Cowriting: The Pros and Cons

Like most of my friends, I initially met my cowriter through gaming. We both enjoyed survival and crafting games, and for years we played games like 7 Days to Die nearly every night. It wasn’t until much later in our friendship that we broached the topic of cowriting a story together.

We came up with our main characters, Wendy and Jaime, and the story naturally fell into place around them. Since then, it’s been a wild ride. Both of us have a lot going on outside of the cowrite—jobs, family, other novels—so it’s taken us several years to write the first draft. There’s always going to be a part of me that wishes we wrote it faster, but honestly, I don’t think we would have gotten the same wonderful story we have now if we’d pushed through and rushed a first draft. This was truly a labor of love, and I hope that our love for these characters shines through in the writing.

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Whenever the topic comes up either in conversation, on podcasts, or during writing panels, I immediately want to know more. How do they cowrite? What’s their process like?

The answers are different each time. Some take a character and write exclusively from their perspective. Some send a rough draft to their writing partner, who fleshes out the scene. Some outline together, then one writer completes the first draft; the second writer polishes the next draft.

We initially planned to bounce scenes back and forth, but by the end of the draft, we’d found a rhythm that worked for us. We’d “pass the baton” around the 1,200-word mark, which gave us a chance to not only write from both perspectives, but usually add something to each new scene. We both have our strengths, and instead of spending thirty minutes trying to come up with a restaurant name, I would leave a message in the story that said, “Clever name here, please.”

Writing is a wonderful, albeit isolating, experience. While other people can love your story and cheer you on from the sidelines, you’re still in the trenches by yourself. Unless, of course, you have a cowriter. We’ve had tons of writing, planning, and cheerleading sessions that have kept us motivated throughout the years. It also helps that while there might not be a built-in deadline, there’s someone waiting for the next 1,200 words.

There are a few cons, too, but they feel very negligible in comparison to all the benefits. Just like with anything else, cowriting requires compromise. The story won’t sound exactly like you, and that’s okay; it’s going to be a mashup of both voices.

I know there are some cowriters out there who work on tight deadlines, but those are usually full-time writers. In my experience, cowriting is a mixed bag. Sometimes, we’re like a well-oiled machine and can pass the story back and forth several times a month. And then, of course, something pops up in our day-to-day life that delays us. By the time we can get back to it, one of us needs a refresher; and that’s okay, because all it takes is one of our combined planning and cheerleading sessions to get back to it.

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I’d absolutely do another cowrite—or several. Motivation, for me, is one of the most difficult aspects of being a writer, and having someone else who is equally passionate about the story is huge for me. Gamifying my writing, something I talk about in another post also helps, but nothing is better than having another person you can bounce ideas off of.

Have you cowritten a story before? I’d love to hear about your experience!