Help! I think that I've broken my co-writer

[Hislittlefucktoy]

Guys,

This is going to be the worst written post ever in Author's Hangout, but I think I have really screwed the pooch.

I think that I have ruined a novel length project about seventeen thousand words in.

I think that I squicked out my co writer.

Not FT. She's great, but she wants more attention.

I was approached by a girl I know about a week ago for a paranormal romance writing project. The phrase we use is "elfporn".

After reading my stories here (essentially BDSM vignettes) she said "um, no, that's boy porn. We want girl porn." So the decision was made that since I am a MA instructor and a musician, I would write the fight scenes and the rock and roll scenes, and she would do the love scenes. We decided that explicit was the way to go, but not "boy porn".

After the first love scene she wrote, she asked me what I thought, and I said, "looks good, where's the rest of it?"

She said "Well, that's the scene."

My reply was "I thought that we had agreed that this would be explicit."

So, she went back and rewrote it. What came back blew my mind. It's definitely girl porn. It didn't arouse me, but it was good. For the first time that I can remember, I had some inkling of what it felt like, physically, to have a vag and a vulva. (for those tuning in late, I am a guy)

And, we went on and wrote some more scenes. Today after our "work day" (we both work "alternative" jobs) I complimented her on the scene. (we compose on one screen, and keep an IM window open on another)

She said "once I overcame the issue of writing something that might possibly titillate you, it was cool. Have keyboard, can write."

And I said "yeah, getting over the erotica squick factor was pretty... well, a big thing"

She replied "yeah, but I think it's like the runner's wall. once you do get past it, it's all good."

Here is where I screwed up. I said "I am actually having fun with it, if that can be forgiven"

Her reply was " no. don't tell me that. It has to be all business for my mind to handle it. That's what keeps the squick at bay."

And then she said that her husband was calling her from another part of the house.

She hasn't talked to me for two days. I'm about sixty hours and seventeen thousand words into the project, and I think I have blown it. We were churning out the pages. Now, nothing.

Am I completely boned? Is there anything that I can do?

Dave

 

[Stella_Omega]

Oooh, yet another way cowriting can go south. I am so sorry.

Mine died when my other writer suddenly started churning out thousands and THOUSANDs of words worth of unecessary exposition, reiteration, embellishment, and sloppy plotting. It was positively offensive, and I couldn't get her to slow down or do her own editing.

Let's get together and start a project: a prenup of sorts for co writing.

I dunno., You might email her and remind her that you two have seventeen thousand words in the project and she's being pretty fucking unprofessional.

 

[PennLady]

She could just need a little time to get over the idea that you "had fun" with it. Maybe she's not sure what it means. I mean -- did you just enjoy it, or get aroused by it? It could be that as long as it's some nameless, faceless cyber guy or gal getting off on the story, she doesn't care. But if it's someone she knows, it may creep her out.

Don't know, just guessing. I've never tried co-writing so I can't say from personal experience.

I would wonder, too -- does her hub know she's doing this? If not, perhaps coming so close to "being caught" made her nervous.

 

[glynndah]

On the other hand, it's just two days. How often were you two in contact before? It may be just a little blip in the grand scheme of things.

 

[PennLady]

On the other hand, it's just two days. How often were you two in contact before? It may be just a little blip in the grand scheme of things.

This is a good point, and I meant to say something similar. I distracted myself. Life does get in the way -- she may just have been too busy for a couple of days.

 

[3113]

Maybe it's the husband?

Um...have you considered that it might not have been you and what you said but maybe it could be her husband? Does he know what she's writing? Does he know about you? Is he okay with it? REALLY?

'Cause if hubby was in the dark and just found out, that might be the end of it. Even if hubby knew about it, but hadn't actually read what she'd written and just did, that might be the end of it. Some people don't want their lover sharing "intimate" sexual experiences, or even fantasies of intimate sexual experiences, with anyone else.

