I write my novels with a partner – three with my husband and now two with a friend I have known for over 20 years. So it’s not surprising that the question most asked at my book signings is “how do you manage to write with someone else?”

First, let me say why I like to collaborate. The process of writing is intrinsically a lonely one. You have to sit down in front of a completely blank page (or computer screen) and conjure up characters who will, if you do your job right, come alive as if you’d literally given birth to them. The plot lines you create for these characters must be both imaginative and believable. That’s really hard. Being able to bounce ideas off a writing buddy is, for me, a way to expand my creativity – especially when I hit a blank wall on a plot point or some issue related to a character’s personality. It’s also a wonderful motivator. There is something about knowing you have to get words down on the page because your partner is waiting that’s a great kick in the pants. And best of all, when you are lucky enough to have your novel published and your publicist books you for speaking engagements on TV or radio appearances, there is someone to lean on should you find yourself tied up with butterflies just before going on.

Okay, so once you decide to develop a partnership, how does it work?

I have heard a few writers who collaborate liken a writing partnership to a marriage. And now that I have written with both my husband and a woman friend, I can say that that’s not a bad analogy, except for one thing – since my real life marriage of 38 years is, I believe. uniquely compatible, there were far fewer preliminary matters to deal with as there were with someone I didn’t know nearly as well. Joel (my husband) and I have practiced medicine together, written nonfiction medical articles and books together, gone to business school together and run a consulting business together. We’ve had plenty of experience working out division of labor issues, so we very naturally fell into what have become our specific roles as novelists (for example, he’s a better editor, I’m better at writing the first draft, he’s good at the story’s overview, I enjoy managing all the little details as the plot unfolds). I will admit that the first book was the hardest – we had only been married 12 years! There was some push and pull as to whose version of a scene was best. However, once we had that first book sold, we learned that the publisher’s editor takes her red pen to your prose anyway and often scenes we’d agreed on between ourselves required yet another rewrite anyway. Now the process is much smoother.

Because it’s been so easy with my husband, I assumed it would be equally easy with any writing partner. Not true. Although Linda and I had been colleagues and friends, it really isn’t the same as living with someone on a day-to-day basis for many years. Not only that, we were trying to write together long distance- Linda lives in LA, I live in Florida. The time difference as well as the miles between us added additional stress. Friendship is a good way to begin a writing partnership. but if you’re not careful, it can end it too. So here are a few things we wish we had discussed before we started our first book and which, I think in hindsight, would have avoided the various difficulties we encountered along the way.

It’s probably a good idea to have a written document with agreed upon items stipulated formally.  Think of it as the equivalent of a prenup – hopefully the relationship won’t break up, but if it does, you’ve clarified “who gets what” so that it doesn’t have to be acrimonious.

1. How will you share the money you make from the book? I recommend 50/50 unless it’s clear from the start that this isn’t an equal partnership. I am assuming that your novel’s copyright will be in both names.
2. How will you share any expenses that arise while you are writing (for example: new software for writing, web making, video, etc)?
3. How will you share marketing expenses above and beyond what your publisher may pay once the book is sold? These days except perhaps for the very top sellers, publishers expect authors to take on more of the marketing costs themselves
4. Who will have the final word on contract negotiations? This can be very tricky because you both want to sell your novel, but one of you may be more willing than the other to hold out for a better offer or want to negotiate better terms such as keeping certain ancillary rights. If you don’t agree to present a united front, it puts you both in a weaker bargaining position.
5. Agree that you will meet deadlines. That means finishing your assigned chapter or completing rewrites or edits when you say you will. This is a place where lots of partnerships go awry. And that’s why #6 and #7 are so critical
6. Agree that you will let your partner know if personal life issues are keeping you from meeting your obligations.
7. Agree to talk about problems. Here’s where the marriage analogy comes in. My husband and I agreed from day one that we would talk through our disagreements and that we would never go to bed angry. A writing partnership should have a similar agreement, That way you don’t let upsets simmer, so that you start resenting each other.

Finally:

1. Don’t forsake your friendship for your work relationship. Because Linda and I both had full time job and family responsibilities, we tended to communicate in work mode only, trying to get tasks related to our writing done in between the rest of our lives. Frankly it took my husband’s pointing this out to make me realize that we’d stopped talking about anything else. Now we try to make time to catch up on mutual friends and other non-writing related topics. It’s really helped to strengthen our friendship and our writing partnership. We ‘re now ready to start working on novel #3 in our new Sammy Greene thriller series.

