I know you've cowritten a number of times, any suggestions on that process?
omgosh, thank you for asking, this is such a great question!
i have to preface my answer with the fact that i was extraordinarily fortunate to find not just a writing partner i vibed with but also someone who turned out to be an incredible friend. the process that unfolded organically between @jemariel and i had an ease to it that made every step feel joyful and new, which is certainly not a requirement but made it such that we had very few hiccups (if any) along the way.
i know this is not everyone's experience with co-writing, but it was mine, and so i haven't really spent a lot of time thinking about WHAT made it work so effortlessly for us. thank you for giving me this opportunity to reflect!
the first thing i guess i'll say is: ASK! if there is someone you're wanting to collaborate with, don't be afraid to approach them about it. i say this having literally done it this morning, actually 😅 sometimes people say yes and then nothing materializes, because Real Life, etc., etc., but that's okay. never hurts to ask. ❤️
i think it was important that i approached someone whose writing i already really liked and whose style/voice/themes/ideas seemed similar to my own. it turns out that Jem and i complement each other's writing skills really well, to the point where our individual seasoned betas couldn't tell our writing apart after a while, which was very cool.
talk to each other about your individual process, start to finish. are you a planner or a pantser? do you use an outline, do you write everything in linear order, do you jump around between scenes? write drafts by hand? how many editing passes do you like to do before you consider a piece polished/complete? etc.
have a shared planning document! this is so important for keeping track of brainstorming, notes, running tag lists, etc.
communicating openly throughout the process was critical. think of it as scene negotiation if you like. 😂 but establishing things like: will one person write one (or several) characters, or will you both (all?) write for everybody? will you tinker in drafts on your own first and share snippets with each other, or write at the same time with your preferred collaborative software, or some secret third thing?
try to be flexible about how you're doing the process together. if you're familiar with the improv game "yes, and..." it can be very helpful when you're developing a scene. maybe one partner has a wildly different process and you want to give it a try for a scene or two. collaboration over compromise - you're trying to work together in a way that satisfies both parties while you work on telling each other the story.
HAVE FUN!!! at the end of the day we're all here on our own time doing this for our own jollies. if it doesn't excite you, why are you doing it? 😂
AND! bonus, Jem has chimed in with their thoughts as well!
Step 1: Find someone you vibe with hard on both a personal level and a writing level (as in, somebody whose writing you've read and enjoyed and who has enjoyed your writing in return).
Step 2: Get comfortable with "yes and." Co-writing will require you to relinquish a little bit of control over the story direction, so get comfy with improvising together and hyping up each others ideas.
Step 3: Ask the other's opinion, and listen. Similar to above, you don't really get to make unilateral story decisions when you're cowriting, so when you have a fantastic idea, share it with your cowriter. If they poke holes in it, try not to take it personally. Trust that you're both working toward the best version of the story possible.
Step 4: Optional, but it helps, especially at first: Pick a story that can be neatly divided between the two of you. (I think it helped... significantly on the first story that Cas and Dean spent most of the story in different states. We each kind of had our own chunk of the story. That said, the scenes where they did interact were by far the most fun, but by the time we got there we had already developed our partnership vibe, y'know?)
i hope this is helpful - thanks again for asking, it was a really good exercise for me (us??? lol) to examine the process for my(our!!)self a little more objectively! ❤️💚💙
Episode 36, Tattoos, is now available! Come join @malmuses and @ellen-of-oz as they chat with guest author @jemariel about fics where Dean or Cas (or both!) are all tatted up.
Direct website link to the episode.
The main fics we discuss in this episode are:
Cats and Tats by @jemariel
Not the Fire but the Spark by @goldenraeofsun
Under My Skin by @xylodemon
Make You Feel My Love by @sternchencas
You can listen to the Mixtape Book Club podcast on our website, http://mixtapebookclub.com, or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, and most other popular podcasting apps.
Enjoy!
Do you love Supernatural? Are you a fan of Dean and Castiel, and their relationship? Do you enjoy reading Destiel fanfiction? This is the podcast for you!
You can find our Mixtape Book Club Ao3 collection here, containing the stories we’ve discussed on the podcast so far.
A warning: adult themes and swear words are mentioned in this podcast.
MBC is a positive fandom space. You will not find negative reviews, fandom trashing, or negativity beyond some good-natured mocking of the show itself here; we only feature fic that we like. Please keep that in mind when reaching out to us or interacting in our social media spaces.
For fic writer asks... what if I asked.... all of them 🥺👉👈 (that you want to answer anyway)
I'd say thank you 😳🥺 but also that's too many lmao I'll do four
1. How old were you when you started writing fic?
I believe I was fourteen. The first fic I ever wrote was a Buffy AU where Angel was an actual angel rather than a vampire. A Supernatural girlie before the show even aired 💅
8. What's the best summary you've come up with?
"Dean has a friend." The simplicity of it, the implications 😩👀
13. Do you post WIPs or wait until you're finished writing to post
I wish I could say I belonged to the second camp but sadly I have no self control and live for the validation of others.
24. What's the cringiest (affectionate) fic you've ever written?
A Remus Lupin/OC fic I wrote when I was fifteen. The plot was that my OC has one year to live and is going through her bucket list, and falls in love with Lupin along the way (I was very convinced she was not a self insert like... sure kid, whatever you say). I eventually got bored with it and ended the fic like ten chapters early by unceremoniously killing her off in her sleep lmao. But I loved writing it up until that point!
Hiya, would you be able to do some of the pride emoji you've done (like the tada) in genderfluid and/or genderqueer pride colors? I'd love that <3 thank you! Your emoji are great I'll definitely be sending people your way if they ask
Genderfluid and Genderqueer Butterflies, Skulls, Sparkles, Sparkling Hearts and Tadas
https://archiveofourown.org/works/29587719 Rinse Cycle by hellosweetpea, 111/100
thank you for the rec!!!
Rinse Cycle by @hullosweetpea
Rating: Teen
Words: 2044
Tags: Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Castiel (Supernatural), Trans Beta Dean Winchester, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment
Summary:
Dean's tapping and humming merge as one with the machines. Cas could watch Dean's hands as he sorts and cleans for any number of hours. He’d never caught Dean’s scent in the seven months they’ve worked together. Between Scent-B-Gone, the scent neutralizer sprays on the main floor, and so much soap and cleaner Cas could barely smell himself after a shift.
Dean is kind. A bright soul amongst the many.
Dean holds up a top sheet and pulls a face. "Does the slick spot look like a dick to you?"
"I didn’t know slick spots could so accurately portray Ronald Reagan.”
Dean throws his head back and his laugh echoes against the cinder block walls.
_______________________________
if you love the fic, please give the writer some love via kudos/comments/reblogs. your support matters!
Hello I have a question! I have an unfinished series that I'd like to toss in for the collection. Should I submit the series link? Or link to one of the stories? Thank yooooooou!
If all the fics in the series fit under one trope, then just link the series with the WIP box ticked ^_^
If they’re all different, but can be read standalone, then pop them where they fit :)
