There he is, the stereotypical fiction writer: alone in a café, on his cabin porch, or sequestered in his office. He is introverted and oblivious to events moving about him as he hunches over his keyboard, hammering out his latest and greatest. His coffee grows cold as he works late into the night, devoid of companionship. This, however, is the Hollywood trope, as opposed to the reality I’ve come to experience in the writing community. Yes, there are late nights when I have bursts of inspiration and need to squeeze out everything I can before the feeling fades, but in my own experience writing has been a much more social experience. This is doubly true as an independent author who primarily markets and communicates through social media.

One of the aspects of the industry that I’ve come to enjoy greatly is collaborative writing and co-authoring, which can be a very different experience than writing on your own. Based on my experiences, I’ve decided to share some insights and recommendations that should help those of you looking to dabble in this form of creative expression. Collaborative writing isn’t for everyone, but for many it can be an expansive experience. Moreover, it offers a chance for someone who is on the fence about writing to give it a shot without the full pressure of having to develop an entire novel on their own. Overall, it offers a unique approach to authorship and can be extremely rewarding, especially if a few basic guidelines are kept in mind.

The first thing to point out is that just as independent writing isn’t some freewheeling, do as you please career, collaborative writing requires even more focus in order to be productive. In most cases you’ll want to do your joint writing sessions in person, where you and your partner can easily bounce ideas off one another and express your thoughts more clearly. This also requires the two of you to be able to work on a set schedule and be willing to remain on task. I’m not saying you shouldn’t spend half an hour exchanging hilarious YouTube videos, but realize that doesn’t count towards your writing time. Make sure you set the stage, declaring formally that you’re getting down to business, and then keep to it.

Granted, shifting gears into work mode can be a challenge, and so it’s important to set agreed upon goals. It can also be very helpful to find a muse of sorts, a video or song that triggers the start of work time, preferably something related to the content you’ll be writing. For example, my co-author and I are working on our Whisky & Rye detective series and start each session by firing up the music video to “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys. It perfectly encapsulates the mood we’re aiming for, and gets us excited to write in our universe. Regarding mutual goals, this should both be in regards to production (a chapter a session/1,000 words/etc.) and to the work itself (it’s a hard-boiled cop drama in the heads of the main characters, but it becomes comedic as they can’t let go of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s while working the streets in 2015). Revisit these goals and revise them as needed. There’s nothing that says your story has to remain static; things often naturally evolve, especially with two authors giving input.

While I do emphasize the importance of staying on task, I don’t advocate grinding away in the hopes of meeting some arbitrary goal. It’s good to stay relaxed and let ideas come and go. Above all, don’t get locked into a situation where you’re not producing content, you’re just writing words. As with any job, it’s important to take breaks and to relax. If you and your co-author have a shared hobby, you can take time to enjoy that together. I find that whisky helps greatly in this regard, so if anyone would like to ship me a bottle of Lagavulin 16, I’ll be sure it’s put to good use. You’ll often find that it’s during your breaks that you relax and suddenly have a new idea for the plot come crashing in, or a new character emerges from your casual discussion. Breaks can be far more productive than time spent working.

When it comes to the actual task of actual workflow, I’ve found it’s generally a best practice to have the same person manning the keyboard or pen for a given story. This helps maintain continuity of style and keeps things moving forward instead of wasting time determining who will be the one putting text on a page. My coauthor uses his tablet to follow along as I type in Google Drive, allowing us to work in conjunction and make notations or corrections as necessary. It’s also a good idea to have good old-fashioned pen and paper sitting about. This lets you jot down quick ideas that you won’t be touching until later, or else capture an idea, sentiment, or quotation that you don’t have time to notate digitally. By using these methods, you should be able to maintain a good work environment that fosters creative thinking and open dialogue, letting both authors contribute equally to the work.

Outside of that, it’s up to you all to make the best of it. Enjoy the time spent together and the laughs you’ll share, then sit back and admire your work. Even if it never sees the light of day or sells a single copy, you shared part of your life with someone in order to create, and that is a sentiment that is not often appreciated.

A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Find me on Smashwords and Kindlemojo.

Let me start this topic off by relating a shot story that will nicely frame my opinion when it comes to editing.

It was during the prodution of my first book and I found myself on my third round of edits and roughly 2/3 of the way through the text. In a bout of frustration, I messaged a friend of mine a question, "I enjoy writing so much, why do I hate editing?"

It should be noted that this particular friend is a mechanical engineer, and some of his best deadpan punchlines come from his stark observations. I don't know if he does it on purpose, but it works. His relpy was simple and effective: "Because you're a writer, not an editor."

