How do two writers work together to write a story?

Question

I've been writing for a couple years, and know that I couldn't write a story with another person like the Blood Prophecy or Peter and the Star Catchers. Or at least it would be a challenge. Two authors for the same book? I just don't think it would work with me.

So, how do they do it? Do they take turns writing parts? The only problem I see with that is the alteration of styles. Do they have one write while the other throws in his two sense, combining both styles to create a new one? I just think this would be hard. Or do they need to already have similar styles? Because I know the Blood Prophecy (Even though I haven't read it) was written by father and son, so I'm assuming the father would have influenced the son somewhat.

Well, I'll appreciate any answers, because I've been wondering about this for a while.

Answer 1

they both work on there own scripts and then they compare them and take stuff out of enchothers and add it all togethor

Answer 2

Hi Michael,



Every author has his or her way of working, and each collaboration among authors is no doubt unique as well.  Two things they probably do have in common is a detailed outline and a lot of communication.  A detailed outline is important for the single author and even more so for the collaborative team.  If the outline is detailed and mutually understood by both parties, it may be possible to split up chapters.  In 2004 I co-authored a book with two colleagues and this is how we did it, but it was a non-fiction work which made it easier.  Co-authors will also bounce ideas off each other constantly - about characters, settings, plot devices, and even specific language and tone - which is how they can keep their styles from digressing too far.  I have heard of author teams who literally write at desks across from each other, talking through the whole thing as a shared experience.  In the case with my colleagues, after we had each written a third of the book, the "primary" author (the one whose name appears first on the book) went through the whole book and edited it, smoothing out the kinks in styles. She actually had to do a LOT of editng to make the book flow well.  Those are my "two sense" ("two cents," honey).  Hope it helps!

Answer 3

My critique partner and I have written two novels and five novellas together over the last year and a half or so (in addition to our own work.)

We come up with a plot and characters, and write a fairly detailed chapter-by-chapter breakdown. Then one of us starts, writes 2k words or so, and passes it over. The other edits the first bit a little and adds another 2k or so, passes it back, and so on. Our voices are fairly similar, but with the cowritten books we find we both slip into a new voice--our "together" voice. I might be writing and think of a good line but then I think, no, it's a little too "me". The goal is to be seamless.

It seems to have worked. Our editor loved the cowritten books and so did the reviewers. It was a lot of fun for us, and fairly profitable. :-)