On Writing With a Partner

When Sarah and I tell people that we are a writing team almost without fail the first question posed to us is: How do you do that? OR Isn’t it hard to write one story with two people?

The answer, quite simply, is: There is honestly no other way I would rather write.

Why? You ask.

Because.

And if that’s not good enough here are a few reasons why I love writing with another person:

REASON #1

You have a built-in sounding board. I don’t have to rely solely on the friends in my head (who tend to argue a lot and I don’t get much done when I listen to them.) I have an actual person who cares as much about the characters as I do. She cares about whether our main character whines/cries/eats too much/not enough and when the tension is high in a scene and I let it fall flat (which Sarah will attest I have a tendency to do) she fixes it without complaint.

Which brings me to REASON # 2

You have a built-in critique partner (we love you too Monica!). Like you know when you type the word fell ALL THE TIME but really mean to type fall or when you don’t notice that you started a scene and your MC is in her jammies then all of a sudden two sentences down she’s in street clothes or those times when you write a certain word (for me it’s ‘slip’) like twelve times in the same paragraph. Yeah, it’s nice that someone finds those little “accidents” and fixes them without saying a word.

REASON #3 

You know when you get really excited when a new idea comes into your head and all you want to do is tell your husband/boyfriend/best friend/mom (insert other special person you share your ideas with here) I/we barf out an e mail/call the other and the excitement swells! And said partner is just as excited as you are about your amazing new idea that within a few hours has grown and grown into a tiny seedling of a story that gets to be nurtured by two people who can add their own unique touch to make the idea/story/(someday)MS that much better!

REASON #4

What better way to spend your time then making up stories with one of the most amazing/talented/special people in your life?  In my opinion there isn’t one and that’s why – for me – writing with a partner is one of the coolest experiences I have ever had! Seriously! If you haven’t tried it you should.

Maybe it won’t work out…BUT! Maybe it will!!!!!!!

Here are just a few writing teams that have written some amazing stories:

Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (the Castor Chronicles)

Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam (Elusion Trilogy)

Amie Kaufman & Megan Spooner (The Starbound Series)

Noelle August AKA Loren Oberweger & Veronica Rossi (Boomerang)

Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg (Fox & O’hare Series)

And there are a TON more!!