Hopefully we're not breaking any rules of the forums by being two people but we're a boyfriend/girlfriend collaborative writing team. We have discovered that this really works for us but it might cause you to notice some differences in writing when we post to the forums. I do have one question, since we don't care to have both of our names on our work for publishing, is a joint pen name a good idea?
Hello Blackgamen, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. I'm afraid the rules are very specific on that point. One person, one account. Please decide which of you will use this account, and the other person must create his or her own. As for a joint pen name, it has been done before. For example, the "author" Franklin W, Dixon of the Hardy Boys series is a pen name for a group of writers. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you try to post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here anyway. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Writing Workshop, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Writing Workshop, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize constructive critique as a vital writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. We also impose a two-week waiting period before you may post writing for critique, to give you time to become familiar with what is expected and how the site operates. The Writing Workshop forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Writing Workshop forum). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Okay, I'm the boyfriend and I will take over the use of this account, my girlfriend will make her own. I signed up this account myself and we just decided since we write together we would just stick to it. We don't want to break any rules on this site however, sorry for any inconvenience. I would still like to know if a combined pen name would be a good idea or not.
I don't know that the joint name is a good idea. Consider this - you have some success selling the writing. Then one of two things happens: 1) You break up. Now there's a fight over who gets the name and who doesn't. If you're not successful and the name is not valuable, no big deal. But the more successful you are with it, the worse this eventuality would be; and 2) You have some success writing and one or the other of you wants to do a solo project. You lose all of the reader-association with your writing when you switch from the joint pen name to whatever name you'll use for solo writing. On the other hand, if you each have a separate pen name, and both appear on collaborations, the reader association with those names will follow you to solo projects. Just a couple of things to think about. There's nothing stopping you using a joint pen name but I don't think it is the best idea ever.
Is your joint pen name, by chance, Captain Planet? Nice to have both of you here, hope you enjoy your stay at WritingForums!
I have another question (apparently since I got brave enough to post I can't shut up : P). Probably need a moderator to answer but here goes. I'm trying to post some of my writing for review because of all of the knowledgeable and helpful advice I see other people getting but even though I think I've met all of the requirements it still won't let me. Thanks for any help. And to CMacgregor93: it is until we disagree on something. lol
You have to be registered for two weeks and have done two constructive critiques on the same forum you plan to post in. I hope this helps. Welcome - I agree that you really should have both of your pen names on your work, rather than trying to share one. I realize you love each other and like to share writing projects, which is all fine and good, but there is such a thing as too much intertwinement. I've seen books where two writers (usually co-researchers, but a fiction book with two best friend authors did this too) have both of their names on the book, and it worked out fine.
I'm glad you're leaning toward going solo at this stage. Some of my worst memories of college were having to work with someone else on a writing project. I'm sure your girlfriend is a fine writer, but for me working on a joint publication was always like trying to share the backyard grill with someone else. You know what they should be doing, but they're more often determined to learn on their own rather than heed your advice. Different strokes I suppose.
Nah, the Wonder Twins would say "Wonder Twin powers, ACTIVATE!" before (or was it after?) declaring what form they'd be taking. I'm guessing that he's the sassy American with red hair and she's the Russian gal with blonde hair. With their powers combined, the pen name "Captain Planet" would be more likely to erupt from the page ready to take down the Koch brothers.
Welcome to the forums both of you. Never really read any collaborative writing before. Seems like a risky business: your views are going to diverge at some point and that can be damaging to a relationship whether it's bf/gf or just two friends. Doing solo work now and again will probably help diffuse the tension. But I'm sure you already know more about it than me. How long have you been collaborating out of interest?
Collaboration in writing should never, ever take place without a contract. It can tear friendships apart. Just saying.
So far it's worked for us and although I joked about us disagreeing we actually see eye to eye on everything. I bounce ideas off of her and she offers ideas that actually enhance the writing. I've been working on this with her for 6 months and no conflicts have resulted from it, in fact we both enjoy the time we spend together writing.
