While it takes two to collaborate, I think it only fair to mention our unseen and unsung collaborators, Elbert's wife, Carla, and my husband, Jim. I can't speak for Carla, who is the soul of patience, but I can attest that Jim did have an influence -- not in the writing, but in allowing me time to write.
Jim has always supported me. I think that is because neither of us came into the marriage (a second one for each of us) thinking we would change the other. We accepted the person "as is." On the other hand, neither of us was too concerned when the other person changed, as people do over the course of time and influence. Jim became interested in the paranormal and past-life regression, subjects he expressed no interest in before we married.
When I decided about halfway into our 30+ years relationship that I wanted to be a writer, not a word was said as I spent our household money to join writers' groups, buy books on writing and subscribe to magazines. Dust piled up, clothes when unironed as I pursued the muse. He even attended poetry readings with me (a sacrifice I no longer demand from him as long as he doesn't insist I view the latest photo he took of floating orbs in our back yard).
And, when I finally got a book contract, he was unsurprised. "Wasn't that what you've been working for?" he asked, as if it had been just a matter of time.
Now, back to Elbert's perpective. I object to being labeled "passive" but that is his point of view. There were times I thought he was a little too "out of the box" what with dancing cigarette lighters and talking liquor bottles.
Creative tension comes from holding two opposite views at the same time. Let's hope our opposites have created a story-telling tension that will keep readers reading.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Plotz -- the collaboration effort
From Elbert's perspective:
With a partial outline (up to about Chapter 16) in front of me, I began with my vision of Emerson Butler Chadwick. After reading what I had written, my wife told me, "It sounds just like you." No way. You were kidding, weren't you? Many moons ago, I read somewhere that a new author pours fragments of himself into his work -- whether writing about events or describing a character. In looking back at Emerson, I guess some of him is me, but only the good parts.
Sandy and I communicated daily via e-mail. Once I finished my version of the opening chapters, off it went through Cyberspace to Sandy's e-mail folder. She could be brutal at times, especially when I wrote about Emerson's mirrored labyrinth and sent her a copy of a drawing I did back in 1993. I wanted it to be Emerson's cover page to "Escape from Reality." Sandy e-mailed me a detailed definition, even caricatures, of a labyrinth and a maze, neither of which fit my labyrinth's drawing. That could've been a deal breaker, but we negotiated and negotiated some more. We finally compromised. Emerson's labyrinth would be described as being one in which there was no way in and, if you were already in the center, there was no way out. The "mirrored labyrinth" has become "Plotz-the Novel" 's cover page. Our brand, so to speak.
Now, I'm a sensitive person. Okay, I have an ego that needs to be stroked every now and then. I take things too personal. But that is the way I am. Collaborating with Sandy taught me the true meaning of give-and-take. In her defense, if she especially liked a chapter, a passage or a sentence, she would tell me so. If she didn't like it, she told me so.
Anyhow, I wondered if I should seek revenge when she sent me her chapters that introduced Sally and Phae. She's an excellent writer but prone to be too passive. I'm more dynamic and willing to step outside the box. We played off each other's emotions and ideas, compromised some more and came up with plausible characterizations in Emerson, Sally and Phae. I soon realized that we were Marshall Bruney, and that there is no "i" in TEAM. I needn't exact revenge on Sandy because that would've been on me, too.
At some point in our writing, communicating via e-mail had run its course. We met several times for coffee and a ham biscuit at either Burger King or McDonald's. Once, at Bojangles for breakfast, I had my laptop with me. I sat with my back to the line of customers waqiting for their breakfast order and the laptop open to the mirrored labyrinth cover. I knew people were looking over my shoulder at the online sketch and wondering, "Who are these people? And what are they doing?"
Our face-to-face meetings were quite rewarding. If we had encountered a deadend in a chapter, we were able to work it out by bouncing ideas (some crazy ones) off each other. When Phae snapped that photograph of Sally dragging Emerson to the lakeshore, I suggested using a Polaroid (plot alert!) camera. Sandy's response, "Oh, that is so twentieth century!" We went with a digital camera (so twenty-first century!).
I know I joke about Sandy being so "tough" on me; but, overall, I feel our 20-year friendship figured prominently into the collaboration equation.The end result, in my opinion, is a readable and enjoyable tale.
