Bev and Jess’ Collaboration
By Beverly Nault and Jessica Spring Brown
Happy December! Happy End-of-Year fellow writers!
JESS: Bev and I wanted to try something different with the PSA newsletter which we share month by month. We decided to collaborate this month with a conversation format. So, let’s begin this collaboration by talking about what else? Collaboration.
BEV: What are the pros and cons of collaborating?
JESS: For me, the pro is building on each other’s creativity. Whether writing a scene, developing a story idea, or, in your case, Bev, the making of a feature film. Congratulations, by the way, on your world premiere at the Show Low International Film Festival of your music video, My Life Between The Reins! (soon to be a full-length documentary feature)
BEV: Thanks! Learned a lot and it’s great to be involved in a film that’s going to touch a lot of lives when the full-length documentary is released.
JESS: I love the energy that happens when collaborating with another creative. And that energy spreads to my personal projects as well. The con: When no one is negotiating or willing to have an open mind to ideas. I believe in outlining first. I work with creatives who hate outlining. The ole plotter vs pantsers. Total Oil and Vinegar.
This is where the patience, building on each other’s creativity comes in. But when both parties are passionate about the project, negotiating and patience can come to a halt, and the creativity shuts off for me.
What about you?
BEV: PROS: I’ve had some successful collabs. When I began writing screenplays, I knew NOTHING about the rules, beats, formatting, etc. Having been a nonfiction writer and novelist, a friend kept persuading me to try screenwriting. I finally relented but convinced her to write with me so I could glean from her knowledge. That was a good partnership because one of the first scripts we wrote together, “The Christmas Stocking,” just placed as the highest-scoring screenplay at the Show Low Film Festival. It didn’t happen overnight and went through several rewrites and versions, but we now have a very marketable script.
JESS: Wow! Congratulations on that one as well. So collaboration is really about the give and take that two creatives need to make happen.
BEV: One hundred percent. But wait! Danger ahead!
Something I insist on and highly recommend before beginning to write anything together (for pay), and what I’ve always done, even with close friends, is to SIGN A COLLABORATION AGREEMENT FIRST! (Very shouty but I mean this, y’all) In the book world, publishers will not even talk to a writing partnership until the ink is dry on their collab agreement. They don’t want to get tangled up in disputes, shows you are professional, and also, discussing terms is instructive as you begin writing together. Everyone will be on the same page. So do that. Find a sample on the internet or draw it up yourself.
MORE PROS: Writing is a lonely sport, and as you said, Jess, having someone else to bounce ideas off of and who cares about the project as much as you do is energizing.
CONS There were some speed bumps. I learned to check my pride, be humble, and be willing to listen to and consider her opinions, even when I disagreed. We found that hiring paid coverage on our drafts was helpful, so an objective reader gave us feedback and settled some concerns we either couldn’t agree on or hadn’t noticed.
When Perfect Misfits, which I wrote alone, was in its infancy, doing well in contests and getting positive coverage, I invited another co-writer to join me and fill in what I knew was my skill gap. Carly is about half my age and provides a great perspective on younger dialog and other viewpoints because she’s also a director, A USC Film School Grad, and a working corporate and commercial filmmaker. That screenplay is now in a shopping agreement, so its evolution from single writer to co-writer helped mature it and prepare it for production.
That leads me to the next question about Collaboration: When would you recommend not collaborating with someone?
JESS: I think you bring up an excellent recommendation to always put together a Collaboration Agreement, even with friends, when starting a creative project. That is wise. While it won’t save you from getting into disagreements or guarantee creative unity throughout the process, it does give you a solid way out of a project when the collaboration is no longer working, the project is stalling, or there is more arguing than tossing creative ideas back and forth.
For me, on all my personal projects I write alone. These are too precious to me to allow someone else to mess with them. I am completely open to notes and feedback from other writers such as in a Table Read or Writers Group. I get feedback from AI. With all my notes, I decide what serves my story best and then play with the note to get the most creative version.
Having said that, I do collaborate with other writers and directors on THEIR projects. It is teaching me to be patient, to learn different creative processes that I have never tried before, and I do enjoy helping someone else bring their “creative baby” into the world. Are there times when I want to scream and rip my hair out working on other people’s projects? Absolutely. I only want the best for their projects. So, I respectfully offer suggestions to improve a storyline, character, scene, etc., and if the other person says no, then I let it go and focus on the direction they want to go.
