Co-Writing and Collaborating: An Interview

Creative EmpowermentPersonal DiscoveryCollaboration

Jan 3

I have to admit that co-writing and collaborating on Wrong Angle with my friend and fellow author, Emerald O’Brien has been one of my most favorite experiences to date. Not only did we have a common “mission” when we started, but the process was also pretty seamless and FUN! We realized we had something pretty awesome together when we finished the first draft fairly quickly and actually loved what we’d created. I think one of the parts of the process I enjoyed the most was coming together to add “footnotes” to the book — little glimpses inside our thought process and decision-making while writing the book together. That being said, we haven’t really talked all that much about what it was actually like to collaborate on the project and as more and more creatives are finding connection and fun through co-creating… we figured this would be as good a time as any to talk about how we achieved such a successful project and remained good friends throughout it. I’ve gathered a few questions I’ve been asked over the years about co-writing and collaboration and thought it’d be fun to explore this in an interview style. So without further ado…

Why did you two decide to collaborate on this project in the first place? What made you excited about doing it as a joint project?

Emerald: I remember talking casually about co-writing something together for a long while before the idea for Wrong Angle came about. We were interested in creating a story together because we both appreciated each other’s storytelling methods, the themes and genres we explored individually, and thought our styles could mesh well. The idea of collaborating was especially appealing to me because I knew both the story and my own writing would benefit from Jade’s strengths as a writer.

One evening, Jade shared a true story about a missing woman with me. We discussed how terrible it was that the case was still unsolved. We were both disturbed by the idea of someone getting away with the disappearance and the thought of the family living without closure and answers for so long. We discussed our theories surrounding the disappearance, and how satisfying it would be to have closure. Around then, we realized awareness for missing persons and some sense of closure or justice for them were the topics we’d love to explore together.

Jade: Emerald and I have always discussed various true crime stories as it’s something we’re both fascinated with, but when we started talking about one particular missing person’s case, it seemed to spark something electric in both of us. As she mentioned, we realized pretty quickly that our interest in justice for these missing people plus the desire to co-write together came together in perfect alignment. Emerald and I have been friends for a long time and I’ve had the immense pleasure of watching her writing life and career bloom and expand. I was a fan of her storytelling before we even co-wrote together, but when we agreed to move forward on Wrong Angle, I was thrilled that I’d get a chance to work with one of my favorite writers.

What did you enjoy about the process of co-writing and collaborating on Wrong Angle?

Emerald: I enjoyed the entirety of the process, but I specifically remember the excitement I felt as we initially brainstormed plot points and character arcs for the story. It was as if our vision was automatically shared with such ease. It formed a beautiful flowing foundation for the rest of the co-creation.

I looked forward to swapping chapters, which happened daily, getting to read from Jade’s character’s POV. Although we plotted the story with some detail, we left room for things to change and continued to improvise with each other when the story or characters changed course. Jade and I both believe as you get to know your characters, you understand the reasoning and motives behind their decisions, and that helps the story play out in such a natural, authentic, and meaningful way.

Jade: So much of what Emerald said! Specifically, though, I absolutely adored taking two characters that we both loved individually and collectively and putting them together in this story. There is something magical about the way Madigan and Ames interact and connect with each other. In a way, it felt like an extension of Emerald and myself in the story, too. I also really loved the fact that writing the story felt so seamless and fun. Sometimes, writing alone can be a slog and hard to get through, but there is something to be said for having another person you’re accountable to and who is waiting on your chapters. Like Emerald said, even though we plotted with some detail, it was so much fun to wait for the next chapter and see the direction she took the duo. It was our very own version of “Write Your Own Adventure” in a way!

What was most challenging about the process of co-writing and collaborating on Wrong Angle?

Emerald: Some of the logistics were challenging, including picking a title and agreeing on the cover design. Jade and I both have an eye for design and a vision that extends past the story for the books we create. It took a bit of extra time, making sure these smaller details aligned with our vision.

As we reached the climax of our story in the first draft, we were unsure about exactly how it would play out, and the momentum we’d built felt suddenly stalled. We took some time to regroup, brainstormed once again, and then gave each other the space we needed to flesh out our thoughts. When we came together, the result was a new direction that delighted us as much as we hoped it would for the readers. The final piece of the puzzle sliding into place brought our story even more purpose, and subsequently, gave us the momentum to finish the story in a better way than we’d initially imagined.

Jade: Co-writing with Emerald is one of the few experiences in my life that I look back and nearly forget any of the challenges or obstacles. So in a way, I look at it through rose-colored glasses (which isn’t always the healthiest thing to do!). But Emerald is right! I totally forgot that at one point, we stalled out but came back together and finished it out with overwhelming positive feelings about it. I do remember the cover being one of the harder aspects, but you know what? It felt a bit like a wedding dress — when we saw “the one,” we both knew it was “the one.”

How did you decide who was responsible for writing each chapter, section, etc?

Emerald: We decided to switch POVs with each chapter, taking turns with the main characters we’d chosen from our previous stories. In the first few chapters, our characters hadn’t met yet, so we got a chance to establish their personalities to help each other when it came to including them in most scenes together.

We agreed that we would write from our own character’s POV with the intention of writing the other characters actions and dialogue in a way that we felt was true to them, but when we swapped chapters, the other could edit any parts they thought could represent their own character in a more authentic way for that scene.

By the second half, after gaining the experience of writing each other’s characters, hardly any edits were needed on behalf of our own.

Jade: I love the way we decided to split the chapters up and I think it really gave us some leverage with the story that we knew the characters so well. I had previously beta read all of Emerald’s Knox and Sheppard books so I knew Madigan as a character pretty well. While Ames hadn’t been in a lot of my published work, she had a big role in my unpublished novel, Until They Burn, which Emerald beta read for me. So she also knew Ames as a character fairly well. One of the best things about this writing process was that we knew we had the ability to shore up anything the other person didn’t get quite right and yet — we ended up doing so well with it that we really didn’t need to worry about extensive editing, as Emerald mentioned.

Why do you think it ended up as a successful project?

Emerald: I believe the success of our project came down to three aspects.

The first was our shared goals regarding the themes and topics we were passionate about exploring. We planned out the process, shared a special commitment to it, and honoured that commitment throughout the project.

The second was how easily our visions came together during the initial brainstorming process and the great foundation that was laid for the rest of the project in terms of listening to each other’s points and allowing them to form a stronger story.

The third and final reason was how well our writing ended up blending together in a cohesive manner, to the point that some of our readers wouldn’t have been sure which parts were whose (if it weren’t for the character we were each individually responsible for). I believe our complementary styles brought cohesion to the reading experience.

Jade: I echo everything Emerald said! I also believe that when two people share so many commonalities but are different enough to bring various strengths to the table, it results in a really magical experience. But I also believe that our belief system around character building, the craft of writing, and storytelling are so closely aligned that it made this experience of writing together so successful.

I think one of the biggest reasons we were successful in this project was our commitment to communication and honesty. We worked really hard to maintain a constant channel of communication while being kind and honest. We also worked really hard at being clear or giving clarity around certain aspects because clarity is kindness and when two people are working on a joint project — communication and clarity play a huge part in the success of it.

Conclusion

I want to thank Emerald for taking the time out of her busy schedule to do this interview with me! I think it’s important that readers get first-hand accounts of how creatives collaborate and co-create together. So much of creative projects aren’t talked about or explained and I want other creatives to be able to see the possibilities that exist outside of solo creation. I hope this little glimpse into our collaborative process helped illuminate how beneficial and lovely it can be to collaborate on a creative endeavor.