Should I work alone or with help? - Writers Forum

Abrupt · 04-17-2006, 01:18 AM

Right now I an in the beginnings of writing a very large fantasy/science fictions story dealing a number of characters, themes and situations. I have a clear vision of the possibility of making these ideas and story into a series. In truth the idea I have is great in size and I feel that I need some help creating it from creating a world, the characters and situations.

The question is should I just work alone or should I work with a partner or two? And if any people agree I should and are interested in getting involved please send me a message to talk about your interest.

Selorian · 04-17-2006, 02:04 AM

Working alone or with others on such a project has their individual pros and cons.

If you work with others, you have to realize that it may not develop into the exact idea of what you want it to be. You will get a lot of other creative input that you may have never considered working alone.

If you work alone, it is all you, you get to do what you want. You don't have to worry about being compatible with others, and you get to work at your own pace, not being rushed or held back by others.

In the end, it comes down to a decision you'll have to decide on your own. All I can say is make the decision wisely, because once you include others, it becomes their work too. If it doesn't work out, then you are in a battle over who owns what in the story.

Good luck.

PAGEMASTER · 04-17-2006, 06:59 AM

I entirely agree with Selorian; I myself have attempted to work both, on my own, as well as with another writer.

I once thought up a whole story, from beginning until the end I practically knew what was going to happen. I attempted to write with a friend, and the story began to evolve differently; it kind of upset me to see it wasn't going the way I'd intended, but we continued and my heart just wasn't in the piece no more; we argued over characters, the situations, etc...

I would say its best to write with someone IF you're starting from scratch and have no idea about the story at hand, but if you've already thought up a storyline, characters, and so on, I'd say it's best to just stick on your own.

Which ever one you choose I wish you all the luck in the world.

Selorian · 04-17-2006, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAGEMASTER

I once thought up a whole story, from beginning until the end I practically knew what was going to happen. I attempted to write with a friend, and the story began to evolve differently; it kind of upset me to see it wasn't going the way I'd intended, but we continued and my heart just wasn't in the piece no more; we argued over characters, the situations, etc...

I know exactly what you mean, Pagemaster.

Back in the day, I worked with a team on an idea for a computer game series. It was based on a storyline I had been working on for a long time on my own. After the others came on board, the story I had held close for so long became something I didn't even recognize any longer. I pulled out, lucky to take my story with me. It was a true learning experience.

I also one time started a story with the woman who is now my wife. It started from scratch, with both of us brainstorming ideas for it back and forth between one another. That was a completely different experience than the above mentioned video game incident. It has to be one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done.

That just goes to show that it depends on the situation. You have to make the decision of what works for you.

Cosmic Pigeon · 04-17-2006, 05:49 PM

I've had a similar situation of my own. I used to write with my brother, Abrupt, a few years ago, writing a huge fantasy trilogy. Together we thought of the story, then contributed individually to the details of the world and the plot. But my brother has a tendancy to take over, so after a while I let him have his own way, and little by little the story drifted away from me.
These days we work by a different system (maybe it'll help you) where I write a paragraph or two, a "framework", and then he glosses over it with his ideas and input, then finally I read it over, and point out any bits that arn't really working. That's how the final work comes together.
However, mostly I just work on my own

If you need any advice, or in general help with your project Abrupt, send me an e-mail. I'd be happy to contribute.

aliceedelweiss · 04-17-2006, 06:10 PM

I think it depends on how you feel about the story. If there is someone you could work with comfortably(not fight) then maybe it would work. but if it ends up being a battle for ideas, then do it by yourself.
Alice

mammamaia · 04-17-2006, 06:41 PM

if you decide to go with a partner or partners, be sure you don't let them write a single word or contribute a single idea, without having a collaboration contract in place, first!... to co-write without one is sure suicide... whoever works with you will have a legal stake in the book and you must decide before you start, how big a stake that will be...

go to www.wga.org or www.wgae.org or google for sample contracts...

and it's best to consult your own literary attorney before signing anything... believe me, it's not being paranoid, just intelligently cautious... i've had mentees tell me horror stories of having work they slaved over for years taken over by a partner from hell, because they didn't take my advice, thinking the person they chose could be trusted...

if you're just writing for fun and don't care what happens to the resulting book, ignore me... but if you have any hope of seeing your book published some day, you'd be foolish to not do what any professional writer would...

love and hugs, maia

Cosmic Pigeon · 04-17-2006, 06:44 PM

Yea, that's right someone should have mentioned that before.
You should always cover your book, just to be on the safe side.

