Release of ‘Ambition’: CWC’s Second Novel

I realize it’s been some time since I’ve written about my work with Collaborative Writing Challenge, and I thought today would be the perfect time, seeing as ‘Ambition’ has just be released!

My work with CWC as Story Coordinator for our third project, a Sci-Fi adventure titled ‘Ark’, and as Chief Editor for all the collaborative projects underway and our newly arranged holiday anthologies has been a whirlwind of fun, craziness, and overwhelming pride. Getting ‘Ambition’ together and adding all the final touches seemed daunting at the time, but it was such a beautiful experience, and this is just another reason why CWC is a phenomenal arena within the writing community.

I like to describe this collaborative novel as “Great Gatsby meets ‘007”. Sound fun, right? And it definitely is.

Set in the 1920’s in London (mostly), this story chronicles a young woman named Angelina, who wants nothing more than to get her manuscript published. Not only did she spend months of her life writing the thing, she has to fulfill the dying wish of her former employer and dear friend – a woman who murdered her husband, and who in turn asked Angelina to write the story of her life and publish it.

The manuscript is stolen from Angelina and published under someone else’s name, and a whole world of chaos opens up as the secrets of the published book unravel within both the high-society circles of the London aristocracy and the underground dealings of wartime spies and MI6. Angelina, of course, is the center of it all.

I could go on and on about how intricate, complex, and vastly entertaining this novel is, but the point of this post isn’t to go into the details of the book itself. I want to write about CWC, its fabulous writers, and the amazing process undertaken by writers and Story Coordinators alike to polish such a well-written adventure. It’s hard enough to participate in a collaborative project due simply to all the plot twists, all the different characters, and being at the whim of others’ ideas for their own submitted chapters. There’s no forward planning and no endpoint – only the schedule, the chapter summaries, and the notes for locations, characters, and plot highlights. Tack on the fact that this book is written by twenty-six different authors (which is an amazing feat) and the fact that this is set in a 1920’s time period (not something with which most of our writers have a lot of experience), and we’ve managed to create something absolutely amazing.

I did not coordinate ‘Ambition’, but I had agreed to fill an open writing slot within the schedule to write one of the chapters. One of my previous posts this year was about the epiphanies I had as a “CWC writer” working on ‘Ambition’. At first, it seemed an incredibly daunting task, having nothing else to go on within the story but the complete chapter written before mine, summaries of all previous chapters, and highlights of the plot. I was terrified of getting something wrong, thinking I didn’t have all the information and couldn’t possibly pull this off. When I realized I had just as much information as all the other writers working with CWC, I was filled with an intense admiration for all the CWC writers who do this every single time it’s their turn in the schedule to write a chapter. And somehow, that knowledge allowed me to write a piece of the book.

Coordinating ‘Ark’, our third project, continues to be a fantastically enlightening experience. Yes, I have a bit more of a hand in the story beyond writing a chapter (though I haven’t yet had to write one for this project). I get to choose the submissions each week that best open up the story line for the future writers, both for the plot and the character development, and it’s so much fun to see the brilliance these writers pull out of their heads every week.

But when I finally got my hands on the final draft of ‘Ambition’ for its final round of editing, the amazement I experienced going through this work dwarfed all other surprises CWC has given me.

Twenty-six authors, all given the same, limited knowledge of the previously written chapters and one-line descriptions of characters and locations, built upon one another’s work so well that, as I edited, I literally could not tell that this book had been written by so many different people. The characters never deviate, the language reflects itself, and the plot is built as though it was intricately outlined from the beginning. Not to mention the fact that this book runs in three points in time: the present, the past in which Angelina hears Madame Lockridge’s story and types it up, and even further back in time than that with the story of Madame Lockridge’s life itself. ‘Ambition’ is entertaining, complex, exciting, and brings back some of the most fun aspects of the 1920’s mixed with a minor romantic sub-plot.

The point of all this, essentially, is to say that, for someone who had very little to do with the process of writing the actual novel (I had no idea where the chapter I wrote would fit into the book when I wrote it), I immensely enjoyed ‘Ambition’, and would rate it right up there with some of my favorite novels written by only one author.

If you haven’t heard about CWC’s latest collaborative novel and its recent publication, I urge you to grab a copy for yourself and experience the magic of collaborative fiction – and the brilliant minds who worked together to create it.

