We realized pretty early on that we wanted to write together, but it took us almost ten years and lots of failed attempts to finally figure out how to do it. And even then, the process has not been exactly the same for any of our (so far) three books and one short story. Buy us a drink at a con, and we'll tell you about that short story!
One of the key things we realized about writing together was that we couldn't do it. It was the most agonizing experience to hang over Melissa's shoulder while she got to type at the computer (a snazzy Kaypro!), and I know she found it as miserable to hang over my shoulder while I worked away at my Commodore 64! We figured out we worked best when we worked in separate rooms, except for the brainstorming parts. And in what became The Armor of Light, we had an idea and characters neither wanted to give up, or give up on, so the only way for the idea and the characters to see the light of day was to learn how to collaborate.
But here are some tricks we discovered. We hesitate to call them rules, because there will always be times when breaking them is the way to go.
#1. No hanging over the other person's shoulder while she's writing. Get into your own office or onto your own computer and do your own damn writing!
What made this work was a very, very detailed outline for Armor that we were able to take and divvy up. We would then hand scenes off to each other, and I might work on characterization, or Melissa would do some of the scene-setting that I'm not great at -- I get impatient to get onto the hearts and guts of the matter!
#2. If you're really in disagreement about something to do with the book, go out to dinner. Seriously. And it has to be some place with waiters or waitresses. You have to be polite in front of waitstaff, if only out of courtesy for the waiter who's just trying to do his/her job. That way you can keep the conversation focused on what the writing problem is and it doesn't degenerate into who didn't clean the cats' boxes last, or whom the dog loves better.
#3. Recognize your own strengths. Recognize your collaborator's strengths. Play to those strengths. Sounds simple, but it's something you should always keep in mind. Of course, when we get into the grey areas, it gets interesting. There were a couple of problems with the short story we did -- one was to do with character, one was to do with style. I won the character debate, and I realized Melissa was right about the style the story required. Style isn't something we talk about a lot; with Armor, the style was dictated by the story we were telling. Similarly with the Points novels; they're fantasy novels, but they also need to be decent mysteries, so that set of criteria creates its own necessity. But with the short story, we were faced with a stylistic decision, and that conversation was a doozy. Lots of dinners out.
#4. Do we really have to mention to keep all criticism constructive, and not of the "that sucks" variety? No, we didn't think so.
If you're interested in collaboration in fiction, we highly recommend Marriage of Minds: Collaborative Fiction Writing by Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick, published by Heinemann, and not just because we're quoted in it. Drawing extensively from interviews and from the authors' own experiences as May McGoldrick, Marriage of Minds discusses the practical as well as the creative aspects of writing with another person. They take you from finding a collaborator - something most of us never think about until we're in it! - up to the legal details of signing a joint contract.
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