Friendship. It is a difficult bond to break… unless of course you become roommates or idiotically decide to write a book together without considering all the aspects. This is a guide and a warning about writing with your close friend or friends.

Preface:

The idea is introduced and what an amazing idea it is. You and your friend are hyped, you’re feeling stellar so you decide, “Dude, we should totally write this together!” From exhilaration and excitement, you both agree. Beginnings are the brightest.

- In this phase of your idea to co-author something, you must always remember to create a plan. The first step is pretty much connected to the last step. You must figure out a deadline and agree to a deadline to give yourselves. Which means you’ll honestly have to take a step back, look at your schedules and make time to write and discuss what you have done. Writing is the priority at this point. 

Chapter 1:

Day one comes around and you’re both still brainstorming, everything coming out is gold. You’ll continue talking about this novel for days, maybe even weeks, but then… then it happens.

- Talking about ideas is fun, but you’ve got to write it all down. Everything that sticks and everything that doesn’t stick because it is possible that these ideas might work later on or might be useful for something else.

Chapter 2:

The first month has come and gone, you’ve both written a little, granted you’ve written a bit more than you’d like to admit. Your friend has a hectic life, so do you, but patience and understanding are important. After all, they are your friend. You love them. So for the next month or two, you’ll give them a pass.

- Create an outline of events in your story from beginning, middle, to the end and everything in between. Figure out who is writing what. For example, if you’re writing a novel with two perspectives or more, figure out who is writing which person’s perspective. Make sure you both have a clear idea of the chronology of the story so that your chapters line up the best they can. Make sure after every chapter or part that you both exchange your works for review and discuss everything from the good bits to the bad bits all the way to mistakes or flaws. This helps to make things equal and keeps the writing on track. 

Chapter 3:

It seems that they’re talking less about the plot and more about the book itself, as if it will write itself and you find yourself becoming more frustrated, losing your patience and your understanding is beginning to dwindle. What you want in the book isn’t what they want, your visions begin to collide in a very bad way. The climax is near, you’re about to crack. Your passion for this story, for this novel, was greater than you’d previously imagined because you unknowingly overestimated your friendship and underestimated your passion and talent. So what do you do?

- No matter what, whether your co-author and you are well-oiled writing machines, there will be some conflict. So remember, it is always okay to take a break from writing and each other. Communicate your feelings, ideas, and goals to remind each other why you decided to write together in the first place. Note that these endeavors and hardships might reflect well or terribly in the quality of your writing. And remember, if things don’t work out it wasn’t for nothing. Respectfully tell your partner that you’d like to work on the rest of the novel alone if they would rather not write it with you. If they agree to grant you their half of the novel then roll with it and write alone. Friendship is so much more important.

Chapter 4:

The end is near, you’ve both been through so much. Now you’ve got this novel, but is it any good?

- Edit, revise, proofread. If you’re serious about this writing business then you’ll figure out a way to polish your work. Now you can both sit back and relish your accomplishment. But of course, that’s just the beginning. Now you’ve got to ask each other, should we publish this?

Epilogue:

- Remember, what’s important is that you finished your work and your friendship endured. I have personally experienced the process of co-writing with your friend. It is truly daunting. So keep these things in mind when you’re writing with a friend, whether it's for fun or for real.