Grab your copy of ‘Ambition’ here. If you love it as much as I did, please share with all your reader friends. We’d also love your feedback and reviews on Amazon – show support for these extraordinarily talented writers.

If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read here and would like updates on more CWC projects, subscribe to my weekly newsletter. If any other topics on the form interest you, just check the boxes for each.

You can find out more about CWC at CollaborativeWritingChallenge.com, and subscribe to CWC’s monthly newsletter to hear about all their amazing projects and opportunities, both for writers and readers.

6 Tips to Get You Writing (and Keep You There)

I’ve been asked once or twice how it is I’m able to run my editing business, post regularly on my blog, perform my tasks as Story Coordinator and Chief Editor for CWC,  engage with enthusiasm in a few other collaborations, and still find the time and energy to write my own fiction.

It was a very good question, and it took me a moment to really think about what it was that gave me that extra pep once all the “work” (which isn’t work, really; I love it so much) was finished during the day. Yes, I am involved in a rather insane number of projects – personal, professional, and communal. No, I don’t work on each one of them every single day. Technically, I only have 17 hours to work with in a day. Realistically, I’m doing something writing-related about 10-12 of those hours. How?

I realized that it was the variety of projects, for both work and purely out of enjoyment, that kept me going every day.

It would be a lie to say that I work on my solo fiction projects – novels and short stories – every day. Sometimes I just can’t find the brain power…or the motivation, inspiration, lightning bolt of creativity, if you will…to work on my own novels. Others may call this temporary hiatus from my own fiction work “writer’s block”. I do not subscribe to this phrase or idea.

I can say in all honesty that I write every single day. No matter what. And most days it’s because I don’t really have a choice in the matter. Deadlines approach, emails and updates need to be sent, other writers anxiously await my “section” in the collaborative rotation. I write so many things on a consistent basis that if I were to combine everything from just the last month, I would have a full-length (albeit highly disorganized and senseless) novel already!

The question asked, along with some prompting from a colleague, brought me to write this post today about how to get yourself writing…a lot.

There are so many things you can do to push yourself into the “zone”, so many things that can open the floodgates for your own creative process. Even if you have diagnosed yourself with the ethereal creative disease known as “Writer’s Block”.

#1 (and this is really important, folks): There is no such thing as “Writer’s Block”. 

Okay, I know. This may be blasphemous to some. But I really don’t believe this is a thing. Sure, you may be stuck on a certain project, but your talents as a writer and love of creating have not been blasted back by some invisible wall. If you tell yourself that you are going to write, you will.

#2: Take a break.

This doesn’t necessarily mean a break from writing altogether. If you’re feeling particularly stuck with a novel, short story, or other project…step away. We beat ourselves over the head with a spiked club because we can’t write the next chapter of a work in progress, and then we still expect to be able to write after that? That just sounds mean. I have one project underway that I haven’t touched in five weeks – but I don’t have writer’s block. I just need to let the project stew for a bit, soak in its destiny, before I come back to it and attack it like a hungry shark. In the meantime, I follow the next step.

#3: Find another project. 

It took me a few years, actually, to realize that working on multiple projects at once did not mean I had completely abandoned the ones I set down for a while. I promise you that whatever your favorite book series is, it wasn’t written all at once. Neither should your own projects be if you’re finding difficulty in continuing. Move on to something else. Did you start a different novel years ago but then toss the idea? Is there a short story or fragment that you were really passionate about but then couldn’t finish? Pick these back up! Our brains are constantly changing along with our skills and imagination, so revisiting these projects later down the road has phenomenal potential. You wrote these things for a reason, right? You may just find a reason to finish them. (And if you haven’t already, start saving all of your pieces and scraps of writing…now! Read my post on why you should always save your most seemingly inconsequential scribbles here.)

#4: It’s okay to use writing prompts.