 

[lovecraft68]

Guys,

This is going to be the worst written post ever in Author's Hangout, but I think I have really screwed the pooch.

I think that I have ruined a novel length project about seventeen thousand words in.

I think that I squicked out my co writer.

Not FT. She's great, but she wants more attention.

I was approached by a girl I know about a week ago for a paranormal romance writing project. The phrase we use is "elfporn".

After reading my stories here (essentially BDSM vignettes) she said "um, no, that's boy porn. We want girl porn." So the decision was made that since I am a MA instructor and a musician, I would write the fight scenes and the rock and roll scenes, and she would do the love scenes. We decided that explicit was the way to go, but not "boy porn".

After the first love scene she wrote, she asked me what I thought, and I said, "looks good, where's the rest of it?"

She said "Well, that's the scene."

My reply was "I thought that we had agreed that this would be explicit."

So, she went back and rewrote it. What came back blew my mind. It's definitely girl porn. It didn't arouse me, but it was good. For the first time that I can remember, I had some inkling of what it felt like, physically, to have a vag and a vulva. (for those tuning in late, I am a guy)

And, we went on and wrote some more scenes. Today after our "work day" (we both work "alternative" jobs) I complimented her on the scene. (we compose on one screen, and keep an IM window open on another)

She said "once I overcame the issue of writing something that might possibly titillate you, it was cool. Have keyboard, can write."

And I said "yeah, getting over the erotica squick factor was pretty... well, a big thing"

She replied "yeah, but I think it's like the runner's wall. once you do get past it, it's all good."

Here is where I screwed up. I said "I am actually having fun with it, if that can be forgiven"

Her reply was " no. don't tell me that. It has to be all business for my mind to handle it. That's what keeps the squick at bay."

And then she said that her husband was calling her from another part of the house.

She hasn't talked to me for two days. I'm about sixty hours and seventeen thousand words into the project, and I think I have blown it. We were churning out the pages. Now, nothing.

Am I completely boned? Is there anything that I can do?

Dave

Back away slowly. Then turn and run. My guess? This is a sexually repressed woman looking for some vicarious outlet or so she thought. When you said you wee turned on she felt guilty then dirty and her mention of the husband was not coincidental she was reaffirming to you and herself that she is married. If she does not enjoy the idea of someone becoming aroused by her writing then there is something wrong.

And for the record just take what you have and if FT can;t help with it either try another source-advertise in story ideas- or finish it on your own. It is also not the end of the world 17,000 words is a five page lit story hardly a novel or close to it.

More often than not co authors do not work out. You and FT have a fun thing going just keep going with her.

 

[Mandy57]

Compatible co-authors are hard to find, I've broken a few myself.

I keep trying to find a new one and believe that sooner or later, one is going to pan out. I could be wrong about that, who knows.

Good luck Dave and happy hunting.

 

[3113]

Back away slowly. Then turn and run. My guess? This is a sexually repressed woman looking for some vicarious outlet or so she thought. When you said you wee turned on she felt guilty then dirty and her mention of the husband was not coincidental she was reaffirming to you and herself that she is married. If she does not enjoy the idea of someone becoming aroused by her writing then there is something wrong.

Ah. That's another good possibility. The mention of the husband does stand out, doesn't it?

 

[mynameisben]

Two days is nothing. Relatives get ill. Sewer lines break. Things happen.

If the harmless little thing you said was a deal-breaker, though, be thankful the deal broke only 17K into the project. It wouldn't have worked out anyway.

But give it time. Homer's Odyssey wasn't written over a three-day weekend.

 

[Hislittlefucktoy]

Thanks guys,

She's back. Apparently, her husband had abdominal pain, and passed a kidney stone.

I do get the impression that her husband is supportive. I do occasionally get little bits of information on him like "Yeah, he agreed with you on this," or "that part made him laugh too."

