THE CAREER NOVELIST
she agreed to write a proposal. After struggling with the difficulties
of novel construction, this author decided to join forces with a col-
laborator. She figured that the proposal would get done in half the
time and be twice as good.
Such was not the case. A violent disagreement over the story
broke out between the collaborators. Soon they were tape recording
each other's phone calls and paying enormous hourly fees to intel-
lectual property lawyers in order to settle the question of the story's
true ownership. All of this, mind you, over a proposal that was never
very good and that, to my knowledge, finally went unsold.
Collaborations, then, may make you rich but they may also make
you paranoid and poorer. Are they worth it? If you are planning one,
how can you know whether or not it will be a success?
PREDICTORS
Believe it or not, one factor that does not predict the success of a
collaboration is that of complementary skills; that is, working with a
partner whose strengths are your weaknesses. Obviously, that is a
welcome by-product of any collaboration. Indeed it is natural, since
no two writers are exactly alike.
A far more accurate indicator of success is friendship; that is,
working with someone whom you've known long and well. Why?
Because good communication is crucial to the process, as is the
ability to resolve disputes. Two friends are more likely to compro-
mise than two acquaintances. Friends care for each other's feelings.
They have a relationship to safeguard.
Indeed, a good way to judge whether a possible collaboration
will work is to ask yourself this question: "If the worst happens and
we ultimately waste each other's time, will we still be on speaking
terms?" If the answer is yes, then your partnership may have a
chance. If no, you might want to rethink.
Another positive indicator is a comparable level of skill and expe-
rience. There are exceptions to this rule, but generally working with
someone on your level of development, whether that means begin-
ner or long-time best-seller, will yield better results. Two writers at
the same stage are in balance. An unbalanced pairing, however, can
produce feelings of inhibiting awe, impatience, or resentment over