Selorian · 04-17-2006, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by selorian72

In the end, it comes down to a decision you'll have to decide on your own. All I can say is make the decision wisely, because once you include others, it becomes their work too. If it doesn't work out, then you are in a battle over who owns what in the story.

Uhm, I think I did in this paragraph. Maybe it wasn't clear enough or detailed though.

bamagirl1984 · 04-17-2006, 10:53 PM

I'm co-authoring a book, and it can be REALLY hard sometimes. If you don't have a good reason to work with someone else, I don't see the point in doing it. In my case, we came up with the concept together and work well as a team because of previous experiences. (We work together, like at our 9-5 jobs, and have for years). If you can come up with ideas for your book on your own, why not do it alone? It would probably be much less complicated, and it definitely doesn't take as much time. (With two people, everyone has to sign off on everything, and there's a lot of teamwork. That stuff just takes longer). You could maybe join a writer's group in your city and get feedback that way.

On the other hand, working with someone can be awesome, and you have two brains instead of one.

AshBeanNun · 04-17-2006, 11:21 PM

If you feel that you need the help, ask for it. My co-author for the G3, 'Sally,' and I have been able to work very well together. We get along great and our personalities and writing styles compliment each other--she's to the point and I'm bordering on Faulkner's foster child. I think an important part of a co-writers relationship is that both of you must be dedicated writers. I'm lucky enough to be writing with a friend who enjoys writing. If she didn't like writing it would be much harder to go to her for help with the story, because she wouldn't be looking at the story with such a personal investment and dedication, not to mention she wouldn't have an 'author's eye.'

Having taken on a large project myself, I can definitely see why you would want someone else to help. Sally has her own characters and I have my own, and because we each have our seperate entities in the books we can work together to come up with a plot that suits both of us. With someone else in the story think tank there is much more that can be brought to the story...which is especially important in the bigger projects.

So, getting back to the point: If you feel that extra help would be needed, go for it. But make sure that the co-writing will work beforehand.

mammamaia · 04-18-2006, 12:03 AM

and, i repeat, don't do it without a collaboration contract... no matter how good a friend your partner is!... even if you are unwisely sure that you'll never argue about anything, agents and publishers will most likely insist on seeing some legal agreement re who gets what credit/percentage, when you submit the work...

Abrupt · 04-18-2006, 12:08 AM

Thank you all for your suggestions and thoughts, and I know that if I'm serious about someday putting my work out in a printed from that there's a lot of legal things I have to consider, and even more with a partner. Some of you have said that working with a partner can be hell, but at the same time great if you can find the right person. From what I know none of my personal friends have the interest in writing that I do. Some of them like my ideas, but still they don't have the interest in writing with me. I guess what I'm trying to say is I am interest in others input to make the work more real and something very strong with staying power.

I mean I've read a few books with two very good writers so I still don't really know?

snorrie · 04-19-2006, 01:21 PM

It's all up to you how you want to write your novel, series or what you're trying to accomplish. Many authors get help from people one time or another on things they aren't familiar with. The question is are you willing to share the spotlight? Maybe if you never get help from someone else, your project will lack or not be completed at all. Asking for help is not the worst thing in the world.

bob rulz · 04-20-2006, 04:16 AM

It seems like it could be good in certain circumstances. If you already have an idea in your head and know how you want the story to play out, I would suggest just writing it by yourself. If you tried writing it with somebody else it would most likely turn out very differently from where you intended it to be. If you do it because you're open to new ideas or you need some alternative suggestions or directions in your story, then that might not necessarily be a bad thing, but more than likely you wouldn't like the direction that the story is going.

On the other hand, if you start on a new story from scratch with somebody else, with little or no planning, it might work. Your ideas would differ a lot more, but this would allow for more constructive arguments and more consideration of the other person's ideas, and both people would have equal say and equal consideration. You would probably learn a lot about your friend/family member (and maybe even yourself) in the process. If it's somebody who you know would be open to different ideas and would give due consideration to both separate viewpoints then I can see how it could work very well.

This does bring up another point to consider though; how would the actual writing be done? You could both agree on the next scene that would happen and then both write out a way you could think it would happen and then they both choose the one they like best (I'm sure that most people would know which one they liked better, despite the fact that one of them was written by themselves). But how would you deal with the separate writing styles? Would only one person write it? If both people wrote parts of the book then it might just be a ping-ponging back and forth between wildly constrasting writing styles.