For some reason, I used to have an aversion to writing prompts. Maybe they felt like a “cheat sheet” that I was too proud to use in my younger years. I learned how valuable they were out of desperation, though, and I have come to love a good writing prompt. It can be absolutely anything to ignite your creative spark. I’ve written short stories inspired by prompts that were completely unrelated in every way…except for the fact that reading the prompt gave me a new idea. There are the classic places like the Writers Digest Prompt page, where people post prompts and you are literally given hundred of ideas for free. Or, because I love them, Facebook groups like An Author’s Tale, with a moderator or moderators who provide daily or weekly writing prompts, either from themselves or directly from other members of the group. This is a wonderful place to search, simply because when you’ve seen the prompt, written a fantastic piece, and are wonderfully proud of yourself, you also have the added benefit of other group members with which you can share your work! Communities like this are founded in order to give writers feedback, support, and inspiration. You never know what may come out of sharing your work, and graciously receiving feedback, in places like these.

#5: Join a collaboration.

This seems like a big step, but putting your head together with one or more other writers turns writing into a sort of alternate reality. Reach out in these Facebook groups you joined, contact your own writing friends, and ask people if they’d like to write something with you. Giving yourself to the mercy of your brain – mixed with one, five, or ten other brains – gives a life and breadth to a collaboration that writing on your own definitely lacks. I cannot say that one is better than the other, but collaborating with other writers is a surefire way to get your words down on paper.

First, you’re brainstorming like crazy with other like-minded, creative people. Second, when you really commit yourself to working on something with others, you are no longer just accountable to yourself. There are people actually counting on you to write the next section, sitting at the edge of their seats to read your work. Yes, it may start out as excitement for writing their own next section, but give it a few rounds and everyone is more invested in the story than ever seemed possible. Plus, the satisfaction of finishing a collaborative project and seeing how it morphed into a beautiful work is something I feel every author should experience at least once. Take a look at my article on The Three Components to Writing a Successful Collaborative Novel to kick off your collaboration with a bang. And if you really want to experience a treat in successful (and published) collaborations, sign up with Collaborative Writing Challenge (CWC)! We are always on the lookout for great new authors to join our ranks, and you can’t go wrong with a chapter or two published at the end!

#6: Talk about what you’re working on with other writers.

No, this does not make you conceded, selfish, self-absorbed, or arrogant. Talk to others with similar interests, whether you find them in your writing communities online, in your collaborative projects, or within your own group of friends. Some of the most invigorating and inspiring conversations I’ve had are those I’ve engaged in with other writers about what I’m having difficulty writing. We all know what we want our stories to be, but sometimes it’s hard to get them there. Geeking out with another author over robots, favorite books, new rules or twists on parallel universes, magical powers, conspiracy theories, or any other fabulous factors of your work in progress will not only hone your skills at explaining what you envision, but it will remind you why you started writing any of it in the first place. We are writers. We know what makes us tick (and what usually makes other people stare off into space and drool on themselves until we’re finished ranting). But when you find someone else who ticks to the same tock, the possibilities are endless!

I could have added one more tip, but I like to think of it as just some extra advice. Don’t forget to take care of yourself. I know, there’s a lot of romanticism that goes along with the “struggling writer” persona, who thrives on coffee, Pop Tarts, cigarettes, and two hours of sleep a night (with a little bit of head-bludgeoning thrown in for good measure). But your writing muscle is just like all the other parts of your body – it needs food, water, sunlight, fresh air, and rest. If you can help it, try not to sit down at the computer (or notebook) on an empty stomach, or with eyelids that sink like you’ve attached concrete bricks to them and thrown them in the river. More important than anything you could possibly write is your own health and sanity.

I’m not saying to go bog yourself down with all-you-can-eat writing projects, but I have noticed that the more of these things I “pencil into my schedule”, the more I write. Having your fingers in a lot of different word-pies will give you more opportunities for creativity than drawing constant blanks on the same project, over and over. The point is to oil the hinges and get writing. Isn’t that what we’re here for?

I’d love to see your comments on other habits, hobbies, or practices that keep you in tip-top writing shape. Share them below!

An Interview with CWC’s Laura Callender

More than project updates, more than new genres and upcoming publications, the greatest life force behind the huge community of inspiration and creativity that is Collaborative Writing Challenge comes from its owner and founder, Laura Callender. While she oftentimes takes the background in keeping the schedules moving, organizing and monitoring the lists of new writers, CWC veterans, and potential collaborators, she runs a tight ship from her laptop in New York. I’ve repeatedly been astounded by the amount of work and dedication this woman has freely given, from what I’ve seen in the last six months of working closely every day with her, and in the last year of CWC’s existence. We constantly discuss ways to move the Challenge forward, constructing campaigns and additions like the Author’s Spotlight page and the newly released CWC Short Story Competitions. However, I realized that the information revolving around CWC’s origins, not to mention the brilliant mind in which they incubated, have not been given nearly enough value in what makes CWC such an amazing challenge, and community, for writers literally across the globe. And I felt it was my duty to share with you a little glimpse into what CWC was created to be and why, not to mention how closely the organization has remained to its original vision.

