Two heads are better than one..

While a lot of us appreciate two dicks more than just one, today I’m going to talk about two authors instead of one. I have a lot of respect for authors, especially those that work well with others. Not only do they have to worry about what they write, but add another person with their own ideas, preferences, and habits to add into the mix. How does this work?

This is especially fascinating for me when I realize that sometimes it makes no sense. I can like an author’s solo work really well but not so much the efforts with another writer, or vice versa. Sometimes authors come together to offer a stunning piece of fiction and sometimes it just doesn’t blend well and readers get whiplash going back and forth.

No doubt it’s a complicated process and so I reached out to several authors and asked them to answer three questions. I only chose three because everyone is super busy with life and I hoped limiting the questions to three would make it fast and easy for everyone. I was surprised and gratified by the great response. Authors were eager and happy to share their experiences. In fact save one author, everyone responded. So first of all, thank you so much to the busy authors who took time to offer their opinions and insights. I know I can’t be the only one rabidly curious about the writing process.

Of the answers I received, most said the process is very natural and easy. Most agreed their co-writer never wrote something they disagreed with, which is incredibly impressive. Maybe these authors are being kind (since you know I was going to quote them) but they all seem genuinely excited to write with their co-authors. I can imagine anything from excitement to trepidation so their answers are pretty interesting.

Here are some of the responses:

When writing with another author versus writing alone, how much of one or the other’s style comes across? Or do you try to blend them into a new style?

My and Anna’s style are very similar anyway.  We’re sort of two peas in a pod about a lot of things.  For our first co-authored story, All the Things You Are, we each took a character and were responsible for writing that character’s POV.  (I had Bryant, since he and I are from the same part of the country. J) In our second story, Equinox, we only used one POV, so it was really unique the way that worked.  I had the framework of the story but couldn’t get the character voice, so Anna wrote a large portion of the narrative within my plot framework, and then I went back through and filled in the blanks or wrote little branching-off tangents.  I don’t know if we consciously try to blend our voices, but we edit each other’s work, so I’m sure it blends naturally at a certain point.

Is the process natural or difficult for you?

It depends. Most of the time, my and Anna’s vision is usually pretty similar, or at least fills in the blanks where the other person couldn’t figure out what to do, so for us it’s more natural. If we disagree on things, we usually talk it out and run through the pros and cons of both visions, and usually will either go with whomever makes more sense, is more invested in their idea, or find a third path neither of us had thought of.  Kennedy and I still plan to try to write together someday, and fuck knows how that’s going to turn out.  You’ve seen us on Twitter.

What happens if you don’t particularly like something your co-author has written?

I ask questions and try to phrase things as mildly as possible.  “I’m not really sure about this section.  It feels kind of off to me.  What were you trying to get across here?  How can we do it differently?”  I try to articulate exactly what bothers me, and then give her first swing at revising it.  If she can’t figure it out or asks me for suggestions, I’ll give them.  She treats me pretty much the same way.  We’re just generally very nice to each other. J  Sometimes I like what she’s written, but I’ll suggest improvements anyway just because I see some way it could possibly be even better.  We build off each other very well.

M. Jules Aedin who has a two new stories (one co-written with author Anna Linden) in the Curious anthology out now. Apparently ze has a hive mind with hir co-author and best friend. Two minds like Aedin’s? That’s some scary shit.

What about someone also pretty new to the co-authoring business like the fabulous Sean Kennedy (I must pimp his Tigers and Devils, it’s that good). He and Catt Ford recently put forth a joint effort in Dash & Dingo, which has gotten generally rave reviews about the blogsphere. Here’s a great case where I’ve like the individual work of the authors a lot but jointly, I wasn’t so sure about it.

When writing with another author versus writing alone, how much of one or the other’s style comes across? Or do you try to blend them into a new style?

Catt and I usually work on separate bits and pieces of the story, but when we pass them onto each other we are forever editing, rewriting or deleting from it –  so at the end of the process we kind have developed a new style together by incorporating both of us into the writing.  It’s not like, ‘oh, you do this chapter, and I’ll do the next’ –  otherwise it would be just disjointed and wouldn’t flow at all.  It’s a long laborious process, but it never gets boring – at least, not until the professional edits come through and you’re so sick of reading the damn thing you never want to see it again.  That passes, though.

Is the process natural or difficult for you?

I actually think it’s more difficult for me than it is for Catt.  She writes whatever comes into her head, at whatever point that the story comes to her.  When I write my own books or stories I write very linearly – I might get an idea for a later conversation or event, and jot down lines or ideas, but I still write the story as it progresses and then go back and edit edit edit much later to make it all cohesive and make sure the beginning matches everything that follows.  So when I get pieces from Catt, my mind is just screaming at me, ‘wait, where’s this from? Is this meant to be after such and such, or before this and that? How do we get from here to there?’ Luckily Catt is able to fill me in on that, or I would probably just go and sit on the couch and never write again.

What happens if you don’t particularly like something your co-author has written?

Ha, we just went through this recently while working on the sequel to Dash and Dingo where Catt didn’t think what I had written fitted in with the story.  We both take each other’s criticisms very well, although we both feel guilty about doing it.  Often the one who says something should be fixed or removed is the one going ‘are you okay? Would you like me to make you a cup of spiritual tea?’ (as we are not even in the same hemisphere to provide the real thing) long after the other person has moved on and isn’t even thinking about it anymore.  We both have extreme guilt complexes.  Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to happen that often, or Dash and Dingo’s adventures would have ended at book one.

