Writing with a Partner

Video Transcript

In this clip we are going to be covering collaborating with a writing partner. Now, if you do decide to collaborate with someone I would recommend that it's not a person you just met in class last week or that kind of thing. It's someone that you can really write with and really exchange ideas, you have a good working rapport. Now there's several ways you could divide up your collaboration. A lot of writers will work very closely at the beginning so they are both really on the same page with, in terms of what the characters are going to be, what the story is like. Everything is pretty well set, and then each writer will go off, and maybe one write one scene and then the other writer will write another scene. Another way t do it possibly, is that if you have a real affinity for a certain character, once concentrates more on writing from scenes with that character, and the other will write more scenes with the other character. The other way is that you both will work on the same scene and come up with your own version of it, then you'll combine them, or you'll look at them together and you'll keep the great stuff and you'll toss out the stuff that really doesn't work. I'd say with e-mail the way it is today that it's very easy to collaborate with someone obviously thousands of miles away. Maybe if I was doing a fun project, so that if it, it fell through and really didn't work out it wouldn't be a big deal to me. But if it came through and it worked out great, all the better. Now when you write a play, all the ideas you come up with, you stand behind obviously. But there are some people, that when they come up with, whether it's an idea that you really care about or it's just off the top of their head, they fight tooth and nail to keep that idea in. And they will argue with you or make you feel guilty or whatever they have to do to keep every idea in. And that's the sort of person you do not want to work with. You don't want to collaborate with that type of person, and they may very well be your best friend or a family member who you get along terrifically with, but in writing a play, you've got to have that give and take. And collaborating with someone should be a tennis match, it should be working together. Almost sometimes the ideal situation is that you know what this other person is going to suggest before they even come up with it, and your working together topping each other with ideas. That's the perfect situation. Now a good reason to collaborate with another writer is when they have a certain technical expertise that you can use in your play. For instance if it's set in a court room and you're collaborating with a lawyer, that can be a very workable situation. Overall, I'd say don't collaborate with someone because you're not that experienced a writer, maybe just need some support. But collaborate with someone because truly what you have to offer a project and what they have to offer a project, together will make it the best possible play.

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