My favorite bit was when she described a female character as "sopping" (both my writing partner and the character are very southern). His reply "Uhhhmmmm, could you use a word that is a little less biscuits and gravy? I am never gonna look at breakfast the same way again."

I have used the past two days looking at what we wrote, and identifying some trouble spots. In particular, we are doing a lot of telling, and not enough showing.

In two places, we describe dialog exchanges, and in the very next paragraph, give the reader a big block of expository text that could just as easily been in the exchange we skipped, but described. The dialog would allow us to include "micro tension" as well. I am still trying to get that concept down. In addition, I am spewing one sentence paragraphs again.

But, she is back again, and churning out the smut. She has a gift for it, I think.

Having a new project is invigorating. And. she's right. There is a bit of a hurdle to get over to be able to publish erotic fiction with your own name on it.

And, Lovecraft, you are absolutely right. FT is a real blessing. I have gotten to spend more time with her over the last two days, and that has been a real joy. I am a southerner, and was raised in the church. I am always surprised when a lady decides it's ok to be really, really filthy.

Thanks everybody,

Dave

 

[rgraham666]

Last co-author I worked with decided our relationship gave her the right to decide what I could and could not say in political blogs and forums.

I'm never doing that again.

 

[sr71plt]

Last co-author I worked with decided our relationship gave her the right to decide what I could and could not say in political blogs and forums.

I'm never doing that again.

On the scale here, I think that's out of bounds. If you were writing for money and trying to broaden your reading base, outside activity under the same name you were cowriting would, I think, be a legitimate sticking point in writing not related to that activity. You would be foisting risk on your coauthor.

 

[Firebrain]

Dave, she sounds like a moron and you sound more interested in her ability to be filthy than the actual writing.

This will not end well.

 

[Jake Marlow]

You guys are writing erotica and it freaks her out if her writing arouses you? She sounds like a silly person. Be prepared for more weirdness, and if she does flake, just finish the thing yourself.

I know myself well enough to know that a straight up collaboration on a single story isn't for me.

 

[real_first_time]

problematic

I don't see how co-op authoring between almost complete strangers could ever work....everyone believes they can write but genuinely good writers are extremely rare...good fiction is based in truth.....if you're going to write a book about a horny elf then you're gonna have to be the Earnest Hemingway of porn to pull that off.

Choose your own style....construct your own plot and make it something you have at least partial knowledge of. If you must use a stranger, use them as your muse and not your co-witer.

 

[sr71plt]

I don't see how co-op authoring between almost complete strangers could ever work....everyone believes they can write but genuinely good writers are extremely rare...good fiction is based in truth.....if you're going to write a book about a horny elf then you're gonna have to be the Earnest Hemingway of porn to pull that off.

Choose your own style....construct your own plot and make it something you have at least partial knowledge of. If you must use a stranger, use them as your muse and not your co-witer.

I coauthor both erotica and mainstream with others I've never laid an eye on. My erotica coauthor lives on the other side of the world from me.

The reviewers of our books seem to think our writing partnership works.

 

[real_first_time]

great

Well then thats great..if you found someone one the same wavelength and it works then go with that!
It wouldn't work for me because I write about specific things drawn from real life (except for cpt 1 of a novel called 'the fall of sarah cruise')....for me im trying to put across things that happened and for that reason I cant use another person unless they were there.
I'm from the method school of writing.
I would use someone as a muse, but a co-writer would have to be there..to live my life and that's not going to happen.
I've put myself in some questionable situations to write some stories....I wouldnt change a thing..id do it all again.

Keep up the good work....if people like what you do then thats all that matters

 

[Hislittlefucktoy]

Thanks guys!

I appreciate the input.

Right now, we are churning ahead. We took care of a relatively important scene (all the sub-plots are present) and churned out 4500 words.

Things are going well, but, because of your advice, I will make sure we have an agreement about what will happen if either of us flakes.

Oh, and FT is really happy this evening/morning (depending on time zone).

Dave