Writing Hint #38: Collaborate

Writing can be a lonely pursuit.

One way of overcoming this is to write collaboratively with another writer. I normally do not do this, but I’ve done it enough to know that it can be a very stimulating activity. I love the energy it can create as ideas spark off each of the participants. The collaborative writing I’ve done was largely in the context of when I was a classroom teacher. More recently it has been in the context of writing leadership policies and various other documents for our local church.

It is worth seeking out another like minded person and planning a collaborative writing project with them. An added bonus is that working in this way you not only spark ideas off each other but you are also accountable to each other. You are less likely to procrastinate if the other person is relying upon you.

Another method

I recently heard an interview on local radio featuring two authors who wrote and published a book collaboratively. All the writing was done via email and a few phone calls. The two authors never met until the book was actually launched. Collaboration does not mean you actually have to be in the same room together, though I find that writing in this way to be very intellectually stimulating. The two people in the case just quoted lived in different states here in Australia. The speed of email makes such collaborative efforts so easy these days.

Good writing.