Here is my interview with Laura Callender on what brought Collaborative Writing Challenge in creation.

When did you start writing, and on what topics did your work focus?

I actually started writing erotic fiction when I was in my late teens. I couldn’t tell you what propelled me to write that, but I would advise all writers to have a go. It was a challenge to try writing sex scenes in different ways and keep it fresh. I can’t say for sure I achieved it, but I definitely paid more attention to avoiding repetition, which is very important in a novel. I went on to write heaps of poetry, and I found that quite easy. A friend once asked me to help him with a film script he had started. That was very interesting, and I really enjoyed focusing on the dialogue and screen descriptions. I really would love to see something come of that one day. My current projects are children’s books, because I wanted something fun to read to my daughter. So my writing history has been pretty varied, and I love every aspect of writing and being creative.

 

What gave you the idea to start Collaborative Writing Challenge?

I joined a writing website about ten years ago, and a few of us used to give each other writing challenges. I found that some of my best short stories and poems came from those prompts. I was struggling to get past one or two chapters of my own stories, and started to think about how it could work if you were continuously prompted throughout a novel-length story. The idea took many years before it fermented into CWC, but I’m so glad it did. The process works better than even I had imagined, and I truly believe the process removes the predictability and monotonous issues you find with some novels. My husband will attest to the fact that I almost always guess what’s going to happen next in a film, or guess the end of a book, but I can honestly say that I am never able to predict the chapters I receive from CWC writers. Now that’s refreshing!

 

Sometimes projects like these can be a “chicken or the egg” scenario. So what came first, writers who needed a collaborative project, or the collaborative project that needed writers?

Most definitely the collaborative project that needed writers. It was a case of the idea making sense in my head, but there really was zero demand for it. Traditionally, collaborating on a full-length novel requires finding a writing partner and going for it. That is done, and easy to find, but I wanted to show writers a different way, a new way of collaborating that allowed writers to retain their creative freedom yet still become part of a published novel. Our process not only has a beginning, middle and an end, but it has a schedule that so far has proven the test of time. Just knowing that the project will complete is very exciting, and something to look forward to. Traditional collaborations risk conflict and dwindling away when people become busy or find the story taxing. We take away the sluggish aspect of writing and keep our writers engaged and ready to explode with ideas!

What is your favorite aspect of CWC?

Wow, that must be the hardest question, as each week I find something new to love about what we are doing. I have made some wonderful friends through starting this project, and now I have set up a dedicated Facebook group for CWC authors. I love seeing their personal interactions. I think bringing people with similar interests together is a very humbling feeling. I’ve written references for some writers, I’ve been told that I helped someone find more writing work, etc., and I’m blown away by that. I’m very big on promoting our participants and giving everyone a great platform on which to build their own writing careers. I know I love CWC and the books we produce; it’s branded on my heart and I don’t think I’ve ever been so passionate about something. But when others tell me how excited they are by participating, it just makes me feel incredible. I also love the uniqueness of CWC. I think we really are reinventing the wheel, so to speak. Our books will be controversial, and I don’t doubt they will receive some harsh criticism within the industry, but as long as they are an enjoyable read, we’re doing something right. I’ve always been a rule breaker!

What are you most excited about a) in CWC’s current process, and b) for CWC’s future?

I really am excited about promoting the books we produce and getting them out there. I’m always looking for ways to refine what I already do. I’m learning more about how to make great book covers, different programs, etc., and different tools for book formatting. While it would be great to be able to delegate these tasks to professionals one day, it’s been fun for me to learn new things that I never even thought about when I first started CWC. If I’m totally honest, I guess something I look forward to is having a well-known author involved in a project who really enjoys the challenge. That would really make my day!

 

 Writers are often told to edit, edit, and re-edit before publishing. How do you manage to get the books published so soon after the project finishes?

