Hi there, guys and dolls! Today, I’ll be writing about the subject of well, writing. Specifically, about how my girls, Andrea and Heather write.

Last week, they were asked again about how they write together, as it puzzles many authors. How do they share, combine ideas, is it really collaborative, and multiple other queries into the mysteries of their scribing style. Some authors say they could not imagine creating their fictional world with anyone.

To be very honest, the girls have always looked at their Poppy Cove Mystery Series as a collaborative effort, right from day one. Others have certainly done it, and movies, songs, television shows, plays (the list could go on) have all been done in that manner. Whether they discuss the overall premise of the project or an individual scene, they talk it out, plan it and work on it together. It helps that the girls have known each other for over forty years (okay fine, it’s a stretch to call them girls, but they still feel that way), and can be honest when one has a different idea from the other. The secret to harmonizing and working together?  See next paragraph.

It’s about the good of the project. They know each other well enough to be honest, and respectful to be diplomatic. Ideas, scenes, plots may get shifted, filed away or unused, but right from the very beginning, it’s always been about what will work in the stories, not bruised or fragile egos.

It prompted them to think about how and why do people write, and do they really think about it. At the risk of offending (and please know hearts are in the right place), does a writer write because the story is there to share and they are a conduit for it? Or is it an ego need to be “I’m the one telling the story,” or “It’s mine, there’s no room for anyone else’s ideas?”

Just food for thought. Writers, think about it the next time you pick up your pen or place your hands on the keys. Maybe, just maybe the inspiration is bigger than you and you are the happy cog blessed to share it with the world, no matter in what way, shape or form.

Toodles,

Barbara Jean