Strategies for Co-Writing

By Kaysi Holman, Cihan Tekay, Sujung Kim, Mary Grueser, Michael Epstein, Stefano Morello

Note: In their initial collaboration, the authors of this post wrote in different font colors to distinguish between voices in the document, which is an easy and effective strategy for co-writing that makes voices visible and indicates which voices could be brought out even more.

How to Kick-off a Co-Writing Project:

[Kaysi Holman:] As soon as you know that you are engaged in a cooperative writing process -- which may happen at the inception of the project, but can also happen during the process of your normal writing and working that involves feedback from other people -- have a meeting with the collaborative partners. During this meeting, you should overview your goals for writing the project, both as a group and individually, as well as your ethos and values entering the project. More specifically, you should discuss your definitions and understandings of what collaboration entails, what you can offer to the collaboration, and what your expectations are of each other. Especially in a collaboration where there is unequal power dynamics, it’s important to be crystal clear about boundaries and authority that pertain to this particular project (as opposed to your relationship overall). It may also be helpful to review past work of the other person, discuss what accountability processes you want to use, and what technology you both enjoy working with. Authorship should also explicitly be discussed. If you are seeking first authorship, then you should be prepared to tell the other person what work you are willing to do and why you believe you should get first authorship. If authorship is less important to you than the other person, consider allowing them the honor of being first author, if your work is structured to be equitable. The more you know about each other--your background, your ethos, your collaboration style, and your habits--before entering the collaboration, the smoother the collaboration will go.

[Cihan Tekay:] Discussing what you want to write together and taking notes (like a brainstorm) might help with coming up with an outline/set of ideas. Using google docs or other shared platforms gives everyone a chance to put in their thoughts without first worrying about how they will cohere. A co-writer can help you kick off a writing project that you might be putting off, possibly because you feel like you don’t know enough about something or if you feel like you are not privy to all the aspects of a given topic. It also helps to be accountable to someone other than yourself, especially if this is not a required component of a program (ie. writing for the public) and doesn’t necessarily come with a deadline.

[Mary Grueser:] I agree that a brainstorming conversation and a collaborative outline should happen as an initial step.  Periodic check ins in the form of face to face meetings or phone conferences are also very important. There are too many opportunities for miscommunication in email or virtual check ins.  An initial conversation should happen about authorship and the goal of this collaborative project. People should be authentic in this conversation and already have a working relationship to understand how to work with each other.