I'm working on a fanfiction that I started a few years back. Trying to get motivation. I would love to finish it before next year so I can post it for Christmas, but I don't know if it's possible. Also, I have a question. I've never done a Writing collaboration before. How do those work?
Oh go you! I hope you can post it in time. I’ll be rooting for you!
Writing with other writers is really fun. There’s two ways that I know of how they work: informally planning a story together and the other is applying for a part in a collab.
The latter is rather simple. If you belong to a writing community or a group chat and they organise a collab, you can just sign up to join in. There are usually limited slots. I was part of the Got7 Christmas collab and naturally, 7 members = 7 slots. And then the one for the writing network I belong to was on a first in basis. You signed up for the prompt you wanted and if you missed out on it, then you could choose another or sit it out.
For the more informal approach, which I do often, its usually based off a conversation. For example, @noona-clock and I both love a lot of the same things, and we had both seen Downton Abbey at the movies and wanted to create our own world like that. Hence, Mistletoe Manor was born. Other times, I’ll be just chatting with @this-song-thats-only-for-you and next thing we have an idea we can both write about!
How they work after signing up varies. Generally, smaller collabs have a bit more structure. For our upcoming The Writers Guild one, there were two rules I think I made? Got7 had to be a writer of some sort, and it had to be set in the 19th century. For another collab I was in, we all had to make our characters work in the same world so members would cross over into other stories. It meant we had to collaborate a little more closely, to ensure there wasn’t one member in four stories and one completely on his own!
For bigger collabs, just as the network one I did, you just have to write your prompt. It was a Christmas idea, so as long as it had some festive/winter elements and you used the prompt, then you were able to do as you please. It’s kind of like how Challenging Words works... that’s an open collaboration really... you have less rules and more freedom - just have to use the prompt!
I really hope this answers your question. I hope you can join in a collaboration one day soon if it’s something you wish to do!
My ask box is open for this week’s Chelle Chats!
