In an essay about writing a novel with her husband, Beth Ann Fennelly discusses that the process did not lead to fighting, but that it was fun, and not as lonely. However, it didn’t mean half the work. It meant twice the work. She writes:
That’s when the novel really started cooking—and finally became fun to write—when we adopted the method we termed the “dueling laptops,” writing side by side on the same passages at the same time, then reading aloud and discussing and jointly moving forward. This is clearly not the most expedient route … but it was a wild new kind of work, a work which takes the other’s half, and raises it by half.
Read the entire essay over at this month’s Glimmer Train bulletin.
Also in this month’s bulletin:
- The Ability to Desire a Thousand by Courtney Sender
- If Something’s There by Andrew Porter
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
What an essay. I don’t think I could collaborate like that at all. Kudos!
Beth Ann’s article was great! (It’s very odd they have agents who are married, isn’t it?) I’ve been dying to get one of my CPs to collaborate on a novel to save myself some work, but Ann’s article sure made me rethink that strategy. It’s like getting married. You think you’re getting someone to help you in your life, but you end up with no help on your problems and all their problems on top of it. *sigh*
[…] Beth Ann Fennelly / photo by Jon Cancelino In an essay about writing a novel with her husband, Beth Ann Fennelly discusses that the process did not lead to fighting, but that it was fun, and not as lonely. However, it didn’t mean half the work. […]
My CP and I will be doing a collaboration this year. Loved reading Beth Ann’s essay and passed it on to my CP. Thanks. ::)