Each project takes roughly 8 months to complete. Each week we receive chapters and once one is chosen, it gets a thorough consistency edit there and then. As the story builds, I go back and tweak chapters to consolidate any new information. This is often done with a simple line or added conversation, and never impacts the integrity of the writer’s chapter. Once the entire project is finished, I conduct a thorough consistency edit, tying up any loose ends and checking that each plot line flows to completion. This is essentially what a writer does with a first draft of their own manuscript. This can be a very long process for a writers, as often they haven’t reviewed their early chapters for a considerable length of time. For CWC novels, that process is ongoing, and having an objective Story Coordinator allows the writer their freedom to create while the coordinator monitors the story. It’s very harmonious. Once the consistency edit is done, the story is sent off to an editor, who tidies up the spelling and grammar issues, and acts as that final filter. We seemed to have created a wonderful process, and the term ‘collaborating’ doesn’t just encompass what the writers do. Our projects are a very big team effort from start to finish.

 

What is the greatest obstacle you’ve had to overcome in maintaining CWC as a successful group project for almost an entire year?

Without generalizing, which is something I loath to do, I find writers can be very flakey at times. But it is understandable. Some writers commit to a project months in advance, then when it’s their time to write, ‘life happens’. When I started ‘The Concierge’, I only had two writers submitting chapters each week. I had the odd week no one submitted, but I had some very enthusiastic writers I could turn to to complete a chapter within 48 hours. That’s when I realized three or four participants per chapter would make more sense, and was also reminded how quickly you can write 1500 – 2000 words. I now have faith that if I sent out a request to all the writers, someone would stick their hand up. I think one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that I started something that has required people to rely on me. I can’t be flakey, or have a bad week; I have to remain focused on moving the story forward no matter what. Believe me, I have had some ups and downs, but as long as you have a committed Coordinator involved with each project, most obstacles can be overcome.

 

How does organizing CWC and working with other writers affect your own motivation and love of writing?

The honest answer to this is it has annihilated my own writing, and reading. I spend every spare moment I have, when not chasing around after my toddler, doing work to keep on top on everything. Working on a computer all day can be very mentally draining, so when I do step away, I like to go for walks, or cook, or do something that gets me moving. When I do start writing something, usually late at night, I find my writing has greatly improved. I have learned so much from all our CWC participants and editors, I feel like a sponge. I hope that when life settles down a bit for me, after baby number two arrives later this year and I leave the story coordinating aspect of CWC to my colleagues, I will pick up some of my old scribblings and get back to business. It is still my dream to see my own novel published, but I’m not in a hurry. I believe things happen the way they are meant to.

 

Where do you hope to see this collaborative community in the upcoming year?

At the moment, the demand is steadily growing. It’s a tricky situation. I don’t want to start too many projects, as I think it would be unwise to publish too many books within a year. But at the same time, I want everyone to experience the fun of participating in a CWC challenge. The likely scenario will see an increase in writers per chapter. Not only will this accommodate the interest, but it will actually increase the integrity of the story. The more options we have per chapter, the more likely it is the story will be the best it can be. I would also really like to see CWC enter NaNoWriMo at some point. Perhaps in the next year or two. I have a very nice plan laid out; it just requires a bit more time to prepare for it. But it’s something I’m really looking forward to.

 

If you could have absolutely anything given to you today for CWC, what would it be?

The obvious answer here is money, then I could do so much! However, it would be a marketing expert that is as passionate about CWC as I am. When authors get signed by a big publishing house, they not only get to see their masterpiece become a physical entity, something they can read and proudly show off, but they get access to the best possible marketing of that book, which is what makes it accessible to readers. I would love to see a CWC poster in an underground station, advertising our latest book, or plastered across a billboard. Those things cost more than money; they require connections and people who can make it happen. I’m always on the lookout for great people to work with to drive CWC into the spotlight.

You Don’t Have To Be A Hermit to Be A Writer

Last week I read a large handful of comments from various people on social networking groups, on a few different blogs, and from a journalist, referring to the “independent nature” of writing as an activity. The phrase I saw repeated, more than once, was that “writing is an ego-driven activity”. Honestly, I was pretty shocked to see this theme so prevalent in the communication and updates I saw. And it struck something in me that I had to let sit over the weekend.

