WANTED: Writing Partner

[ABlipinTime]

What it says.

I'm a script-writer/writer/dreamer (lol), but I have a nasty tendency to not finish things that I start. Often times I just have the basic layout of a story and its only interesting... until I run out of ideas and I watch something of an unrelated genre. So I'm looking for someone to work on stuff with. I'm more than willing to help with their stories.

Ye be warned:
Stuff I tend to write:
Sci fi (oh yeah!)
Fantasy
Slice of life (not always romance, but that's definitely in there)

What I refuse to write:
Horror (sorry, but I just can't draw myself to writing scary stuff)


PM me for more details if you're interested. Or you're welcome to post here, esp if its generic questions (that way I can answer them for everyone).

Thanks!

[Esoteric]

By writing partner, you mean mutual accountability/encouragement/story feedback, yes? Not co-authorship on a project, correct?

If you have no other takers, I could provide you with project accountability and some feedback, ironically as long as you’re not uber prolific (I could only manage reading a chapter or two per month). If you do actually mean co-authorship then sorry, I can't help you there.

If nothing else I can offer some advice:

Really, producing good writing is a job not a hobby. There’s no way around the fact that you’re going to have to grind at it most days, so you’ll need a determined, long-term mental outlook on your projects in order to succeed.

Set aside time. A minimum chunk of two hours at specific times of the week where you just sit and write with no interruptions, no distractions. Writing time is not internet research time, so if you must research something, set aside other time for that. Tell your family not to disturb you during these appointed times or go somewhere you can concentrate--whatever it takes. Remove all the temptations you can.

Set reasonable goals for yourself. You know how fast you write and how busy you are. So when creating time goals for yourself, don’t set yourself up for a fall.

I wish you luck.

[ABlipinTime]

By writing partner, you mean mutual accountability/encouragement/story feedback, yes? Not co-authorship on a project, correct?

I don't care. Whatever way people feel like helping. But, yeah, I am usually a loner.

If you have no other takers, I could provide you with project accountability and some feedback, ironically as long as you’re not uber prolific (I could only manage reading a chapter or two per month). If you do actually mean co-authorship then sorry, I can't help you there.

If nothing else I can offer some advice

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[FllMtl Novelist]

I can't be your coauthor or accountability/feedback partner, but I can tell you what I've learned about collaboration from reliable sources (Writer's Market and the Writing Excuses podcast). I don't want to tell you not to collaborate, but it's generally discouraged. In the end, of course, it's your choice. Here's what I know, and I hope this information helps you, whether you decide to coauthor or not. (The following only applies to coauthoring.)

One of the misconceptions about coauthoring is that it takes less time to complete a project than it would for a person to work on it alone. It takes more. The two parties have to communicate clearly to each other about everything -- plot ideas, world building, character relationships, and so on, not to mention the tricky business side of the partnership -- and that takes time. Another thing is, if you're both working on the same draft at the same time, and you're doing a "I write one chapter then you write one chapter" arrangement (which is common among writing teams), you have to wait for your partner to finish before you can do your chapter, and vice versa. If he/she is having problems outside writing and can't get to the project for a few days, you can't get to the project either. (I suppose if you're working with an outline this isn't necessarily the case, but I can't see it being a good idea to write without reading what your partner wrote before you.)

Another point: oftentimes, people try to collaborate in the hope that another person will do all the hard parts they don't want to deal with. For example, a person who knows her weakness in dialogue will try to collaborate with someone who is really good at it so she won't have to ever do it. Don't put off learning or practicing something you hate in the hopes that you can team up with someone who will do it for you. It's not a guarantee that you'll find someone who can and will do everything you hate, and an unwillingness to learn a technique suggests laziness (whether that's the case or not).

That said, there are writing collaborations out there that work beautifully. It's just not the path for everyone.

If you do decide to collaborate, do so with someone who is similar to you in commitment to the project and writing experience. Work with someone you get along well with. It's probably a good idea to, before you write a single word of world-building, at least write up a list of what you both want out of the partnership, what you both want to put into it, how you intend to resolve conflict (does one of you have the final say?), and any other promises you think you should make.

I hope that helps... ^^;;

[Darth_Kirby]

lol I'm in the same boat as you Blipintime. I'm up for doing the same thing as Esoteric. Just running ideas by people and checking up on them, but not co-authoring. Co-authoring can get dicy. lol

[ABlipinTime]

Thanks guys! I do really appreciate your advice.

