If you ask my mom, she’d probably tell you that collaboration wasn’t mine and my sister’s forte. We had our moments, though. My bedroom closet had this giant step in it; a carpeted platform on one side, on which we could climb. It had a shelf along one wall and a little desk on the far end. It’s where I conjured up all kinds of trouble. And It. Was. Awesome. My sister and I made up this game called “Connie & Connie” . . . two quirky office gals who apparently did . . . office work. Using my tape recorder, we’d record ourselves pretend-typing and once, recorded me falling out of the closet. Funniest thing ever. Wish I still had that tape.
Anyway, Amy and I didn’t always collaborate well, and we differed more than just with appearances. (I’m on the left.) But we still made a go of it and had a helluva good time. Usually.
Sometimes, it’s peoples’ differences that can make a project exciting; what we bring to the table as individuals, can also make it a successful project.
I’ve collaborated with other authors on books and it’s been great fun. I’m also hoping to have a children’s book out later this year, that I’m working on with the amazing Kerrie Flanagan. I urge you to connect with other writers and artists and come together for a common goal. You don’t have to be alike; in fact, I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and take a risk by working with someone you may otherwise shy away from—it could be the start of a beautiful collaboration.
How have you collaborated with others on projects? Any advice/tips?
I enjoyed collaborating with you on two projects and am working with projects that might include collaborating with other artists, one would be a poetry reading with harp music in the background. Yes, it’s always great when we work with others. Two heads are better than one, it only takes more wine and chocolate to keep everyone happy!
Harp music, huh? Now, that I’d love to see . . . hear.
When I was narrowing down my topics for today, I was torn between collaboration or comparison. I love where you went with collaboration. The childhood stories and the life lessons learned made it a fun read, and a good challenge to collaborate with other writers, when we’re not busy doing office work along side Connie. 😉
Thanks, Greg. I had fun with this one because the picture immediately reminded me of those days. And those Connies . . . no one could type like them!
I haven’t tried collaborating with other writers yet. I can see where it might be a lot of fun. I think of the writing book Kerrie and Jenny Sundstedt wrote and suspect either one of those ladies would be great to work with.
Absolutely, Pat. There’s a ton of authors and illustrators I think are talented and unique and often think about how much it would be work on a project together. So why not? It never hurts to ask . . .