Hi all, is anyone wanting to help me write or even co-write a story with me? I have a story in mind so dont worry about that. Its my first and i just want help to get off the ground. Thanks in advance
It would seem like a good idea to read the thread 'story idea stolen' before you start out on this venture.
excellent point, trilby! stewie... if you do decide to go with a co-author, be sure to have a collaboration agreenment in place before either of you writes a single word!... horror stories abound about those who didn't... one of my mentees ignored my advice, being so sure her partner was trustworthy and ended up coming back to me for help after he stole the whole shebang right out from under her and had it produced as his own original work, even though it was her concept from the get-go and she did the lion's share of work on it... i had to give her the sad news that she had no legal leg to stand on, since she had no collaboration agreement with the creep and couldn't prove her case... the best one around can be found here: www.wga.org ... while it's meant for screenwriters, with just a few word changes, it works well for any written work... if all you want is help, i mentor writers of nearly all breeds, so you can email me if you want to learn how to do it all on your own... love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
And yet we've all forgotten one of the main rules here: this forum is not in the business of collaborations. It's not done here. I still can't even remember why, but for as long as I've been here, every collaboration thread has gone downhill. I'll also throw it out there that collaborations aren't great. I started collaborating with a guy once and it involved me asking "Are you okay with this genre?" and "Is this setting fine?" and doing all the leg work of development. You, on the other hand, already have the story idea which means it's not a true collaboration. If you've got the story idea, you're essentially thrusting it at someone and saying, "Write this part for me." If you want to collaborate with another writer, collaboration is actually usually a part of that agreement.
As the others have said, true collaboration is a minefield, requiring complementary writing styles for the two authors, as well as a clear understanding of who is supposed to do what and what each party's rights are. Given that you already have the story idea, perhaps what you're really looking for is a reader/editor? Maybe someone who can make suggestions as to what needs improving, rather than writing part of it themselves? That way, it remains your story, but you can acknowledge the contributions and help you have received. If it's likely to turn into a commercial enterprise, however, even the role of editor needs to have a clear legal footing.
