The problem of finding a co-writer

[sunandshadow]

One think I've learned about myself as a writer is that unless at least one other person is intensely interested in a story I want to write, I don't find it worth the effort to try to get the story down on paper. But give me either an intelligent obsessive fan or co-writer who feels the appeal of an idea as much as I do, and I'm tremendously eager to discuss it with them and write it down for them to read and comment on. The only problem with this is that it seems nearly impossible to find a co-writer with the same interests and tastes. I wish there was a 'personals' site that matched people as cowriters, or writers with artists.

So how about you all, where to you get your motivation to write? And if you've ever found a great co-writer, where and how did you find them?

 

[Penelope Street]

Sharing makes almost any experience more fun, doesn't it? Why should writing be any different? I've hinted on occasion to a few authors that writing a story together could be an enjoyable way to break the monotony, but it never seems to work out.

Have you really tried finding a co-author in the past, or is this your first serious post about the issue? When you say interests and tastes, did you have something in mind?

 

[sunandshadow]

Whoa an actual reply! I thought this thread was dead in the water. Well I have done one-on-one roleplay which is sort of like co-writing and could be co-writing if both players had a manuscript as a goal. And yes I have really tried finding a co-writer in the past on different forums. By interests and tastes I mean I write gay romance/mpreg, and I don't do anything dark/tragic/horrific, I like happy endings and complex original science fiction or fantasy worldbuilding. I know there are lots of people out there who do fanfiction like this, but they tend to either not want to or be unable to do original stuff.

 

[Lilacs]

Nice thread,

I've done some co-writing, some email roleplay (which with the right partner can be similar). It's rare to find someone who shares my particular kinks. I expect you would say the same. I love the idea of an area where co-writers try to hook up. I'm not sure how many would use it, but I would be one.

Peace,


Lilacs

 

[Blase]

I've spent some time on the SRP boards and found that looking for roleplaying partners, at least, can be something of a catch 22 - I try to look for strong writing partners, but when I approach the better writers on the board, we seem to have a harder time than one might expect finding an idea that interests us both enough to commit to a thread.

I think the problem, essentially, is that better writers tend to be more experienced and have both a larger store of their own ideas and greater confidence in their ability to work on their own and get good results.

 

[Guest]

Co-writing can be very difficult unless the two of you are well-matched.

 

[Noira]

What she said.

I have one co-writer. I have written with a few other people in the past as well, but I consider her MY co-writer. We're so well matched, it's scary. How did I find her? Puuuure chance. Same with the other ones. Essentially, I read stories that interested me, they wrote stories that interested me, we talked about writing since we wrote similar stories, and tried it. So I'd just suggest... make friends with people who write what you'd like to write and ask if they'd like to try writing with you.

Also, roleplaying boards.

Roleplaying partners, on boards oriented towards writing longer posts rather than one sentence one sentence one sentence blah... they can be excellent co-writers since that sort of environment is already focused on bouncing off another person.

It's hard to match well with someone.

 

[Carnevil9]

I can't imagine working with a co-writer. Writing seems like an inherently solitary activity, to me. I realize that others find it different, and that's fine.

The only way I could see working with a co-writer is if the original author died in the middle of it, and I was asked by his estate to finish it up (like in "Poodle Springs"). Or the other way around, of course!.......Carney

 

[Black Tulip]

So far, I've only written one story with a co-writer.
That developed from getting in touch with a fan. LOL

As for getting inspiration/motivation for writing, I find that from participating in chain stories. You might take a look in that direction.

 

[Satin_belle]

The stories I've written are pretty weak.
Maybe one day I can improve them.I'd
rather do it myself, though a co-writer
would be helpfull.

 

[Fantazmaster]

Working with co-writers in my experience has proven to be the proverbial" two edged sword " Yes indeed it is nice to connect with a co-writer that is compatible with the storylines you are developing and in many cases this favorable side of the "sword" will give you new insights and expansion of your ideas well beyond what you could develop on your own.These sorts are a joy to work with as often there is a mutual exchange of insights as both parties have an expanded pool of experiences and brainpower to draw upon in creating a story.course for one of several reasons .


