!
Sarah: Nope, no catapults.
Me: :(

So it works both ways. We feed off each other's ideas to expand the story...and also keep each other from going too far in the craziness.

High Accountability

We have a pretty solid system set up. For writing the first draft, Sarah writes her chapter in the morning, and I write mine in the evening (unless I'm able to get to it earlier, thanks to being in QT).

If Sarah doesn't finish her chapter, I can't write mine. If I can't get mine done, Sarah can't write hers. (We are gracious, however, if someone is unable to finish because of life events and whatnot.)

While we are editing, we assign tasks/chapters/scenes/etc to each other, and make sure the other person is getting those things done.

Shared Knowledge

While working on a WIP, I often keep the details to myself, even when discussing the story with friends/family. Mostly to keep spoilers, ya know? But even when I do share stuff about the story, I don't tell them everything. That big twist...the shocking reveal...the tragic backstory...those I don't share. I want them enjoy the surprises, after all.

But having a co-writer means I finally have someone to share that with. It's so much fun to talk about how "the readers are going to cry when..." and "I can't wait for people to read about..." and "ahhhhhhh THIS STORY!!!!"

Weaknesses and Strengths

Sarah and I have different writing styles. We have different editing styles. Different things we notice, different things we catch. Where I might fall flat on delivering in a story, Sarah can pick up and make better, and vice versa. Something Sarah might miss will catch my eye, and so on.

This month I'm going to be talking about the joys and hardships of co-writing! Hope you enjoy the little mini-series!