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Collaborative writing - a whole new dimension?
Hi everyone, greetings from across the North Sea! That's Holland to be precisely. I was wondering. Perhaps you wanna join me in thinking out loud. The thing is this. I am discussing new ways of bringing intriguing material, with a special emphasis on journalism and research, to a reading and/or viewing audience, with a Dutch publisher who has contacts all over the globe.
As you know, publishers simply have to these days, for economic reasons, competition from new media, etc. Because of the type of material, we are looking to work together with experienced (screen)writers in the English and/or American-English language, with a journalistic background.
Collaborative writing may work both ways. Either novelization: fleshing out screenplay material.
Or producing screenplays / dramatized documentaries based on original material and research.
Let me know what your thoughts are.
Comments
Collaborative writing has been going on for a long time...
Writing can be defined in all sorts of ways. Basically there are two: have something worth wile telling to the public and the craftsmanship of writing a good book or screenplay. Plenty of craftsmen out there. They can be matched with people with a highly original idea, premise or story line.
We all write very different things, and those who want to collaborate on projects have usually already done so.
Ideally stick around and contribute...
We get regular spam hits as the week goes on, and unfortunately your post was set out in the similar format...
If you introduce yourself on a new thread and tell the members about your writing aims and so on, others will say hello and if they have anything to say on this thread they'll add it.
You have must-read authors and must-read material. Now let's say, to be a bit more concrete, that a Dutch publisher got hold of a 'must-read' manuscript or account, a diamond in the rough, by an unknown writer who did some digging (research) into a certain subject that people in a lot of countries would be interested in. The 'old school' of doing things is to have it published in the language of origin, in our particular case: Dutch. However, to reach the widest audience possible, it would be wise to right away aim for publishing this in the English language. Non-literary manuscripts in general need editing any way. In our particular case, the 'diamond in the rough' is already written in 'bare bones' English (if that is the proper term). What makes more sense than to look for ways (incl. posting on this forum - thanks for that) to draw the attention of experienced writers/editors who think they would fit the bill.
The second aspect, is what 'format' to choose. Personally, I love documentaries. But who took the trouble of watching the BBC documentary on "how it all started with regard to the invasion in Iraq" (incl. British involvement)?... There's a saying in screenwriting: anyone can provide factual accuracy, however, bringing a compelling story that feels genuine, is the real challenge. No better suspense than what may well happen... or is about to take place. Novelization as well as screenwriting, or 'crossbreeding' what's essentially intriguing material, is something we would like to take into the equation from the get go.
It sounds like you're looking for a ghost writer - someone with writing talent who can tell another person's story in an engaging way. Usually ghost writers work on non-fiction (celebrity "autobiographies" being the most obvious example), but there are plenty who write novels. I believe James Patterson's approach is similar to what you are describing - he'll provide the 'bare bones' of a thriller, then hand it over to somebody else to do the actual writing. This is how he manages to produce four or five bestsellers every year!
I think the main issue with what you are describing is that anybody taking on the challenge would need to fully understand the legal side of the writing partnership. If the book/screenplay was a huge success, it might be difficult to determine exactly whose story it is - the person who provided the idea and framework, or the person who turned it into the compelling page-turner everyone wants to read? I don't think anybody would want to get involved without knowing exactly what the situation would be with regard to 'ownership' of the material.
You'd have to consider the complexity of working in the way you're suggesting against the (possibly) more manageable approach of getting the book published in the Netherlands and then seeking foreign translations. It may take longer, but as the Stieg Larsson books showed, success in a small market can be a springboard to becoming a huge international phenomenon.
Whichever way turns out to be the right one for you, I wish you the best of luck with your project. It sounds interesting.
A good writer can apply mythic structure to any problem, development, resolution scenario, and make it compelling. Horizon scripts are always given the quest treatment. The conclusion often falls a bit flat after the heraldic build up.
Danfango has nailed what you're probably after. Hope you find someone suitable.
(to be cont'd)