Coauthorship
When I was growing up, my dad wrote engineering textbooks. Always with coauthors. He taught, researched, and wrote collaboratively with colleagues. They each took ownership of a chapter and took input and edits from their coauthors. That was the model I saw. When it dawned on me that the book I wish I had for a Wonder Year wasn’t out there, I immediately thought about coauthorship. I asked my two personal influencers if they wanted to join me. Collaborative writing looked alot more fun than doing it on my own, and my coauthors are wicked smart women who share a passion and joy for educational adventures.
The conversations made the final product more than the sum of its parts.
What does the collaborative writing process look like? We started with individual brainstorms for what information we wanted to include and bullet points of what would go into each chapter. Then we combined, refined, and created an outline. It was uncanny how in sync we were. After we talked through each chapter, adding anecdotes and stories, we divided them up to write our–as writer Anne Lamott famously coined–“shitty first draft.” Then, we gave each other extensive feedback, interviewed other travelers and influencers, and incorporated new information and fresh perspectives into the second and “less shitty” draft. Next we sought outside feedback, beginning the long march toward publishing.
Web conferences made the meetings convenient while we could share screens and have multiple documents open.
How do you blend the voices of three writers? We wanted our book to read like advice from encouraging and experienced friends. Friends who are willing to take off the Instagram veneer of ecstatic travel and show the underbelly–the obstacles and the
perseverance required to take a dream and turn it into a Wonder Year. In our minds, multiple voices and points of view are the benefits of a collaborative piece of writing. In the final drafts, we each inserted a bit of our own voice to the text. Even if a chapter wasn’t first written by Angela, if we decided that it needed more of her organization and clarity, she would rewrite sections. Another chapter might need a bit more of Julie’s humor. We found that collaboration helped fill out our advice and stories.
The paybacks to collaboration are many. First, I got to spend time with two inspirational women who share my passion, urge me on when I doubt myself, and keep me on task. Collaboration is joyful when it’s a shared passion project. In many ways, the writing of this book has been another Wonder Year for me.
Oh so many drafts!