...The two parties have to communicate clearly to each other about everything -- plot ideas, world building, character relationships, and so on, not to mention the tricky business side of the partnership -- and that takes time. Another thing is, if you're both working on the same draft at the same time, and you're doing a "I write one chapter then you write one chapter" arrangement (which is common among writing teams), you have to wait for your partner to finish before you can do your chapter, and vice versa...

Oddly enough, this does give me the strange idea of working in the same world. That is, one person write a story and another person write a story goes on simultaneously. If it's to be in sync, someone will have to come up with the map and timing of events in nearby areas will have to be coordinated. But the ideas don't have to be in sync - the authors could just be bouncing ideas off each other. That's not really co-authorship so much as just sharing.
Not planning on doing that myself though, lol.

[FllMtl Novelist]

Oddly enough, this does give me the strange idea of working in the same world. That is, one person write a story and another person write a story goes on simultaneously. If it's to be in sync, someone will have to come up with the map and timing of events in nearby areas will have to be coordinated. But the ideas don't have to be in sync - the authors could just be bouncing ideas off each other. That's not really co-authorship so much as just sharing.
Not planning on doing that myself though, lol.

I've heard of something like that, where two people world-build, then each does what he/she wants to with it. I don't know of any specific cases where it's been put into practice, though.

I'm kinda tempted to try it sometime, because world-building's hard for me. XD

[ABlipinTime]

I've heard of something like that, where two people world-build, then each does what he/she wants to with it. I don't know of any specific cases where it's been put into practice, though.

I'm kinda tempted to try it sometime, because world-building's hard for me. XD

What kind of worlds do you like?

(If you can't notice, I'm tempted too... or rather, curious.)

[FllMtl Novelist]

What kind of worlds do you like?

(If you can't notice, I'm tempted too... or rather, curious.)

Fantasy worlds, typically with medieval-era technology. I can create diverse landscapes and design pretty cities and stuff like that, but I don't have the right thought process to build economies or complicated magic systems. It often doesn't occur to me that if you had, say, a legion of fire mages, it would have an effect on economics ("what fire powers do these people have, and can anyone make money off them?"). I guess I have an eye for creating fantasy fine arts, but not so much the practical stuff.

I'd love to do a steampunk world and story sometime, but the idea of creating plausible clanks, airships, and tech with gears and stuff is so daunting. XD What would be their practical purpose? And what makes this particular steampunk world different from our own world in the Victorian era? I easily find answers for those kinds of questions. XD

It may sound over-analytical, but I want the worlds I write to be able to stand up to some scrutiny. XD

[ABlipinTime]

Fantasy worlds, typically with medieval-era technology. I can create diverse landscapes and design pretty cities and stuff like that, but I don't have the right thought process to build economies or complicated magic systems. It often doesn't occur to me that if you had, say, a legion of fire mages, it would have an effect on economics ("what fire powers do these people have, and can anyone make money off them?"). I guess I have an eye for creating fantasy fine arts, but not so much the practical stuff.

I'd love to do a steampunk world and story sometime, but the idea of creating plausible clanks, airships, and tech with gears and stuff is so daunting. XD What would be their practical purpose? And what makes this particular steampunk world different from our own world in the Victorian era? I easily find answers for those kinds of questions. XD

It may sound over-analytical, but I want the worlds I write to be able to stand up to some scrutiny. XD

Star... Gate...
Just talked to a friend of mine about it tonight. I've seen one show or so in my life, so it's a new thing for me. I stood there, smiled, and listened how he tried to explain all the funky physics that the writers had come up with. Ingenious, yet highly unrealistic if you know enough about physics (thus, it gave me some good laughs). But hey, that's fantasy. It doesn't have to have the greatest explanation of things. You can give a decent reason or none at all. It depends on what kind of reader you're appealing to. If you want geeks, give them all the fictional tech details]http://www.worldofrandomcraft.com/[/url]

[Darth_Kirby]

That's actually really good advice Blip!!

I don't think I've ever thought of needs too seriously when writing my stories. I just inserted things instinctively. Though I might be able to add depth to some boring scenes now!

As for me I'm more good at creating general plots and systems of magic, politics, and even some cultural/economics. My plots are usually very deep, but I have a hard time portraying my characters in a way that gives them depth emotionally and makes them "real" to the reader. I'm also not a very good describer of background scenery or general locations.

P.S. Stargate is AWESOME!! XD As you might of guessed... I'm a fan.