Now, you may ask me, “Why do you do that?” And my answer is that I also learn from what is not working on their projects might not work for my own project. I see it as a learning lab to grow my own stories. And it’s back to writing being a lonely journey. Don’t get me wrong, I am not lonely. I LOVE the solitude. Solitude and loneliness are two different things. I truly found that when the joy, the creativity, and the fun of collaborating are nowhere to be found, I will end the partnership sooner than later. No need to die by a thousand cuts. I only do that to my characters.
What about you, Bev? When would you recommend not collaborating with someone?
BEV: I agree writing can be an ALONE journey, but sharing the experience makes it richer and a lot more fun. IMO! It’s interesting that you never write original work with someone else but co-write on their project. We all have our own style and approach.
I consider a few things when I consider a collaboration; format, genre, and “lifestyle.”
As far as format, I don’t consider myself qualified to write in limited series, horror, or sci-fi, for instance, so I’d probably never jump into those. Yet. I’m consulting on a limited series now, so I am learning by reading and offering feedback. After all, the story and characters have to be strong in any genre, right?
Lifestyle or work style differences affect pacing, which can be frustrating to me if they don’t mesh. I can write my share pretty quickly, holidays and illnesses, etc., notwithstanding. It would be problematic if I had to wait weeks or months to hear back from a co-writer. I don’t want to lose momentum, and I need to know how to calendar my other projects, so they don’t suffer. This is another detail to discuss with someone before jumping in on a collab. If they can’t focus on the project, I’d probably pass or delay it until their schedule opens up.
Jess, you mentioned using AI for feedback, which can be another form of collaboration. This intimidates and intrigues me at the same time. What’s your experience? How did you approach using it?
JESS: Ah! AI. My new favorite topic. I wrote an article recently for the PSA Newsletter article, introducing PSA writers to the pros and cons of AI. I recommend to everyone to stay up to date with the WGA’s guidelines for using AI based on their recent contract. I want to support the hard work the negotiators did to get those wins. My own values and ethics play a role.
BEV: To you readers, I recommend if you haven’t already, read Jess’ September 29, 2024, PSA article, Tools of the Trade: AI or I? AI and I? Jess explains the steps she took before jumping into using AI.
I admire that in your article, you qualified you use AI for two things. One, as a tool, but not to generate. Two, you follow the WGA guidelines for the ethical use of AI. I want to do the same.
JESS: Everyone is different in how they want to use AI, what legal contracts they might be engaged in with their current projects, etc.
For me, I collaborate with AI much like I do with humans during table reads and writer groups, asking for feedback or notes on my pages or outline and story development. All work is my original work, no matter what. The pros and cons of AI and humans really complement each other. Sometimes, in the evening or early morning, I don’t have writers available to quickly pull a table read together and I need some feedback ASAP so I can move the project forward. AI is available 24/7, so that keeps the creativity going when you get notes back immediately.
Like AI, humans have what the AI experts call a jagged edge. That is a response or suggestion that just doesn’t work for your scene, logline, or script. I know I have sat in a table read and listened to a fellow writer’s note and knew that wouldn’t work. But I always appreciate all notes. Some I incorporate into my writing. Some I put on the back burner of my mind and mull over. This can lead me to a better solution or to look at the story problem in a new light—others I disregard.
I do not let AI write scenes for me. Just as I don’t ask fellow human writers to write my scenes for me, I don’t ask or let AI write any scenes for me. I want all of my work to be original and mine.
Bev, have you dipped your fingers into the pool of AI yet?
BEV: In your article, you said, “…I had lingering concerns that I was selling my fellow writers out and undermining all the work and wins that the professional WGA writers achieved during the recent writers strike.” Indeed, this is very important!
I use Grammarly, which has AI built in, on everything I write as a proofing tool on my own projects and when I edit for hire. I also use CANVA for pitch decks, graphics, etc. CANVA has introduced AI and I find it frustrating and helpful all at the same time!
But I haven’t used AI to generate any projects except to dabble and see what it came up with.
You’ve inspired me to try AI based on the information you shared in the article and that it can be just a tool, not a substitute for a creative mind. I think I’ll begin by exploring their coverage services. I’ve hired several human-based coverage services, and spent lots of money on them and entering contests to see how my work measures up. It will be fascinating to see how AI measures up to humans.
JESS AND BEV: Stay tuned! In a future collab article, Jess and Bev will experiment with an actual screenplay and share what the AI-generated coverage looks like. Write on, PSA!
Graphic by Bev using CANVA’s AI tools Magic Write and Image Generator.
