Vestiges - How we did it

Method of Collaboration

When we started thinking about collaborating we already had a theme in mind based on the essay on Cruel Optimism, which suggested having opposing POVs of optimistic (but maybe quite cruel) and pessimistic (suffering in drudgery) characters. Other opposites suggested themselves immediately, and are obvious from the text.  

At this point, there are two clear guidelines: have a story whose characters/themes/styles or whatever can be clearly split into two discrete chunks and, most importantly, have absolute faith in your collab partner. This person wants to do a good job too, they wanna play, they wanna do their share. So don't be controlling, be cool. 

Then the process went as follows:

1) Treatment. We each wrote a less than one-page treatment with an outline of the setting, the character and the sort-of-style we wanted for each character. A few associations of keywords. Then we compared notes and bashed out a compromise, still with the idea of two strands that come together with a final encounter.

2) Back and forth - First draft was sending sections back and forth, each with our separate character strands and stories within the same world. At this point no changes were made or suggested, we're feeling for parallels and working forward to a situation that would bring us together. But the drafts are what they are, no feedback or alterations. The stories are parallel, and may rhyme or clash at this stage.

3) Joint session - Once the characters are coming together (and maybe we did nudge each other to come together at a certain peripheral spot that has a bit of both environments) the method changes. Now it's a joint writing session - where we are writing together on chat (Substack chat, Discord or similar will work, emails would do too, but at the same time so it's 'hot'). 

Here it's like comedy or drama improv - your character is reacting to the actions of the other character. You know the motivations and the situation of your character, what you would want them to do. So you react as they would. I was prepared for a "happy ending" where the characters skipped off into the sunset together, brave pards in adversity, or the way it indeed turned out—because it just worked out that way.

4) Revision - this is where the trust angle really comes in. I repeat - your collab partner wants to do a good job. You have to trust them. So that means both partners can CHANGE ANYTHING on the drafts. CUT what you want, ADD what you want, both to your bits and the bits of your partner. No need for explanations or play-by-plays.

At one point one of us took out the individual section headers. That was cool. Then in a later revision the other put them back in, a bit altered,. That was cool too. In theory, it could have gone on forever, revising and taking out and putting back things, but you know it's not really gonna go like that. 

Or if it does, and you've reached some kind of creative impasse, then fine. The experiment didn't work out, that's all. No need for recriminations or tears. 

Say thanks for the experience and think about whether you had the right partner, or whether you are the right partner. Giving up control of a creative process is hard sometimes, but only if it's deadly serious—you know like Art. But what if it's just a Game, a little play between buddies who have similar tastes? 

So did our collaborative effort work as an artistic production, a piece of literature? That's for readers to judge more than us. But what we can say is that we sure had some fun doing it and learned a lot about each other's way of working. Something has to rub off, right? Even if it's all slick and slimy in the end.