I’m sure these various people did not mean anything negative by what they shared, and I very easily see where they’re coming from in drawing these conclusions. But I wanted to make my own clarifications here, just to stop the domino effect of this outlook on writers.

It’s true that any type of writing, from fiction to memoirs, short stories to novels, is a vastly independent way to showcase one’s skills with the written word. It’s awfully hard to really work on your writing when you’re surrounded by lots of people or lots of noise, when you don’t have the “right conditions” that allow both creativity and focus. There are people out there who co-author novels and projects, but most novels are written by only one person. It’s also true that a good number of writers naturally isolate themselves to hone their craft, and may be a bit more introverted than the next guy. These are only observations of the majority, mind you – not blanket statements about writers.

However, “ego” and “writing” are not synonymous. Personally, I have never met a writer who thought more of themselves, was more “egocentric” and “ego-driven”, the more they wrote. And I have never met an author, published or unpublished, who did not jump at the opportunity to talk about writing (not just their own, but others’ works too), or share tips and experiences, or offer advice. I’ve even met those who will write free reviews of others’ books, who will recommend writers to agents, publishers, editors, and other writing service professionals, who will lift up and encourage budding writers for nothing other than the reward of helping another person who understands the all-consuming passion of creating new worlds through words.

And I’ve never met a writer who didn’t at least sound phenomenally grateful and excited to receive valid, constructive, positive feedback from anyone – fellow writer, avid reader, or their own editor.

The drive to write, for myself and for every other author with whom I’ve spoken, is not about our “egos”. It is not, at least initially, with the intent to make lots of money and become famous. It is not to “wow” our friends and families with tales of our wordy achievements, of how many pages we’ve written and how many stories we’ve finished. That, to me, is what makes an “ego-driven” activity. And I don’t see any of that in my writing, nor in the writing of the hundreds of other authors with whom I interact, for work and for play.

Both as a freelance editor and in working with CWC as Story Coordinator and Chief Editor, I have never had a writer’s “ego” get in the way of edits to a chapter or novel, or in submissions to a collaboration project. Every single person I’ve worked with has been generous, humble, willing and eager to participate, and grateful for feedback and hard work that other writers put into the same project, or their own.

If writing were so truly “ego-driven”, Laura Callender would not have founded CWC as it is today – a miraculous gathering of over 170 international writers who come together to write a full-length novel, one chapter at a time. That is one of the hardest things I can imagine, to write only a chapter, one unfinished section, and not have any control over the story that came before it, or where the following chapters will take it.

If writing were so truly ego-driven, there wouldn’t be such amazing social media groups like An Author’s Tale, established, organized, and moderated by Cayce Berryman. Yes, this is a closed group, but all it takes to join is a love of the written word and an eagerness to network and join forces with other phenomenally talented writers. This is not a group for pure promotion – in fact self-promotion is pushed to the background. Here, writers can talk about their issues with writing, their inspirations and fears, what brought them to where they are now, and where to go in the future. Relationships bloom, people work together, and I’ve seen people edit works, give detailed critiques of query letters and excerpts, and design artwork for one another, all completely free of charge. And Cayce has stayed at the “top of my list” with the way she constantly engages the group’s members, encourages them to interact with each other and to test the boundaries of their own creative powers, as well as their comfort zones.

If writing were so truly ego-driven, there wouldn’t be places like Writing Fiction, where readers can get a free copy of an author’s published book in exchange for only an honest review posted to Amazon. There wouldn’t be complete sites like Writers Helping Writers, who encourage guest bloggers to share their knowledge on certain writing topics, who publish Encyclopedias dedicated to teaching writers how to focus on certain psychological aspects of their characters to make internal conflict more believable.

If all writers were truly “ego-driven”, no one would ask for an editor. No one would ask for a review, or an opinion, or a critique. Nobody would share their work until the finished product was published and everyone had to pay for a copy.

It makes sense that the writers who share more of their work with more people, who ask for feedback and who want constructive criticism, will be “better” writers than those who don’t. They get advice and tips from so many different writers and readers, and they take that feedback as they will and use it (or not) to improve their writing. The writers in my own community, people I work with every day, are some of the most gracious, humble, and talented individuals I’ve yet to meet – and most of them in the online sphere, where one doesn’t necessarily have to be genuine to create a presence.