The other side of this proverbial "sword" are the co-writers that do not stay the course as the story develops.Some co-writers simply fade away with gradually decreasing correspondence .In one instance I was working with a female co-writer that went from e-mails filled with ideas and insights and chapter drafts, down to her last e-mail which consisted of a one word feedback reading "Cool" in reviewing the latest chapter I had sent her way.


In other cases it soon became apparent that I was doing most if not all the writing in this co-writing arrangement .This has happened in instances whereby the co-writer is not really what they represent themselves to be.
I can well recall several examples where a supposed female submissive was actually a male simply looking for a writer to fuel some personal fantasies having to do with his girlfriend or wife.Yes,one gets the supposed benefit of
some ideas and insights into these personal fantasies,but very little effort beyond these initial concepts from these impersonators.It generally does not take a perceptive writer long to get the sense that the co-writer is not as represented.

One idea that I have had no luck with whatsoever over the years with is the idea of having a female submissive serve as a co-writer under the idea that she is a writing submissive.That is ,I as a male dominant assign this female sub a series of writing assignments and she fulfills these writing assignments.I have been amazed at the epidemic of carpal tunnel syndrome and other typing maladies arise when these fem subs explain why they can not fulfill these assignments.In any case this idea has proven to be about as popular as having right wing conservatives approve stories before they are posted here on Literotica.

 

[Fantazmaster]

See above

 

[Guest]

TxRad and I just posted our first story - cowritten - it's in my sig.

It was a delight to do.

Google documents is a nice invention. We were both able to be online at the same time, editing and writing the same document at the same time.

And we've already fleshed out (ahem) two more chapters with these characters.

With a solid partner, co-writing is a blast!

 

[Black Tulip]

TxRad and I just posted our first story - cowritten - it's in my sig.

It was a delight to do.

Google documents is a nice invention. We were both able to be online at the same time, editing and writing the same document at the same time.

And we've already fleshed out (ahem) two more chapters with these characters.

With a solid partner, co-writing is a blast!

Damn, that sounds great!



I've started a savings account for the next meet-up.

 

[andygorn]

With my background in roleplaying games and live action stuff, all my rp (and srp) is pretty much free-form and I often develop things for my own stories on the hoof anyway...as long as you know your background and the setting, then doing stuff like this is okay and definitely adds to the story rather than detracts from it.

When I'm joining in someone else's story, I always do my best to fit in with what the story is, so I just ask people 'what do you want my character to do now?', or 'how should they be reacting to this situation/question?'
Personally, I hate it when people say "I have this story for an rp (or srp)" and what they want you to do is to be SO into exactly the same thing as them that they will not tell you what the plan is (because they think you already know it) and then they won't allow you to deviate (which is exactly what IS going to happen, precisely because they have not told you what the plan is).

In rp games and telling any character's story and also on here, I've always found that by far the best thing to do is to focus upon 'character' rather than 'plot', e.g. you have a character who is a spy, sent on a dangerous mission and the other writer is a colleague also on the same mission, but they end up falling for each other.
If the first author imagines (but doesn't say) that their character is from Sweden, but it's not integral to the mission (e.g. where they have to translate some Swedish writing and their native language will help them out, or they have trained with the Swedish Special Forces, etc) but the other author wants to inject a bit of background and says "Hey, don't you just hate Sweden? I'm glad neither of us have ever been there."
Some people kick off that you've "spoilt their plot" when in actuality, you have NOT done so, you've just changed the dynamics and the characters have a little bit more flesh to their history and the story isn't affected at all.

