When someone thinks of a novel, it's usually with the thought of one author. Or you think about your own novel, and don't think of having someone help with the writing process. Not many people think about collaboration. It can be difficult enough to navigate working with a co-writer in the same place, but collaborating long distance can be even more problematic.

The first thing to remember when collaborating is communication. It's important to share ideas, and don't shut something down because you don't like it or they don't like your idea. Nothing is wrong with disagreeing, or tweaking ideas to make them stronger as long as it's an open discussion and the final product is agreed upon. If you run away when someone you're writing with doesn't like an idea, your novel won't get anywhere. Also by working together, you can catch typos and errors that the other missed.

The best way to keep communication going is to check in at least weekly. The amount of technology and social media available makes it impossible not to stay connected. E-mail is still a great way to stay in touch and send files, but Skype is a great tool to use. It's an easy way to video call, chat, and send files. There's also a way to make groups so you can communicate with more than one person. Google docs is a great source for novel writing and to see edits made by each other. It's also an easy tool for beta readers.

Don't forget to discuss who will write what. Will you alternate chapters? Vary on the scene? Before you start writing, it's best to have it planned out. Share networking connections, and discuss other related responsibilities from social media to publishing choices to agents.

Make a schedule and stay organized. The easiest way to work with someone long distance is to plan everything out. Especially when you're working with separate time zones, it's good to be conscious of schedules and set up a time to discuss at least weekly. Schedule times to talk, deadlines, and goals.

Plan the novel you're writing with an outline. Outline the chapters, scenes, or biggest plot points. Develop the world, and set a series of rules in order to avoid contradictions. Best way to develop a world is to set a history, currency, continents, and so on that reflects the world, or historical period in which you are writing.

Make a list of characters and do biographies for each one. Set up the characters to the last detail so that there's consistent tone. It's good to understand the way a character would talk, with any specific choices in their dialogue made. To keep consistency, discuss their backstory. Also good to determine how each character reacts to another character. It's good to agree what the characters' dynamics are, and if they change during writing, remember to discuss it.

If you're working with more than one person these tips still apply, but it can be harder to navigate schedules (especially in separate time zones). Best thing to do then is to exchange schedules, outlines, and goal lists.