Most of you already know this. Most of you reading this are writers, or know writers, or love and support writers. These people define themselves by what they create, by the act of writing itself and, more importantly, by their need to share fantastic stories with the rest of the world. Writing itself is not an “ego-driven” activity. Like any pastime, career, or form of entertainment, the “ego” comes from “ego-driven people“. Fortunately, in my experience those people are few and far between.

Writing does not have to be solitary, nor hermetic, nor solely for one’s own personal gain. And all it takes is a little bit of reaching out, of offering something of yourself and your own work, to find that out for yourself.

And for those of you who don’t write, just remember that we do this for you, to share our characters and our stories in the only way we know how. More often than not, we even forget ourselves in the process.

CWC – From the Other Side

This weekend has been a really interesting experience for me in my working with CWC as a Story Coordinator. It seems forever ago, but was probably only about a month ago, when Laura asked me if I would like to participate as a writer for CWC’s second collaboration ‘Ambition.’ Of course I said I would love to – any excuse to keep me writing is a good excuse. I was assigned to start writing my chapter this last Friday, and boy did it ever sneak up on me.

‘Ambition’ is a Spy novel set in the 1920s, and I like to describe it as The Great Gatsby meets 007 with a female protagonist. Needless to say, the story is all espionage, hidden clues, secrets, and even murder and greed that needs to be covered up. All splashed with a little bit of romance and history. Even before becoming a part of the group of writers scheduled to write individual chapters for ‘Ambition’, I really wanted to read it in its entirety. But I can’t…until it’s finished, and until it’s published. Besides all of the covert operations in this book, it has three different levels of the story – the main character Angelina’s present; her past working for Madame Lockridge as her “ghost writer” so to speak; and the actual story that she’s written, which turns out to be more of a memoir than anything else. There is a lot of information to keep up with here, especially because the characters in every level are the same, or seem to be.

I took Friday to read the last chapter that was written, as I get to do as the next writer in line. Only myself and the two other writers this week get to read that chapter. I was lost.

I took Saturday to read over the summaries and reference notes that are on the CWC website for the ‘Ambition’ writers. Every chapter gets its own 300-500 word summary, and though they are very thorough, it’s nothing like reading a novel. You don’t get a sense for the stylistic narrative of the piece, or the subtle nuances of how certain characters speak to each other, or their personal quirks. It’s the SparkNotes that I have to add to. Then I looked at the reference notes (split up by each “level” of the book), which details certain story lines that have not been wrapped up yet, and gives a one or two line description of each character. I have to say that they are incredibly well-organized, and have been arranged in the least confusing way possible. Again, I was lost.

How was I supposed to just pick up from what was left off? I hadn’t been following the updates week by week since the collaboration started. I hadn’t read any other chapters other than the one written before mine. Should I pick up the present story line, or delve more into Angelina’s past, or give some insight into what happened next in the book of Madame’s life? I had absolutely no clue what to do.

And then I realized that the other writers scheduled in ‘Ambition’ had just as much information as I did. They probably felt just as clueless upon receiving the chapter written before theirs, probably struggled just as much in coming up with the next great piece to add to the story. I hadn’t just been thrust into the middle of a collaborative novel where the plot had been laid out, the characters described in detail, and where everyone was on the same page with where the story was going. And this is the beauty of CWC. Everyone’s left in the dark with a few candles scattered about, and still manage to paint a gorgeous picture that flows with what has been written before it.

I definitely have a new-found appreciation for what these writers go through, week after week, in creating something that gives you so many options but so little control.

When I write my own novels, I know the characters inside and out. I understand where the story’s going, or at least where I intend it to go (sometimes it likes to take itself in completely different directions, and that’s okay too), and I have this understanding of the book as a whole because the entire thing came from me. This is just one chapter of ‘Ambition’. This is something that belongs to so many different people that at first it felt like it had no defining qualities at all for me to pick up and continue running. But that’s so not true. It just has the defining characteristics of all these different writers, and this was my chance to add a little piece of me to it as well.

As a Story Coordinator, I get to watch characters and events unfold within the story, choose the chapter that best fits with the direction, make a few minor tweaks here and there just to keep it all on the right track. I’m guiding, shaping, molding, and sending it back out there to all the writers. I’m not creating anything. And each and every one of these authors, on all CWC projects, are creating something out of almost absolutely nothing but a few bones. That’s all they get.

