by Wendy on May 9th, 2011
The Writing Game this month features Andy Jackson, composer, and Su Kane, writer, in conversation 
about their collaboration on a piece called Whispering Stones, about Durham Cathedral.
They express beautifully the nature of the project and the subtlety of artistic collaboration. It’s now a podcast** and includes some thoughts on story making (me), and blogging for writers (Avril Joy).
This made me think about my own view of collaboration. The Writing Game is to some degree collaborative I suppose. And one of my novels Sandie Shaw and the Millionth Marvell Cooker started as an idea for a stage play but when I realised how much negotiation, collaboration and concession would be involved I rather retreated from the idea and seven years later wrote it as a novel.
Perhaps a novelist cultivates that element of total 
control: a writer is creator, location manager, actor(s) and director – only conceding the role of producer to the publishers.
However i do enjoy collaborating with my friends Avril Joy and Gillian Wales in Room To Write the organisation to encourage and develop aspiring writers which also supports and inspires The Writing Game.
So I can’t be an entire megalomaniac…
**Listen to Writing Game podcast on story, on words & music collaboration, & blogging for writers http://blogs.bishopfm.com/thewritinggame/
PS
As you see, I’ve been walking in bluebell woods. Perfect English spring. Very inspiring….
wx
From → Bluebells, Collaboration, Spring, Writing, Writing Game
One Comment →
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I agree Wendy – as a novelist one is generally on one’s own and there is something very satisying about the control this brings
But like you I enjoy collaboration. It is always inspiring in some way, it feeds into the writing -besides which it’s fun and very life enhancing to work with one’s friends in this way.
Love the bluebells!!
Lovely post WEndy. A few years ago i did a collaboration with a photographer - poems and photographs around the river Eden. It made me think very hard about how I use words to produce images. it was also quite a challenge to write poems that didn't just replicate what the photograph was doing - it had to do more than just 'show' or 'describe'. Much more difficult than i expected, but really rewarding and I think it made me a better writer afterwards.
ReplyDeleteLook forward to listening to the podcast!