Home Columns

Share the Work - Co-Author
by Angela Giles Klocke and Scott D. Warren

Have you ever talked with another writer and you both brainstormed and came up with a great idea? Then maybe you thought, who's going to be the one to write about it? Ah - a solution. Both of you can work together. Co-authoring is very common and popular. Writers across the world often join forces to pen articles, short stories, even books. There's something special about creating with a partner, whether they are one of your friends, or someone you meet just to write with.

So how does it work? Well, first you need at least one other writer. When looking for a partner, make sure you both like to write in the same genre - i.e. horror, drama, young adult. It's always fun to try something new, of course, but for a project like this, it is best to team up with someone who likes to write the same kinds of things you enjoy.

After the decision has been made to work together, the next best step is to have someone older draw up a contract of sorts. What? You wonder why you would need that, right? Co-authoring doesn't always work out - sometimes someone quits, or someone decides they've done more work than the other. Sometimes you just can't agree on what direction your story or article should take, so you both quit, leaving you with a good idea that both would like to pursue on your own. No matter what happens, it is best to have a written agreement that an adult has written up for you. Your contract doesn't have to be full of hard-to-understand legal jargon. Rather, friendly language just there to stipulate how things should work out if anything happens, be it publication or a split, will do the trick.

Once that part is out of the way, it's time to get started. Some of the best ways to begin include:

• Deciding on a theme or plot.
• Sharing ideas for the title of the article, story, or book.
• Deciding whose name should go first. Many times, co-authors decide this by alphabetical order. Also, some writing partners have in the past combined their names into one pen name, so the work appears as first glance to be written by one person.
• Discussing plans for writing - will you write 1000 words and then your partner write 1000 words? Will you write every other chapter? Will one of you provide the skeleton of the entire work while the other fills in the gaps to bring it all together?

Copyright © 2001 Angela Giles Klocke and Scott D. Warren

Kick start your imagination, ignite your creativity, and begin your journey towards becoming an outstanding writer. Grab a copy of WEEKLY WRITES: 52 Weeks of Writing Bliss! from Amazon.com and receive 2 free e-books to encourage and nurture the writer in you. You'll also receive Write Memories, a journaling workbook available for free only to WEEKLY WRITES book owners. And finally, as a WEEKLY WRITES book owner, you'll have free access to e-mail courses such as JOYFUL WRITES: Celebrate Your Life through Writing For excerpts, reviews and what you need to do to receive the 2 free e-books, Write Memories and sign up for free e-mail courses, just head on to the Weekly Writes Book Official Site. (Clicking on the link will open a new window.)