Writing together – what do I actually mean by that?
An author is someone who, alone in a quiet room, creates beautiful sentences, which then grow together into a great story or stories. They are someone with exuberant creativity,
who manages to create fantastic worlds from nothing.
However, sitting alone in a quiet room is, most of the time, quite lonely. And there has been enough of that in the last few years. Besides, writing lives on inspiration – and everyone who has dealt with creative techniques knows that in almost all cases a group simply “delivers” more than a single person. Quite simply, this is because others’ ideas fuel their own creativity.
That’s exactly what I take advantage of when writing together: each person writes only from the perspective of his or her own character. They are allowed to change or describe the environment, but not the reactions of the other protagonists. Often it is some little thing that gives the other authors another new idea of how to continue the story. This also means that there is no fixed plot in advance, but that it develops during the writing process.
This often leads to very funny situations at the beginning, when everyone is still getting used to their character and the group. Then, at some point, the plot takes on depth and development.
Lacking ideas? No chance
It’s probably impossible to solve real writer’s block, but if you’re a bit stuck, you’ll find that your fellow authors offer you some impetus to continue. Interestingly enough, this happens not only in the story itself, but also outside of it. Creativity cannot be limited. Once it is activated again, it wants to show itself. In a safe space, in the group, and then almost always outwardly as well.
Can you try that out?
Certainly! If you want to try it out, I cordially invite you to do so in the context of the SchreibWelten (Writing Worlds). In the fall, the SchreibWelten will open their doors again for 4 weeks, and you can simply put your name on the interested list here. Don’t worry, the taster session won’t cost you a penny.