How do you even start co-writing an original story? I asked a writerly friend to write one with me but basically I'm trash and don't even know what the first step would be in plotting one. Help???!
Well, the first thing with plotting a collaborative story is you have to tip more towards architect tactics than gardener ones’. This doesn't mean your actual writing needs to be affected, but it's important for you both to be on the same page -- that means planning.
The best way is to start brainstorming. If you're long-distance, then Skype or another IMing program is the best; because nothing gets the creative juices going like racing to say your idea before the other person. If you can be face to face, then try getting out some notebooks and start chatting. It’s especially important not to hold back your ideas, no matter how stupid they sound. You might facepalm later and they might facepalm with you, but there’s those special moments, where it sounded stupid to your head, but sparked something in theirs that becomes amazing. It’s just like normal brainstorming, but with two brains, so make sure nothing is kept secret. You need all the dice to play.
With brainstorming, it’s best to start with a general idea; a concept to jump off from. Such as ‘a world overrun with man-eating monsters’ or ‘a girl who can see other people’s life spans just by looking at them’ -- something that is the main point to build off and catches your interest. Then you start asking questions to follow. Go wherever the inspiration takes you, but I always found it easier to start a ground level and work up.
What's the genre? What's the conflict? How many characters? Who are the main characters? Happy ending or tragic one? Do we want romance? Do we want horror? What’s the location? What’s the timeframe? What’s the tense, the POV, the tone of the book? Keep asking these sorts of questions and keep answering them until ideas start sparking, and you’re off!
The more you learn, the more questions you can ask. Broader questions of: What kind of message are we trying to tell? What are some things we definitely want to stay away from? How much world building should be done? What are some of our inspirations? How are we going to divide up the writing? How are we going to blend our styles together, or get around the issue?
Detailed questions of: What are our character’s motivations? What are their places in the world? How do they drive the plot forward or does the plot drive them? What’s the culture of our world? Keep up with the momentum and don’t get too caught up with keeping on track. If the question of world building catches your interest, then don’t be afraid to follow that plot bunny wherever it goes, as long as your co-writer is on board.
Just as importantly, try to fill the plot with an equal balance of both your interests. If you like a certain theme, then see if your co-writer is interested in including it. If not, then try to compromise with using the genre they like or the character archetype they prefer. It has to be fun for both of you.
Above all else, document EVERYTHING. Even things you think you’ll remember or things you think aren’t important, keep them. An individual writer can go through a million reboots and revisions; imagine what two writers can do? You might decide to revamp the entire thing halfway through, and that one plot bunny in the beginning is what you base your story off of. And find one thing in the story to hang onto. Find the core, the crux, and don’t let it change. This will keep the tone focused for both of you.
Communication is key! Communication and documentation is more vital than anything, because it is so easy to get confused. If you can forget things about your own story, so can they; and guess what happens when you’re both on the wrong page? “Wait, we aren’t getting rid of that part?” “No, that part was going to happen before that part!”
Get an excel sheet and start planning out events. This doesn’t mean you have to structure every scene ahead of time; keep with your own writing techniques. But map out the major events, so no one gets confused about the timeline. There’s nothing worse than finding out the character development you planned in the first chapter, isn’t supposed to show up until the last!
This is my opinion on plotting. There are so many other tips on co-writing that I would love to tell you, but someone did it for me. Here are the links!
Collaborative Fiction 101
Writing with Someone You Care About
Hope this helps! Happy writing.