From the lovely Mx. Aedin’s and funny Mr. Kennedy’s contributions, it’s clear there is a wide range between these partnerships. But no dirt yet. I can just imagine Sean and Catt one-upping their apologies to each other. Thankfully the general consensus is a great effort. From there, I was really curious about some long time writing duo’s. What about some of those really well known authors that work together all the time. Several very nicely replied with gracious answers.

First up I asked Dianne Fox, most well known for writing of her own and with Anah Crow. Although this duo seems like two very different personalities to mix, their style apparently is a lot easier than you’d think. Be sure to check out their upcoming “Tatterdemalion” coming this Tuesday from Samhain and will be reviewed the same day here on TDB.

When writing with another author versus writing alone, how much of one or the other’s style comes across? Or do you try to blend them into a new style?

The style of writing that comes through when I write with my co-writer is definitely different from either of our individual styles. We don’t necessarily *try* to blend them into a new style — it’s far more natural than that. We simply write differently together than we do apart. We also tend to write different kinds of stories together than we do individually.

Is the process natural or difficult for you?

It’s definitely very natural. We’ve been writing together for years now, longer than either of us has been published. Maybe in the beginning it was more difficult, but I don’t think so. I remember it always feeling very natural and *fun* to write together.

What happens if you don’t particularly like something your co-author has written?

I don’t think that’s ever happened. I’d tell her that I didn’t like it. More often, what happens is that something one of us writes doesn’t work for a particular story — she has a tendency to go off on tangents, and I have a tendency to simplify too much. We call each other on it, and talk about the best ways to fix those sections of the writing to bring it back in line with the story as a whole. We’ve been working together long enough that if either of us was going to be thin-skinned or tentative about those sorts of things, we’d have gotten over it long before now!

So it seems it’s pretty natural and they clearly know each other well enough that they can be honest. I totally agree their writing style is very different together than apart. And yet I find their joint books can vary pretty widely as well. Keeps the intrigue going for sure. What about another long time co-author like Madeleine Urban who frequently writes with several other authors. I’ve liked several books she’s done with other authors and it’s hard to choose.  I wonder if it’s like cheating to write with all her other co-authors?

When writing with another author versus writing alone, how much of one or the other’s style comes across? Or do you try to blend them into a new style?

I think my writing style specifically blends well with other authors’, which is why I’ve done well with several different writers as partners. I believe (though they may disagree), that the other writer’s style comes across more strongly, because I try to weave my writing into theirs. It definitely blends, though, because I’ve had readers tell me that my writing on my own is very different than with co-authors, and that the writing really varies from co-author to co-author. The overall goal is to blend and make a writing style that is utilizes the strengths of both authors and shores up the weaknesses of both authors.

Is the process natural or difficult for you?

Co-writing is more natural to me than writing on my own. Perhaps it’s a matter of motivation, but I also take a lot of enjoyment from collaborating, and I’m very close friends with each of my co-authors. It can be great fun, writing together, and such a great way to learn and improve as a writer, whereas I end up just staring at a blank sheet, intimidated, if I’m trying to write on my own. If it weren’t so natural for me to collaborate on writing, I don’t think I would have seen as much success as I have with three different combinations (Abigail Roux, Rhianne Aile, and Ariel Tachna). I’ve pretty much quit all solo writing, although I won’t rule it out forever.

What happens if you don’t particularly like something your co-author has written?

Depends on the co-author and what the “something” is. Sometimes I just edit it. Sometimes we talk it over. A few times it’s come down to a mutual agree to disagree, and the item is either left as is or removed altogether. In the end it’s all about collaboration. The writing wouldn’t exist at all without both our contributions.

I was also curious about Bethany Brown and her work with Ashlyn Kane. I’ve read both their joint work and individual and Kane did a fabulous short piece in the curious anthology. You can find their books and information at their lovely website here.

When writing with another author versus writing alone, how much of one or the other’s style comes across? Or do you try to blend them into a new style?

Well, I’m not sure about anyone else, but I find that the reason that Ashlyn and I work so well together is becasue we were friends first. We worked together for at least a year before we even entertained the idea of writing a book together. Which makes it so much easier when we run into problems. We have no problem telling each other when something doesn’t work.

Is the process natural or difficult for you?

Our writing styles are fairly similar. Well, at least they are now. I can barely remember if they were different when we started. It also helps that we seem to share the same brain. Seriously, we do. It’s easy for us to break up scenes. If someone comes up with a really neat idea, they get to write it. If someone needs help, they ask.

What happens if you don’t particularly like something your co-author has written?

You need to make sure you talk about all plot point beforehand so that there is no confusion where the story is going. Plus, that way if something really doesn’t work, your co-author can tell you that you’re being an idiot.

You should also make sure you both have the same handle on the characters-it’s no good if one of you has one view of the character and the other takes them in a totally different direction.

The most important thing that you need to do when you have a co-author is talk. Communication is key.

Plus, if you’re on good terms with your co-author, you can whine until the agree to look over the novel you wrote on your own.

So there you have it. Most like their co-authors (shocking!) but it seems some find it more natural than others. There are only a thousand more questions I wanted to ask but can’t overwhelm them too much. They do have to actually write something for our entertainment as well.

What about you peanut gallery?
Do you like co-authored pieces?