A good bout of laughter later and I was reinvigorated, pushing again to finish my novel so that I could finally publish it. It wasn't until much later that I thought of the simplicity of my friend's statement and just what it means for a writer, especiallly one that is independent.

I think that a lot of new authors see self-publishing and suddenly believe all their troubles are over, that they now can share their amazing story with the world and accolades and money will shower down upon them. Let me kick that theory square in the jaw with a little stark reality (it's called 'tough love').

What I learned from my editing experience is that an independent author has to wear many, many hats. It's not at all about laying down some prose and sticking it on the web, though many people do this and dilute the purity of the art. Being an independent author means exactly what it says: doing everything on your own. That's the core of independence, and for many people that's not the best ticket.

The truth is that when you're an indie author you're more than an author, you're an editor, a proof reader, a cover designer, a book promotor, and so much more. Hell, you're even public relations and technical support! Don't laugh, I had to teach people how to download my novel at my launch party. Thanks, Amazon!

If you're thinking of dipping your toes into the writing game or, God forbid, you've already started down that dark path, you need to ask yourself a very important question: am I independent or interdependent? There's no wrong answer, so long as you hold true to the ancient Greek aphorism "know thyself."

There are pros and cons to each side, so I'll do my best to lay down an executive summary of each, using editing as context. Everyone has different approaches to writing, so find what works best with you and apply it. That being said, don't be afraid to change if things aren't working out the way you believe.

In examining editing your own work, there is a benefit to knowing the content and having a singular vision. If you have a clear picture in your mind of the feel and flow of your book, having more chefs with their hands in the pot is only going to complicate things. Also, if you're a strong writer with the dedication to improve your craft, you will find this method very rewarding. When I did the rewrites for "Jupiter Symphony" and now "Unto Persephone," I was looking back at an earlier version of my writing and able to identify patterns and faults, something that might not have been revealed to me had I allowed someone else to tackle editing duties. If you're handling your own edits the right way, you'll also familiarize (or for many of us, refamiliarize) yourself with the rules of grammer and diction. What you are effectively doing is building up your skill set, adding tools to your kit to deploy when you write and edit your next novel.

On the flip side, because you know your own work you're also going to justify to yourself why certain sections can stay the way they are, or you may lose focus or motivation. I often found myself challenged when it came to writing in new sections or rewriting whole chapters, as editing is not something I inherently enjoy. It's also incredibly easy to miss basic spelling and grammar errors when you're editing by yourself. The sneaky way around all these problems is to have a couple of well-read and intelligent friends or colleagues read your manuscript and give you notes. This will help give you a guiding path on your self-editing journey, and many thinsg that you overlooked will be identified for your correction. The onus is still on you to make things happen, but you can mitigate many of the more common errors this way.

I think for many writers, especially first timers, the daunting task of editing may seem a bit overwhelming. This is doubly true for those who do not have any experiencing in editing. The other factor to consider is just how clear or muddy the manuscript has become. When things go off the rails, become silly, or magically morph into something entirely different than what you intended, a professional editor can be a God send.

The key thing to remember about an editor is that they are not a writer. They give an unbiased, outside opinion on your work, ferreting out inconsistencies and segments of bad plot or poor writing, on top of weeding out all those pesky spelling and grammar mistakes we're all prone to. They bring their own tool kit to complement yours, letting you focus on what you are best at: creating a story. They'll then be able to polish it up for you and hand it back for some more writing, keeping you moving at a faster clip and involved with the process that you love.

On the other hand, and editor can sometimes be an unwelcome intrusion, especially if you and your partner do not see eye to eye. It's important to find an editor that is familiar with your genre and/or your vision, and who can support and appreciate what you're trying to accomplish while still providing needed feedback and constructive criticism. This is a major factor that can easily be overlooked. A good writer and editor should be like a buddy cop duo, working together to make one awesome story of badassitude. I should also note, although it should be obvious, that an editor generally costs money, which is something to consider in a job that only really costs you time. You'll have to make your own judgement call there, but I like to save that cash for things like cover design and marketing.

In the end, I chose to use the approach described earlier, letting highly literate professionals read my work and just provide me notes to work with, but still leaving the bulk of the editing in my lap. Although it is not my favorite job, it has most certainly increased my abilities as a writer, as well as forced me to buckle down even harder on my dedication to my work. In a one man show, nothing gets done unless you do it.

With all that being said, go forth and write and edit or write and hire. Either way, you'll be one step closer to your dream of having a published novel.


A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Find me on Smashwords and Kindlemojo.