Writing Partners - Yes or No?

Jun 4, 2012

Book 1 of the Urban Samurai series, Ichi, is finally off to beta readers! Insert happy dance here. Why did this one take so long? Well, it was my first fiction co-writing project. Yes, I’ve done the non-fiction route with multiple authors, check out 9 Months In 9 Months Out – four authors working in tandem to get as much knowledge as we could into the book. And, actually, in comparison to how long it took me to get Phyxe from draft to final mode, this one was nanoseconds.

Fiction was equally as challenging but infinitely more fun. Why? Because of the creative process. There’s nothing quite like hashing out a plot in the hot tub with drinks under the stars. We’ve learned to use a variety of tools to help too. We jumped back and forth on scenes using Instant Messengers, but quickly realized that co-writing worked best in Google docs. I still have the main project in Scrivener – there are just too many good things to say about that program to get them all in one post. And many others have already outlined the benefits. I love the fact that it forces me to follow my outline. Oh, I can rearrange to my hearts content….and man, did it help with gaps and plot holes.

Another interesting twist with having a writing partner? The book evolved into a series based on two characters, not all the characters. That’s not to say there aren’t subplots and other characters who will have their own stories. It’s just that these two particular characters end up evolving and deepening more than could be covered in one book.

I kinda like that.

So, Ichi is not a romance. Not in the traditional sense of boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, girl falls for boy and happily ever after. It’s more of a boy meets girl, girl gets jumped by a demon, boy slays demon, and oh by the way….. It’s definitely been fun to write. And the bonus? Book 2 is already drafted, we just have to fill in the gaps and figure out where Book 3 is going.