BIO: Deborah Shlian is a physician, healthcare consultant and recruiter, as well as author of nonfiction and fiction (medical mystery thrillers). Novels co-written with her husband are: Double Illusion, Wednesday’s Child and Rabbit in the Moon. Rabbit in the Moon won this year’s Gold Medal for the Florida Book Award, the Silver Medal for ForeWord Magazine’s Mystery Book of the Year, an Indie Excellence Award and was named a National Best Books Award Finalist by USA Book News. Check all the Shlians’ writing on their website at hpttp://www.shlian.com

Novels co-written with Deborah’s friend and colleague, Linda Reid are: Dead Air which is the first in the new Sammy Greene thriller series to be released in December in hardback and eBook format and Devil Wind which is the second in the Sammy Greene series and will be released in early 2011. Check out their writing on the new website: http://www.sammygreene.com

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photo credit: bk . ninja

Stephen King notes in his book “On Writing” that a good revision will cut 10% of a novel.  10%?  WOW!  I was floored until I realized that after my revisions on Haunting Anne my word-count went from 90,000 to 80,000.  So, in my case, he was right.

But what happens to all those words we cut?  All those unnecessary chapters?  What happens to our “little darlings”… you know, the ones we killed?  We lose characters, paragraphs, scenes.  Is it wasted?  Was it garbage all along?

NO!   It is treasure!  Well, at least some of it is.  As authors we have to learn from the environmentalists:  Recycle! Reuse! Save the goodies for your next novel!

When I began to plot out the prequel to my novel I realized I already had three chapters, two fully developed characters and almost 15K words to kick start the writing.  Glorious! Treasure found.

How about you?  Have you ever cut something while editing that you used (or are thinking of using) somewhere else?

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Ready for the next critique? This is a big one!

Please submit your Query Letter plus the first 500 words of said manuscript to ifyougiveagirl@gmail.com. For those of you who aren’t quite ready to query, feel free to just submit the 500 words and vice versa.

Entries will be accepted until midnight Friday July 31st and posted Sunday August 2nd.

For help with your Query Letter, I advise you to refer to Elana Johnson’s posts here. There are five in the series.

So get cracking, and polish those entries!

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photo credit: h.koppdelaney

So here is what I now beleive are the most important things to have when we attempt a career in the writing industry.

1.  Patience:  Patience with the writing process.  Patience with the revising process.  Patience with the query process. Patience with the submissions process.  Patience with the submissions process after we get an agent, because it starts all over again.

2. Professionalism:  Professionalism in our query letter.  Professionalism in dealing with rejections. Professionalism when dealing with multiple submissions. Professionalism when speaking to agents and/or editors on the phone. Professionalism when critiquing the work of our colleagues.

3. Persistence:  Press on!  Keep writing.  Keep making it better.  Keep up the query.  Keep up the WIP to query if the first four novels fail to get attention.  Persist in the love of the void that you fill when you write the words that have never been strung together the way you are stringing them.  Persist inside the dream.

What about you?  What are you own personal p’s (or c’s or s’s or whatever you need to get by?)

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As much as I love being a writer, there are times when the realization that I have taken on too much work suddenly hits me and I’m faced with several looming deadlines!
Nothing stilts the creative process more than anxiety and no writer likes to miss an important deadline as it appears unprofessional. Of course panicking inwardly is not the answer to solving the deadline crisis and in fact, it only adds ever increasing pressure to the situation. Mounting stress can cause writers block in abundance so the best way that I have found is to try and still the mind, eradicate those deadline concerns and open myself up to new potential answers.

One of the best proven methods to help stem the rising pressure on a personal level is yogic breathing exercises, used correctly, they can help to calm the nerves, still the mind and alleviate any stress headaches too.

I have also used affirmations to give my flagging confidence a boost when I am running out of time. Simple affirmations such as ‘I will complete this project on time and I will do it well’ can endorse inner confidence and focus the brain. If it sounds a bit far fetched, try it, I assure you it works, but you do need to say it regularly and with some conviction.

Simple meditation and visualization techniques also have great benefits and if used either last thing at night or first thing in the morning, can help ease the pressure and allow me to remain calm. Using essential oils are another benefit as they can either relax or increase mental alertness depending on the individual’s need at the time.

I’m sure other writers have their own tried and tested methods of beating deadlines but perhaps the best one of all would be to carefully select the projects which inspire you the most and have a carefully mapped out agenda to follow which will enable you to complete on time.

Annette Young is editor of www.creative-competitor.co.uk an inspirational writing resource for writers of all levels with a free weekly newsletter with author interviews, competitions, articles and festival news etc.
As a freelance writer, she specializes in writing articles and e-books for the complimentary health markets drawing on her qualifications as stress management, relaxation and addiction therapist.
Her blogs include: www.annette-young.com and www.write-fiction.com

–
Annette Young
Freelance Writer/Editor

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I’m interested in doing another critique soon and would like suggestions for what that should entail. I’m up for anything, really. Do you need help with a certain type of scene? Want us to check your opening? Just comment on the type of critique you’d be interested in participating in, and we’ll get one going in the next few weeks!

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