Collaborative Writing -- How Does It Work?

[FalTorPan]

I'm in the middle of writing a skeleton of what is to be a collaboratively written paper for one of my MBA courses. The paper, numbering about 1500 words, is to be written by six students. While writing this, my wandered, and I began to wonder how professional authors write books or articles collaboratively.

Examples in Trek include writing teams Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore, as well as Judith and Garfield Reeves Stevens. The Robotech novelizations that I loved as a kid were by James Luceno and Brian Daley, under the collective pseudonym Jack McKinney.

So... how does a group of writers author a single work? Is it a struggle to keep the work focused? Is it tough to give the work a single voice, or is it a concern at all? Do the writers agree on mutual deadlines? How is the work proofread? Whose name goes first in the credits?

 

[Stevil2001]

When Michael Schuster and I collaborate, I have to admit that one of my concerns is a disparity in style between the sections we write. People who know us and know our individual writing can usually peg who wrote what pretty easily. We try to overcome this by pretty vigorously editing what the other writes, bringing it together to a common middle. I hope.

We tend to do a deadline for ourselves some time before the project is due, but we also send each other what we have as we go so that nothing catches us unawares and we can build off and work with things brought up in the writing process. We usually miss our self-imposed deadlines, of course.

So far we've alternated whose name goes first in the credits. Mine got to go first the first time out because I wrote the outline, and so I put my name first.

 

[Christopher]

The Robotech novelizations that I loved as a kid were by James Luceno and Brian Daley, under the collective pseudonym Jack McKinney.

I didn't know that was a pseudonym. Daley, of course, was the guy who wrote the early Han Solo novel trilogy and the radio adaptations of the first couple of Star Wars movies.

 

[shanejayell]

Neat, another Robotech fan!

 

[donners22]

1500 words? Damn, I couldn't write much more than an introduction in that, let alone have five other people writing bits of it.

There were a few ad hoc collaborations in Trek literature as well, involving Peter David, Carmen Carter and a few others I don't recall.

 

[FalTorPan]

1500 words? Damn, I couldn't write much more than an introduction in that, let alone have five other people writing bits of it.

I know the feeling. I wrote about 400 words in one sitting, and I think I barely scratched the surface of what needs to be in the paper.

 

[JoeZhang]

1500 words? Damn, I couldn't write much more than an introduction in that, let alone have five other people writing bits of it.

I know the feeling. I wrote about 400 words in one sitting, and I think I barely scratched the surface of what needs to be in the paper.

but if he has you in groups of six, an academic can mark a whole class in 30 minutes and get back to the (to his career) important stuff of research.

 

[PaulSimpson]

The non-fiction books I wrote with Andy Lane we divided the contents down the middle, taking sections we were interested in and/or had more knowledge of, wrote our respective sections, then cross-edited... to the extent that on stuff like The Bond Files, neither of us can now tell who wrote which bit.
A script which I co-wrote many years back with another author, we brainstormed the plot in some detail between us, and then I took some characters' scenes, and my co-writer took the other... then cross-editing.

Paul

 

[Snaploud]

1500 words divided among 6 six students...Hmmmmm....

Expect a follow-up paper on the writing process (communication, division of labor, etc.). It might not happen, but I give it at least a 20% chance (without even knowing what type of MBA course you're taking).

 

[Rosalind]

using SVN.

 

[FalTorPan]

1500 words divided among 6 six students...Hmmmmm....

Expect a follow-up paper on the writing process (communication, division of labor, etc.). It might not happen, but I give it at least a 20% chance (without even knowing what type of MBA course you're taking).

Of course, this is a school project, so of six people, only two or three at most will actually do anything worthy of mention.

 

[Greg Cox]

Every collaboration is different:

On THE PIRATE PARADOX (a YA time-travel novel I wrote years ago), Nick Baron and I alternated chapters. NOT a good idea, because we had to hand off the plot to each other every ten pages or so, which got to be a pain. (Especially since we lived in different states.)

On DEVIL IN THE SKY, we deliberately divided the plot and characters so we wouldn't have to keep consulting each other. Basically, I wrote all the stuff on the station and John Betancourt wrote the away team mission. Then we got together to write the ending when the two separate plotlines converged.

DRAGON'S HONOR started out as a solo novel by Kij Johnson, who came up with the plot and characters herself. She wrote most of the first draft before a cross-country move and a new job got in the way of her deadlines. I helped out with the second draft as a favor to a friend, but I still think of it as Kij's book.

So, yeah, it varies depending on the circumstances. My best advice is to set things up so that, as much as possible, you can work independently of each other until the very end.

 

[Andy Mangels]

Between comics, magazine articles, Atlas Editions "Star Trek Universe" cards, three Roswell novels, and about a dozen Trek book or short stories, Mike Martin and I co-wrote a lot together during our partnership.

We would plot the story out together, then one of us would work up an outline, which both of us would then revise before sending in. Once the outline was approved, we'd divide it up into chapters, and then choose which chapters we wanted to write. Then, we'd write our chapters, secure in knowing where they began and ended (due to the outline). When done writing a chapter, we'd turn it over to the other person for editing or notes, then revise. A final polish before turning in, and the project was off to the editors...

I'm now ghostwriting over somebody else's book (non Trek), so doing substantial rewrites. I'm grateful I had the collaborative experience to draw from.

So, with six people doing 1500 words, split the topic up so each person has their 270 word section...

 

[Man of Steel]

Between comics, magazine articles, Atlas Editions "Star Trek Universe" cards, three Roswell novels, and about a dozen Trek book or short stories, Mike Martin and I co-wrote a lot together during our partnership.

We would plot the story out together, then one of us would work up an outline, which both of us would then revise before sending in. Once the outline was approved, we'd divide it up into chapters, and then choose which chapters we wanted to write. Then, we'd write our chapters, secure in knowing where they began and ended (due to the outline). When done writing a chapter, we'd turn it over to the other person for editing or notes, then revise. A final polish before turning in, and the project was off to the editors...

I'm now ghostwriting over somebody else's book (non Trek), so doing substantial rewrites. I'm grateful I had the collaborative experience to draw from.

So, with six people doing 1500 words, split the topic up so each person has their 270 word section...

Andy,

Why did you and Mike end your partnership?

 

[JAG]

That is one of those questions that should not be asked. If they wanted anyone to know, we probably would already.

 

[SicOne]

Object, Your Honor, leading the witness. He did not yet specify that the partnership was indeed over.