We can all change out own posts, so any really bad clangers can be were written anyway, so no big deal, but a bit of ciommunication always goes a long way.
If you are starting a story and someone you don't already know wants to help out, don't ignore them and stick with the same co authors all the time (i.e. because you think that they know you)...take the plunge and communicate before posting anything.
If there are certain elements that you want the story to definitely have (especially stuff like timelines and pre-written stories whih have to be followed, or characters which must be in or which are definitely ruled out, etc), then why not just TELL people this right at the start (e.g. in the initial post when you're asking for co-authors)?

 

[Guest]

Damn, that sounds great!



I've started a savings account for the next meet-up.

(Yay!)

 

[voluptuary_manque]

(Yay!)

Daley may call out the National Guard!

 

[ivantheterrible]

co-writer, well i've always had the tendency of using free association and writing something in the moment. the last person who could do this, until recently, was a loooong time ago, childhood freinds. then i found someone on a list in another forum, and , at least to me, we clicked mentally, i could write something, and then she would respond with a bit herself.
i love it, i love her mind, her face, her lps and eyes. but mostly, her mind. that's what hit me first. and always will.
sorry to say, i fell for her.
it made me realize you can love anyone you want, whether you can be together or not.
just don't go crazy when it happens.
just love them.

 

[seamus2]

One think I've learned about myself as a writer is that unless at least one other person is intensely interested in a story I want to write, I don't find it worth the effort to try to get the story down on paper. But give me either an intelligent obsessive fan or co-writer who feels the appeal of an idea as much as I do, and I'm tremendously eager to discuss it with them and write it down for them to read and comment on. The only problem with this is that it seems nearly impossible to find a co-writer with the same interests and tastes. I wish there was a 'personals' site that matched people as cowriters, or writers with artists.

So how about you all, where to you get your motivation to write? And if you've ever found a great co-writer, where and how did you find them?

If you need help from a male (straight) who can edit and write; then contact me. Seamus2

 

[sunandshadow]

I don't think anything I do would be of much interest to a straight male - the only exception being the hermaphrodite stories which I write with male pronouns but occasionally I'll take a finished one and make a female-pronoun version to go with it.

However I am currently looking for a writer who can write lesbian romance (no sex sorry, it's a teen/R rated manga similar to Bleach or Naruto.) This is for a collaborative manga project, we already have 3 writers and the characters include a gay male pair and a few straight pairs, but I want a lesbian pair to make it even. Pretty much need to be familiar with manga/anime and able to writer romantic comedy and fantasy combat.

 

[mandilou]

Co-writer

I have posted a few times looking for another lady to write erotica without much success. If any mature lady wants to give it a go PM me. Mandi

 

[greggario]

A twist on the question

Hello - I like this thread very much, and have asked myself questions similar to what Sun has posted.

If I may, I'd like to ask a slight twist on the original question, in hopes that it might add additional insight in to answering the first...

For those of you who do co-write - or have co-written in the past - what is the process that works best for you?

Does one person draft an outline, and then give it to a co-writer to expand on?

Do you write a chapter, then leave it to your co-writer to do the next?

I guess what I'm asking is... how does co-writing work for y'all, what process have you found is best?

Curious in Writersville...

G

 

[Starscream_UK]

I've co-written with a couple of folks - I usually find that you need to have a clear idea what the overall plot & outline is and who has responsibility for each part. You also have to trust each other not to make amendments to the other's part without saying so in the first place!

However, I find I can't co-write with someone on a subject I'm particularly fond of, because I can get abit geeky about it...

Oi vey!

 

[sunandshadow]

Yeah that's kind of a catch-22: if you care about it a lot you tend to be picky and possessive, but if you don't care about it a lot you probably aren't motivated to keep working on it. And either can lead to the dwindling-response problem mentioned above.

 

[LusciousLoralie]

I'd like to find a co-writer also but like you said, no one shares my interests. Well, they do but not on the same level as I do. Things start out good and you think you'd work well together. Shortly after that you find out that you're just not on the same page. (Didn't mean that as a pun)

Not with every story idea I've got but I tend to have the character's qualities set in stone and absolutely object to anyone trying to change them.