Would You Accept a Co-Writer for your Stories and Why or Why Not?

[AchtungNight]

Yes for me, provided they would work with me and not be a jerk about my preferences for various characters. I would extend them the same courtesy of course. I often lack time and emotional ability to write- I'm bipolar and struggle with depression and anxiety often. This can make writing difficult. I also have a lot of sex in my erotic stories and some of it I'm just not into due to lack of experience or personal taste. There are gay and bi men in my stories, for example, but I only concentrate on the latter's hookups with girls. Meanwhile, I'm just fine with the guy on girl stuff and the girls' bisexual activity. Not phobia, personal taste.

There's also a lot of lack of experience at play in my work. I have nowhere near the experience of my Casanova MMC, even though he was originally an author avatar.

If I could find and work with the right co-writer who has more time on their hands and is willing to let me beta read, I would have no problem letting my ficverse be sculpted with help.

But I understand why others might prefer to not let that happen with their stories.

Please share your thoughts.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Um… Traffic 2 with @Djmac1031

 

[Bazzle]

Yes, of course.
As long as you both understand that ideas will be rejected by the main author.
I've helped several authors. I throw ideas at them, even write paragraphs or chapters. They can choose to accept or reject.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Yes, of course.
As long as you both understand that ideas will be rejected by the main author.
I've helped several authors. I throw ideas at them, even write paragraphs or chapters. They can choose to accept or reject.

It’s probably not co-authoring if there is a main author, right?

Emily

 

[Yesok1]

I wrote a set of stories with my partner, she's not a writer, and doesn't like how in-depth I go. We tried writing together it's not worked.

For me it's quite personal.

For her it's, "Meh!"

 

[TheRedChamber]

It could happen and might be interesting, but there'd need to be a compelling reasons for it.

I can't imagine having one of my own stories floating around my head and thinking 'I just can't write this'.

And similarly, if someone says they have this idea but can't write it then it'd have to be an absolute corker and even then I'd be worried that we'd clash over it, or that they wouldn't pull their weight.

Still, sometimes these things come together organically for all kinds of reasons, so who knows?

 

[Omenainen]

Interesting question. I don’t think I could have anyone writing my stories, if for no other reason then because I’m a pantser so there’s no outline based on which I could say okay, you write that scene. We write collaborations with AwkwardMD, but that’s different, they’re both our stories. As for writing someone else’s stories, no. I’ve got mine and ours and that’s all I want to write.

 

[MrPixel]

Probably not for me. I have a universe problem - I write from scenes playing in my head, where the settings are almost as important as the characters, and the settings are drawn from real-life experiences. IOW, places I have been. Any co-author would have to know the real places, and that's beyond unlikely.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I've done collaborations with three other authors, where we've written new stories with already established characters, on a "you write a section. I write a section" basis, but with no plot nor plan. no handover notes. The only rule we gave each other was, "No, my character wouldn't do or say that" rights, and we could edit wherever we wanted. Works well if you're not precious about where a story might go.

In terms of "my stories" though - there's no way I would let anyone else take them over.

 

[StillStunned]

A while ago I floated the idea of two writers each writing a story or a scene from a different point of view. Certain events and lones of dialogue would be agreed beforehand, but then each writer lets their character tell the story from their own perspective.

I don't think I'd do that myself, though. Too much on my plate to commit to a joint project. I'd also worry about it spilling over into roleplaying, and I don't want to become involved in any kind of online flirtation.

 

[AchtungNight]

I don't mind online flirtation personally, but I get why other people might want to avoid it. I am a pantser too, fyi. I have plans, but when it comes to actual writing... I just turn on the tap and let flow. Thx for all the responses.

Different perspectives is an interesting idea.

 

[Bazzle]

It’s probably not co-authoring if there is a main author, right?

Emily

Someone has to be the one to say yes or no?

 

[Elayne_Hawke]

For myself, I would, as long as whoever helps understands that it's my story. I've already got it in my head of how it's going to be. But some advice or help, like in a sword fight scene; I want to try and do details but I want them to be entertaining. I know the basic concept, thrust, parry, block, etc... It's just making them flow together right. There's other places that I lack in and getting a different perspective can be nice. But then I'm also new at this... Lol

 

[oneagainst]

I've wondered about this, but the plain fact is that the velocity just makes this impossible. If I'm in the zone, there's no way I can wait for another author to take what I've done and add their part, if I'm outputting 4k a day.

However, on a larger scale, more than happy to adopt another author's character and mannerisms, and let them take one of mine, and try to be true to the other person's definition of the character. I've done that with a couple of authors in a few chapters of A Place For Us All To Belong, and it's been really great, plus we get to cross-link and cross-pollinate our stories.

If you're role playing turn and turn about on dialogue, I just can't see how that's ever going to flow unless you're transcribing an actual chat session.

 

[MyBareTorso]

No... writing is a very solitary process for me. I love to collaborate in other parts of my life, but writing is something I do alone...but not in a creepy way...well, actually, considering what I write, yeah, in a creepy way...

 

[EmilyMiller]

Someone has to be the one to say yes or no?

Not really in my experience.

Any thoughts, @Djmac1031

Emily

 

[StillStunned]

Not really in my experience.

That probably means you're usually the one.

 

[EmilyMiller]

That probably means you're usually the one.

Me? A Domme?

Emily

 

[Rob_Royale]

I'd hate for another writer to be waiting on me. I've taken procrastination to an art form and it just wouldn't be fair.

 

[Elayne_Hawke]

It’s probably not co-authoring if there is a main author, right?

Emily

In my case and my story, no, it wouldn't be co-authoring because I've been working on this story, have notes, for a few years before I had someone help me. So it's my baby, my project. But that doesn't mean I won't give credit to the person who helped. I will so definitely express my gratitude by acknowledging the person who helped in the beginning of a chapter that they helped me on.

 

[Lifestyle66]

I've taken input from editors and beta-readers, and I'll make changes to my stories.

But those experiences have shown me that when I have a mental picture of my characters or the story line, others don't see it. And I can't just write to appease some else's tasking or timeline. I write the story as it comes into shape in my own mind. So, a collaboration probably wouldn't work for me.

If I don't see it, I can't write it. And someone else trying to change that mental picture of my story would probably have us both produce a mediocre product. (One worse than my current shitty writing.)

 

[Djmac1031]

Someone has to be the one to say yes or no?

Not really in my experience.

Any thoughts, @Djmac1031

Emily

I could probably ramble awhile on the topic, don't have time at the moment.

I will say co-writing a story should be an organic process. Can't force it.

As to who contributes what, and how much? Depends on who the authors are.

Check your egos at the door and work for what's best for the story.

 

[KeithD]

Sabb and I have written together compatibly here as Shabbu. We won a Valentine's Day contest here with a coauthored work some years ago.

In the mainstream, I wrote a manual on how to get published with an author in Wyoming who I never met face to face and this became a Writer's Digest "how to" Web site for some ten years. I also wrote a Bible study with my minister sister. I think I can coauthor without a problem as long as I take the lead on getting it together and making it coherent and consistent.

 

[Voboy]

No.

If I post something and people like it, I want the credit. If I post something and people hate it, I don't want someone else to take the blame, however tangentially.

I've tried writing with someone else. It didn't work at all.

 

[AchtungNight]

Yeah, I would never blame other people for the bad things in my writing. That’s on me.

Creepy is in the eye of the beholder. I know plenty of people who consider some of the things depicted in my stories as creepy. I don’t entirely agree, though I can understand their sentiments and give them the right to perspective. I often think their political opinions or other views are creepy in return.