Wrede on Writing

Plot, characters, and background are the Big Three when it comes to writing

There is no One True Way to write.

Similarly, there lots of different methods for collaborating. One that works well for a lot of people is “I write my characters; you write your characters,” in which each writer comes up with some characters, they decide mutually on which ones will be the central viewpoints, and then they work out (in advance or as they go along) which scenes will be from which viewpoint. The writer who has that character writes the scene.

People go into collaborations for different reasons, and each project and co-author is a different situation.

The main thing that seems to work, though, is forgetting about the deadline and refocusing on getting the writing done.

Once you know why you’re having problems meeting deadlines, most of the solutions are common sense.

Again, diagnosis is key.

some chronically underestimate how long it’s going to take them to write ten pages (or how many pages it will take to cover X amount of material);

If you’re this kind of person, the first thing I recommend is that you stop for a few minutes and think about why this happens to you. And be brutally honest. A

The more common problem, though, seems to be people who freeze in the face of a deadline.