My writing partner and I got together today. It’s always a hoot when we do. Thankfully, today was a day filled with more real-writing and less let’s-talk-about-everything-but-writing.
I love it when we get together. We have the same ideas for our characters and the plots. She finds inspiration in pictures and drawings; I find mine in nature and poetry. We get together, talk out the themes and ideas and what if’s…
And after three hours together today, what has been planned as a three-book epic story has now grown into (at least) five. (Just to give you an idea of how colossal that growth is, we started this project a year ago as one novel. Within the first week we knew it would be a trilogy. Now we’re planning to retire on this series.)
We’ve pretty much signed an oath in blood to not reveal any details; but I can tell you that writing with Megan has been the highlight of my life. We balance each other out wonderfully. She brings great dialogue to the table, and let’s me hammer out the descriptive details.
There’s been some wonderful moments, some stories behind the stories that are hilarious to only the two of us. But I can honestly say, no one gets my humor like she does (and no one holds onto these jokes longer, either!). Our first edits resulted in some bad writing, but great moments. [“Wait! Why do *I* get to be *her*?”] [And my personal favorite to date: “She had an affinity for his masculinity.” “We are not trying to be Gilbert & Sullivan, here!”]
In all my other writing endeavors, I’ve flown solo. This is my first attempt at collaborating. And I really love it. I love how Megan and I had the same story idea before we even got together. I love how our sub-themes and characters and visions for the details are the same. They relate to each other, feed off each other, grow with each other.
It’s true when they say characters are like your children. We have given birth to some amazing characters: good, dark, helpful, mischievous. Prince and Pauper. Significant and insignificant. And as we grow them, they have a life of their own. So often have we sat around our laptops or Denny’s and said, “He would never say that!” or “She would so-o-o act that way, it’s perfect!” So many little inside jokes that will never make it into the books, but we’ll hold on to forever.
I wish I could share the story with you so far. I really do. Because it’s an amazing story. There’s action and romance and fantasy and suspense and good and evil and Darkness and Light and so much more.
We’ve got the first five books written out. Well, planned out, at least. We’ve got the sketches and napkin notes to prove it. But now it’s time to really sit down and type it out in detail. Not skipping a beat or missing a breath. Now it’s time to Write.
Good thing I have The Best Writing Partner Ever … and bonus for me, she’s a Barista at the Starbuck’s just two miles away. How awesome is she? That’s what I’m sayin’…
Now it you’ll excuse me, I have some dragons to slay.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!