Category: Writing as a Team

Two people writing as a team can have advantages over soloist authors. But to have a fruitful writing partnership we must adopt a process that utilizes our strengths, and we need a relationship that’s strong enough to support the endeavor. Here’s where we explore the matter from various angles.

Achievement Unlocked: Editing Pass

Science Novel passed another milestone this week, when we completed an editing pass through the whole manuscript. Yay, Team Skelley!

What it mainly showed us is that this book is really close to ready to meet its adoring public. The changes were almost all word-picks, and there were surprisingly few of them. We knew that we’d done significant editing on this one already, but because we’d laid it aside for quite a while we expected to have more issues jump out at us when we picked it back up. The longer we let a book rest, the better we can see what needs tuning. So, this is a great sign.

There’s still tons of work to do in order to get it ready. One of the tasks will be yet another editing pass. Why bother? Because we want you to have nice things, of course. But also for symmetry. Jen went first on this most recent edit, so for the next one it’ll be Kent’s turn to run in front. We each tend to be tuned into different aspects of the prose, and we’ve geared our process to take advantage of that.

(It’s also an excuse to read the story again.)

1000 Down

Wednesday’s installment of the chain story was our 1,000th post on the Skelleyverse. 679 of those are writing prompts, and 601 of those are of the stichomancy flavor. The other 321 posts are status updates about our various projects, advice for how to write with a partner, and other glimpses into Rune Skelley’s Writing Cave.

A big thank-you to all our blog readers, and to everyone who checks us out on Twitter. We’d be just as silly no matter what, but you guys are the reason we do it in public.

And, our deepest, most heartfelt thanks to everybody who reads our novels. We don’t have anywhere near 1,000 of those to offer. Not yet, anyway.

Hitting The Road (Again)

Last week we took another big car trip and spent a couple of nights in a hotel. All this shuttling around on the highways certainly cuts into our writing time.

The fortunate thing is, we’re currently in the stage of our process where we’re least chained to our desks. Our work sessions lately consist of conversation and note-taking, which we can do even while driving. We also take a laptop with us so we can do some research if a question comes up, such as how common a particular type of fingerprint is. (And yes, we are enjoying the idea of someone trying to guess what this book is about based on what we’re researching. Because it’s impossible.)

Having a teammate helps at every step of a project, of course, but this developmental stuff might be the place where it’s the most significant. Conversations are so much more productive when they have more than one participant (plus, there’s someone else in the car who can take notes while you’re busy driving).

So, once again, we’ll advocate for finding yourself a good writing partner. You don’t have to marry them, but in our experience that does bring some nice fringe benefits.

Critique Group Advice — Part 3

Sharing your work with readers is the ultimate goal for most writers, and one of the best ways to improve your writing is to share it with fellow writers through a critique group. We’ve been in a group for a very long time, so now we’re sharing our experiences with you in order to help you get the most out of your own group.

First things first: join a critique group. We feel that an in-person format is the best way to go. Check out the scene in your local library or indie bookstore. There might be established groups looking for members, or you might be able to start your own. You could also do a search for “online critique group” and learn about other options if the local scene isn’t panning out.

Now, a word of caution when processing the input that your critiquers provide: don’t try to please everybody. Gathering input is the whole purpose of going to the meetings, but that doesn’t mean all the input is valid. You’ll probably need to develop some filters to separate the signal from the noise.

One thing Kent and Jen always do is take their own notes during the meeting. This can be jotting down specific comments from the critiquers, but also often includes little signposts for later to help us remember how we felt about these ideas in the moment. There’s a huge difference between “punch up descriptions” and “do we really need to punch up descriptions?”

By the way, this is another area where working as a team gives us an unfair advantage. There are twice as many ears to take in the commentary, and we have each other to check in with when deciding which notes really require action.

You might be wondering why it’s so important to be in a group if you can’t take their feedback at face value anyway. One of the first things you want to do is check for patterns. Did more than one person have the same concern? That’s a sign that you do need to look into it. Just be alert for people chiming in who only “had the same problem” after someone else brought it up.

And as you get to know the other members it will become easier to filter, and hear between the lines. It’s not a binary thing, where each comment is either an obligation or something to disregard. Ask yourself, “why would Jack tell me to repeat this description?” If the details in question were mentioned in the previous block of pages that you sent through the group, and you feel it would be too repetitive, then trust your gut. People often have trouble recalling all the particulars from earlier sections, something that’s far less of a factor for real-world readers who will have the whole book all at once. But if Jack has a really sharp memory and he was also talking about deepening the mood, maybe his real point was that repeating a particular image resonates with the main character’s dilemma. Or something.

It’s your book. If you give the comments honest consideration, but you disagree that the changes are advisable, then don’t make changes. However, don’t argue about it in group. Smile and say, “sure, thanks,” or “I see, okay.” Then think it over later and decide for yourself.

A critique group is a vital way for you to grow as a writer.

Pop That Champagne!

Hallelujah, it’s raining completed manuscripts. We beat our deadline for getting both Science Sequels done by the end of May! With a day to spare, and only a tiny bit of fudging. Kent even had time to mow the lawn. (Hey, we all celebrate in our own ways.)

Seriously, though. There was celebrating, for real. Instead of champagne, we had milkshakes spiked with vodka. Far more appropriate, as our beta readers know. The rest of you will need to wait a bit to find out why.

We’re both very happy with how these first drafts have come together. Jen is even able to admit that the word counts are acceptable. Now it’s time to let them rest for a while and apply ourselves to a different project. It’s vital to get ourselves prepped to see things clearly when we return to do revisions, and working on an unrelated story is something we’ve found to be unbeatable for flushing the residue out of the ol’ mental RAM circuits.