From Sandy's perspective: How we collaborated on "Plotz" from two separate homes and computer desks.
Next: Sandy's rebuttal -- er, perspective
With a partial outline (up to about Chapter 16) in front of me, I began with my vision of Emerson Butler Chadwick. After reading what I had written, my wife told me, "It sounds just like you." No way. You were kidding, weren't you? Many moons ago, I read somewhere that a new author pours fragments of himself into his work -- whether writing about events or describing a character. In looking back at Emerson, I guess some of him is me, but only the good parts.
Sandy and I communicated daily via e-mail. Once I finished my version of the opening chapters, off it went through Cyberspace to Sandy's e-mail folder. She could be brutal at times, especially when I wrote about Emerson's mirrored labyrinth and sent her a copy of a drawing I did back in 1993. I wanted it to be Emerson's cover page to "Escape from Reality." Sandy e-mailed me a detailed definition, even caricatures, of a labyrinth and a maze, neither of which fit my labyrinth's drawing. That could've been a deal breaker, but we negotiated and negotiated some more. We finally compromised. Emerson's labyrinth would be described as being one in which there was no way in and, if you were already in the center, there was no way out. The "mirrored labyrinth" has become "Plotz-the Novel" 's cover page. Our brand, so to speak.
Now, I'm a sensitive person. Okay, I have an ego that needs to be stroked every now and then. I take things too personal. But that is the way I am. Collaborating with Sandy taught me the true meaning of give-and-take. In her defense, if she especially liked a chapter, a passage or a sentence, she would tell me so. If she didn't like it, she told me so.
Anyhow, I wondered if I should seek revenge when she sent me her chapters that introduced Sally and Phae. She's an excellent writer but prone to be too passive. I'm more dynamic and willing to step outside the box. We played off each other's emotions and ideas, compromised some more and came up with plausible characterizations in Emerson, Sally and Phae. I soon realized that we were Marshall Bruney, and that there is no "i" in TEAM. I needn't exact revenge on Sandy because that would've been on me, too.
At some point in our writing, communicating via e-mail had run its course. We met several times for coffee and a ham biscuit at either Burger King or McDonald's. Once, at Bojangles for breakfast, I had my laptop with me. I sat with my back to the line of customers waqiting for their breakfast order and the laptop open to the mirrored labyrinth cover. I knew people were looking over my shoulder at the online sketch and wondering, "Who are these people? And what are they doing?"
Our face-to-face meetings were quite rewarding. If we had encountered a deadend in a chapter, we were able to work it out by bouncing ideas (some crazy ones) off each other. When Phae snapped that photograph of Sally dragging Emerson to the lakeshore, I suggested using a Polaroid (plot alert!) camera. Sandy's response, "Oh, that is so twentieth century!" We went with a digital camera (so twenty-first century!).
I know I joke about Sandy being so "tough" on me; but, overall, I feel our 20-year friendship figured prominently into the collaboration equation.The end result, in my opinion, is a readable and enjoyable tale.
From Sandy's perspective: How we collaborated on "Plotz" from two separate homes and computer desks.
Next: Sandy's rebuttal -- er, perspective
Friday, May 7, 2010
THE METAMORPHOSIS OF PLOTZ, CHAPTER TWO: COLLABORATION
Elbert: To coordinate our thoughts about characters, ideas for different plotlines and general musings, we used electronic mail. It was simple. Just type in Sandy's address, give it a subject name and start typing away, then attach any WORD documents.
Sandy: After a while, we had sent each other so much stuff that a Plotz Folder had to be created with separate files for our characters.
Elbert: The first correspondences became Plotz-1. When the novel was finished, we had gotten to Plotz-65.
Sandy: And that didn't count the specifically titled e-mail notes.
Elbert: Actually, that's how the title of the book evolved.
Sandy: You're not going to give away the ending are you?
Elbert: Oh, no. It's just that when I went to title the first set of notes I typed P ... L ... O ... T ... S. Out of the blue, here comes this lightning bolt of an idea -- why not a Z instead of a S?
Sandy: And Plotz was born, so to speak. However, it was not our intention to name our book "Plotz." With an outline and a suitable ending chapter in mind, we still didn't have a title.
