Cowriting a Novella as a Mother-Daughter Team

Cowriting a story is a beautiful sort of alchemy – taking the best instincts of two creative minds and sifting out the less helpful elements to create something uniquely wonderful.

It's a process not entirely unlike writing a story by yourself. You still have to keep the hallmarks of a good story in mind, crafting enjoyable characters, plot twists and turns, and settings. But embarking on this path with another writer brings its own set of challenges and joys.

For the past while, I've been cowriting a contemporary novella with my mum, Susan. Now that we're a good way into the rough draft, we thought we'd open the virtual door to our writing studio and give you a glimpse into the cowriting process!

One thing that's been interesting from the start about our cowriting journey is what we both brought to the table. Mum has a captivating sense of whimsy and an eye for sensory details that breathe life into otherwise bland settings. I have a knack for escalating tension and more experience generally with writing longform fiction.

Neither of us were certain how this journey would unfold, only that we were excited to find out!

My Writing Toolkit: The First Adventure

Welcome to My Writing Toolkit, where I share an example of my efforts to strengthen and galvanize my writing, including real samples of my own rough drafts – both before and after!

These adventures, for the foreseeable future, are largely intended to improve the quality of my prose rather than focus on big-picture, structural issues. But why do this on a rough draft, when some of this may change or vanish altogether in future drafts? Why not just wait until later?

Three reasons!

Ready for Writing Inspiration? Try Reviewing Your Own Novel!

There's no denying that some days, writing feels like an endless slog.

Plots that were humming along tangle as mercilessly as a pair of earbuds in your purse.

Characters set sail for parts unknown, determined not to reveal their secrets.

Every sentence starts to sound the same.

While there's no substitute for hard work or a nurturing rest, sometimes we just need some good ol' fashioned imagination to refresh our creative spirit!

And so today you're going to review your own story, with all the love and joy it would receive from the world's biggest fan of your books. This is a delightful exercise to hold onto and revisit whenever you're feeling creatively dispirited, to remind yourself of the potential and what's special in your work, whether you reread a review you've written before or write a new one each time.

How to Rewrite a Novel: 6 Starter Steps

In the process of writing a novel, there's a lot of excitement (and dread) around getting to the editing stage, but not every writer realizes there's potentially another stage along the way: rewriting.

While not every novel needs a full rewrite, many do, especially earlier on in a writer's career or when they're venturing down a new creative path.

So what exactly does this process involve, and how do you know whether to embark on rewriting a story?