Having a writing partner sometimes turns “we did it!” into date-night. Which is sorta nice.

Srsly, They’re Almost Done

Progress update on Son and Grandson of Science Novel: they’re still almost done.

All the outstanding comments in both projects have been cleared. The placeholders are filled in, and descriptions punched up and made consistent, and nearly all the new scenes have been written. It seems like for every scene we knock off the list, there are two more getting added. But this hydra will be slain ere the month is out! Forsooth!

Writing books two and three in tandem, and now simultaneously, certainly wasn’t the least stressful approach we could have taken. There were advantages, such as being able to get deeply enmeshed with the cast and the story world, and fine tune both books for thematic resonance and high-level plot development. But it made for a really long trip. We’ve got ourselves pretty well adapted to completing one first draft and then switching into a different mode for a while. Doubling the duration of that prose stretch — spoiler alert — made it twice as long! We’re jonesing pretty hard to focus on something else.

We’ll have the books done soon. Meanwhile, have a picture of the two best, craziest pooches we know.

Lady Marzipan and her consort, the Bandit Lord

Gardening

Last night we planted Jen’s tomatoes and poppies. Kent enjoys playing in the dirt, and Jen is good at supervising him, so it seems to have turned out quite well.

It’s tempting to turn gardening into a writing metaphor, but it doesn’t lend itself. Pages don’t form like fruit on a vine if you just get enough water and sunlight. Putting words on a page isn’t really like putting roots into soil.

Living things are certainly sources of inspiration. A growing plant could be an apt metaphor for the underlying creative force. That an idea could be like a seed, and blossom in the imagination, is a familiar notion. Writers do need creativity, and sometimes our ideas need to be nurtured. On the other hand, some ideas are like weeds.

Having ideas is not writing, though. Writing as an activity, a process. It’s the work that turns those ideas into meaningful output. Later this summer, Jen will put her tomatoes into recipes. Ideas are ingredients, the author a chef. There, we knew we’d find a good metaphor somewhere in this.

It’s good to get away from your desk now and then, get some dirt under your fingernails. Or, watch from up on the deck while your writing partner gets it under his.

Pass the Spackle

We’re still making progress on these first drafts that have occupied us since, seemingly, time began. As we mentioned a few weeks ago, we reached the end but still had a few holes to fill in. Since then we’ve made progress toward that goal. Not blazing progress. It’s more of a shamble, which we’ll blame partially on project fatigue and partially on life getting in the way.

The latest deficit to grab our attention is emotional holes and placeholders. Places where we’ve written, “She was angry,” or “He was sad,” or even “What they saw was very interesting,” but there’s no detail, no followup. The moments aren’t expanded or lived in, they’re just inert. It’s the classic trap of telling rather than showing, and we’re working hard on shifting the balance the other way. That’s what’s been occupying Jen most recently.

We also noticed that we had two particular characters who never shared a scene, and it felt like they should. The challenge was making their meeting relevant to the plot. They couldn’t just get together for a drink and chat about sports. It had to mean something. So Kent tackled that and finished it up last night.

If we fuck around with these first drafts much longer they’ll no longer be first drafts, which means that we might need a couple of you guys to come over and take them away from us. New life goal = not letting it come to that.

Critique Group Advice – Part 2

As our regular readers know, we believe strongly in not going it alone. For us that means writing together. But even if you don’t have a writing partner, you still need help sometimes, and that’s where your network of fellow writers comes in.

Okay, so you’re going to join a critique group, or maybe even start your own. Fantastic. Last time, we covered some very general ideas such as schedules and ground rules. Now let’s dive into some details.

Practical decisions such as how to distribute work can have a big impact on the effectiveness of the group. What we’ve found to work well is sending out the chapters ahead of time via email. Give your members enough time to read the pages twice if they want, and remember it takes longer when you’re adding notes as you go. In some groups, each author reads his or her own work aloud. There’s nothing wrong with doing that, if you have the time, but we’d caution that the author’s bias and familiarity can mask issues with the grammar. Places where a “real” reader might stumble, whereas the rehearsed recitation will smooth it out.

How many pages to send at one time is also an important question. Smaller chunks lead to more detailed critique, while larger sections let your group’s members get into the flow of the story. The more material you expect to cover in a meeting, the more disciplined you’ll have to be about staying on-topic. (This can be a serious problem at any gathering of writers. We’re creative types; we know lots of things; we love words.)

A final note about the work being brought to group: how complete should it be before you start? There’s no one right answer, of course. Some people like to get hot feedback on a work in progress, or use the meeting schedule as a way to impose deadlines and stay productive. That’s awesome if that’s what works for you. Our personal experience has taught us not to take our stuff in too early. It made us second-guess ourselves too much. The feedback has been consistently more useful to us when it was collected after we had the first draft done.

More of our thoughts on critique groups still to come. Have advice or experiences to share? Add a comment!

It’s About Fucking Time

Last night we wrote the final scenes for Grandson of Science Novel! Yay! Go team!

Clearly Jen’s original vision of finishing by the end of 2017 was wildly optimistic. Some might even say delusional. No matter. It’s done now.

Or rather, the main composition is done. There are still a few comments we need to address in both this one and its predecessor, Son of Science Novel. And a few little holes in both to fill in with details. But! We reached the end!

We’ll take the weekend to celebrate, then dive back in next week and knock those last items off of our To Do list in short order. And it will feel so fucking good! We’ll get to put this story world down for a little while and turn our attention to other things. And when we come back we’ll be refreshed and ready edit and perfect it.

Now, where’s that champagne?