Yesterday I was able to write the first half of Chapter 18, my assignment, after rereading the summaries and notes probably four times, and finding a sudden spark of inspiration within the crumbs of clues. Today, I finished writing the second half. I don’t know if my chapter will be selected this week, but it is an experience of squeezing your creative assets harder than they’ve ever been squeezed before.

Thank you, CWC Writers, for all of the magic created by your chapters. They feel like they stand alone, week by week (I know my chapter feels like a pebble on the beach), but you’ve managed to create amazing, fleshed out novels by adding the pieces together one by one. And my favorite part about the whole thing is that I’m sure all the writers before me have gone through this experience, and that’s what we have in common over the months of creating this book. The finished project will be read by everyone involved, but until then, everyone understands what each week’s writer goes through in coming up with their own chapter.

I would absolutely sign up to write another CWC chapter, and I understand now exactly why the authors keep coming back again and again, project after project, to contribute one more. It’s that much fun.

CWC Sci-Fi Project: #3

The Sci-Fi Project at Collaborative Writing Challenge finally has a name! Introducing:

Ark

Interstellar space travel is still a new reality for Earth. Dr. Dirk Forret, the nerdy, uptight planetary zoologist, returns to his scientific research vessel, the Ark, after a short walk on the planet Santelli Minor. Dirk’s pride in his precious ship is overshadowed by the return of one of its exploration pods, and of the herculean Franklin. Overenthusiastic and undeniably crude, Franklin reveals a number of Santelli’s newly discovered species, one of which he broke all Ark protocol to bring aboard.  – taken from CWC’s website page for Project 3

Setting up the first chapter as the foundation for this project was such an exciting week! I found myself going through all the possibilities of the future chapters, what characters could be written in, what new problems could be solved. At one point, Laura and I had a very long discussion about certain details we had found that might have already been “loopholes” in the story. My Sci-Fi fandom may run a little deeper than hers, and needless to say while we saw the same possible issues, our opinions varied greatly on the solutions. So an academic debate ensued on the mechanics of the Science Fiction genre, of what changes would severely limit the imaginative control the author’s had over their own chapters, and which would deny the finished piece its credibility as a Sci-Fi novel (all this after only editing the first chapter). It was a really big deal for us, wanting to start this new genre of CWC’s repertoire in the right way. It made my head hurt. And later that same evening, Laura and I ended up confessing to each other that we thought the chapter should be left as it was without any content changes to plot, characterization, or conflict. It was that simple.

That experience opened my eyes to the subtle manipulations of “overthinking”. While I am a Freelance Editor and Laura has founded this fantastic organization for international writers, we are still both authors. We write because we love it, because our stories brew and boil and get so hot that we have to put them down or perish. And I think we had forgotten a little bit of that simple joy of writing that first week, trying to find “the perfect edition” of Chapter 1. The huge, glaring light bulb turned on when I remembered that that is the whole point of CWC, of ‘Ark’. All stories have a life of their own, one that sometimes grows so big that it replaces the life of the author. But the Collaborative Writing Challenge is a little bit of a love child – so many people pour so much passion and imaginative talent into it that it surpasses any one of our skills or intentions. That’s something you just don’t see very often.

So this week I brought that understanding with me when all three of my writers for Chapter 2 graciously submitted their work on time and in high quality. It was amazing to watch three pieces start in the same place and end on completely different veins. New ideas and characters were introduced, solutions and a few new problems, and it was surprisingly difficult to choose the one that will be selected this week for Ark’s official Chapter 2. Of course, I can’t reveal any of that here, but I will share a few tiny excerpts from each of these chapters that I fell in love with automatically. I think they deserved a little bit of extra attention.

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“Franklin staggered in circles, crashing into the walls as he wrestled with the worm.”  – Andrew Atkinson, CWC Author

“He smiled, thinking of the expression on her face when she found out she was now required to sink her pristine black shoes into the mud. ”  – Cristel Benitez, CWC Author

“Keep your mind occupied! Repeat a mantra or something!” From behind, Dirk heard the big man yelling repeatedly in a little girl’s voice, “Run, Forrest! Run!”  – Robert Mackey, CWC Author