HE WROTE: Collaborating

I truly don't remember writing anything about foot stomping. But my memory isn't what it used to be. Maybe I wanted Agnes to have some action. Because ever since she whacked the guy with the frying pan, she's been standing around yacking and cooking.

We're in the hard part of the partnership where we're arguing over plot and character motivation. We've exchanged probably thirty emails this morning discussing one character's role in the book. Then, of course, Jenny goes off somewhere to buy spackle or something.

This is very hard because we both have to come to an understanding of the character and her role in the book. This is also what makes the books we write together better, in my opinion, than the books we write alone. Because there's no slack. There's no sticking a character in there to just move the plot along, even though the motivation is weak. No glossing over weak points in the plot.

What drives me nuts is when Jenny will say: "Let's have this character do X."
Then I'll get an email saying: "You know if this character is doing X, it doesn't really make sense they'd do Y."
And my point would be: "Well you're the one who decided the character is doing X. Geez."

Meanwhile, she has the master of Agnes. We're hoping to have Act One done by next Thursday when we have the San Francisco Writers Conference and will meet to discuss the rest of the book. We shall see.