Elbert: We finally decided on titling our book "Plotz" and co-wrote the very last segment of Chapter 24 to reflect the name. Other than the title pages, the word Plotz doesn't appear anywhere until Chapter 24.
Sandy: Then we began collaborating on writing the first drafts of chapters.
Elbert: We divided up writing tasks.
Sandy: It was like getting a school assignment ...
Elbert: Or a reporter's assignment ...
Sandy: He worked on Emerson chapters while I worked on Sally and Phae chapters. As soon as a particular chapter was finished, it was e-mailed to the other to read, proof, add ideas.
Elbert: And, when it came to introducing our newspaper reporters, Evan and Norma Rae, we were on our home turf and, I think, created two very interesting characters.
Sandy: We were able to give our readers some insight into the environs of a small-town newspaper, too.
Elbert: I think the successful penning of "Plotz" as a team was the willingness to compromise. I won't say we didn't argue ...
Sandy: It could've been really bad if we had been sitting behind individual desks in one room staring across at each other while trying to write a particular passage.
Elbert: Yeah. I remember a few times that I would've come across my desk to get to your throat ... Just kidding!
Sandy: We did meet face to face, whether at the chamber of commerce or at Burger King, to flesh out a few potential plot deadends. I think we were civil to each other, don't you?
Elbert: That's why a cup or three of "high-test" coffee is important when discussing plotlines.
Sandy: All in all, I think our collaborative effort has proven, despite a few wrinkles that were peacefully ironed out, that friends and business partners can work together -- and still be friends and business partners when the novel is finished.
Elbert: Yeah. Sort of like an Anson detente moment.
NEXT: getting that first rejection. Egads! Panic! Depression! What to do, what to do!
Elbert: To coordinate our thoughts about characters, ideas for different plotlines and general musings, we used electronic mail. It was simple. Just type in Sandy's address, give it a subject name and start typing away, then attach any WORD documents.
Sandy: After a while, we had sent each other so much stuff that a Plotz Folder had to be created with separate files for our characters.
Elbert: The first correspondences became Plotz-1. When the novel was finished, we had gotten to Plotz-65.
Sandy: And that didn't count the specifically titled e-mail notes.
Elbert: Actually, that's how the title of the book evolved.
Sandy: You're not going to give away the ending are you?
Elbert: Oh, no. It's just that when I went to title the first set of notes I typed P ... L ... O ... T ... S. Out of the blue, here comes this lightning bolt of an idea -- why not a Z instead of a S?
Sandy: And Plotz was born, so to speak. However, it was not our intention to name our book "Plotz." With an outline and a suitable ending chapter in mind, we still didn't have a title.
Elbert: We finally decided on titling our book "Plotz" and co-wrote the very last segment of Chapter 24 to reflect the name. Other than the title pages, the word Plotz doesn't appear anywhere until Chapter 24.
Sandy: Then we began collaborating on writing the first drafts of chapters.
Elbert: We divided up writing tasks.
Sandy: It was like getting a school assignment ...
Elbert: Or a reporter's assignment ...
Sandy: He worked on Emerson chapters while I worked on Sally and Phae chapters. As soon as a particular chapter was finished, it was e-mailed to the other to read, proof, add ideas.
Elbert: And, when it came to introducing our newspaper reporters, Evan and Norma Rae, we were on our home turf and, I think, created two very interesting characters.
Sandy: We were able to give our readers some insight into the environs of a small-town newspaper, too.
Elbert: I think the successful penning of "Plotz" as a team was the willingness to compromise. I won't say we didn't argue ...
Sandy: It could've been really bad if we had been sitting behind individual desks in one room staring across at each other while trying to write a particular passage.
Elbert: Yeah. I remember a few times that I would've come across my desk to get to your throat ... Just kidding!
Sandy: We did meet face to face, whether at the chamber of commerce or at Burger King, to flesh out a few potential plot deadends. I think we were civil to each other, don't you?
Elbert: That's why a cup or three of "high-test" coffee is important when discussing plotlines.
Sandy: All in all, I think our collaborative effort has proven, despite a few wrinkles that were peacefully ironed out, that friends and business partners can work together -- and still be friends and business partners when the novel is finished.
Elbert: Yeah. Sort of like an Anson detente moment.
NEXT: getting that first rejection. Egads! Panic! Depression! What to do, what to do!
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