Mental Meanderings

For Authors Newsletter - Collaboration

I really enjoyed reading the For Authors Newsletter this week and phil1861's article about collaboration and the involvement of others when it comes to writing. Writing isn't a solitary pursuit and producing a book is not something that can be done alone.

I wanted to share the email feedback this issue provoked me to write.

Fantastic issue this week. Great write phil1861! The book I have currently in second draft stages originated from a title given to me by my best friend and a discussion we had months before I began writing it. To me that was a sense of collaboration, if not for his role in my life, his input and his encouragement the book would never have been written. I've also dedicated the book to him as my way of acknowledging the role he had in its creation.

I think in books at least we can come to understand how important the roles of other people can be in the creation of a book. The dedication and acknowledgement sections most particularly tend to be flooded with the names of a great many people from agents to partners, friends, colleges, special editors, reviewers, artists, and of course the publishers. The reference section at the back of books also shows collaboration between the author and other writers through reference materials.

Even the writing process cannot be done alone. Sitting at the keyboard or pen and paper is a solo task but in between those hours of solitary writing is the creative process of rumination which is often done surrounded by and involving other people. Everyone we come into contact with throughout our lives becomes involved in our writing to some degree. We also have the opportunity to research and discuss with the aid of others. I can't imagine any book being written without some sort of collaboration. If anything it begins with our parents and teachers who showed us how to write in the first place back when we were five or six.

The book I'm currently writing began as collaboration in the truer sense of the word. A friend of mine and I originally planned to write it together as a sort of his and hers alternating POV chapters. We worked a few weeks and had spent hours and pages designing the book, picturing it, fleshing it out, bringing the characters to life, developing plot and structure, imagining the actors we were going to choose to star in it when it got produced into a movie, realizing that these characters had potential for sequels. lol A few days into the writing process it looked like it was about to fall through because he no longer wanted to write. After talking however he encouraged me to go ahead with it. So now it’s a solo effort but again, one that would never have come about and could not be completed without the vital ground work laid as a team in the early days.

I think as a writer we will all experience various degrees of collaboration but it is important to remember that no book is ever completed without others. Human kind has a need for connection and we read for that sense of connection. If humans aren't involved in the process the detachment will glare through the pages.

Thank you for a fantastic issue this week. I really enjoyed reading and you've certainly fueled my thought process. I think perhaps part of the reason I'm struggling at the moment is because I'm not reaching out enough. It is time to remember that I don't have to do this alone.

"For Authors Newsletter (March 21, 2007)" 
Thanks for the linking hint Elisa: Snowman Stik