A word about collaborations.

As some of you may have noticed, Flopsybunny and I have recently co-written a story – The Prophecy: the lord and the librarian. It is my first joint effort with anyone and I accepted it as more than a challenge if anything. I previously was a little wary of joint-efforts. I wondered if the clash of styles would leave to an uneven plotting.

Actually our efforts were uneven in some respects as I think for both of us the story kept taking unexpected twists.

What I wanted to know was – do you think it worked? Did you notice the joins or if you did, were they a vehicle for creative tension?

DJ Black

I have read up to part 11 so far and I've enjoyed it immensely! It is a slightly strange mixture at times, though it's never apparent (to me anyway) where the 'joins' are - I love the mystery and the clash of modern/ancient (characters/behaviour/values), the ancient giving realism to loads of great spankings!

If I had to be brutally honest, I might (before running away quickly and hiding) say that perhaps it can't decide if it's an out-and-out serious Tolkienesque/Fantasy/Romance or a comedy. Rowan's repeated explorations of forbidden areas (rather like characters do in horror films - 'No! Don't go in there!' and of course they do) and the rather sudden and incidental ways in which spankings were incorporated made me laugh (with pleasure) along with other occasionally obvious moments of humour (the Visa reference). Not that humour isn't appropriate in such a genre - maybe that was one of the 'joins', I don't know. And I suppose I am suggesting that the plotting is slightly uneven at times - the rate at which different plot strands are progressed varies quite a lot. After Chapter 1's multiple threads, the plot becomes very Rowan-focused for a while (not that she isn't a luscious focus).
But does it work?
Absolutely it works - it's REALLY entertaining - brilliantly written in places (the drowning scene), always engaging, with believable, likeable (or not) characters and expert description... I am in awe of how you managed it.

I have read up to pt 13. the fact that it is a collaborative writing is, to me, not obvious at all. The story has been the focus of my reading and have found nothing at all that has jumped out to say 'oh, thats not the style so far, must be someone different'

I can only write this as a reader as I am not an author. I have and am enjoying this story very much, the twists and turns have me sitting on the edge of my seat. DJ, if this is the quality that you and Flopsy can produce together then please - Keep on writing!!

I think the joins, different styles and emphasis are fairly obvious.
I have an opinion, (it may be wrong) about who has taken leadership of the plot direction, but if I'm correct then the other author has done very well to accept and follow and not try to re-impose his original ideas.
It is reading very well and you both have empathised very well.
I look forward to the continuation and conclusion, and hope that this board may well inspire similar ventures as we all have our own styles, and collaboration makes you adopt another.

In FC we used to have great fun writing fairly short excerpts of chain stories, but these were frequently hi-jacked and taken in different directions, at first I found this irritating but grew to enjoy it and indulge in it myself!

To conclude Congrats to both DJB and Flopsy, and I hope to see some more simi9lar ventures.

Who knows, Flopsy may even be persuaded to organise a themed chain story for Christmas/New Year!

I am loving this series and really cannot tell where the joins are.

I am not reading it to be looking for different styles anyway so the whole thing flows along in a wonderfully imaginative and eccentric way.

If in my comments I take a slightly cheeky piss-taking line it is because I am enjoying it so much.

The writing is absolutely top notch and the little bits of humour keep this saga firmly in the genre.

A little humour is for me the key to distinguishing between rather brutal punishment and the joy of CP.

I think this Black Bunny partnership is a great success and hope that you both are enjoying the collaboration as much as I am loving the results.

I think writing partnerships can be effective. I like to appeal to female readers, but being male, I can never accurately portray the female perspective. I wouldn't mind partnering with a strong female writer on a story or series.

Thanks for that feedback and keep it coming.

It interesting that some can see the joins and others not.

I am not sure either Flopsy or myself took a consistent lead throughout and the story changed direction at least twice. There are also some minor loose ends which were not pursued because the co-writer did not always know what to do with it.

On a general note - I wonder if similar styles is a benefit or writing to converge very different styles is more creative.

Thanks again.

DJ Black

I doubt that I could do a collaboration. There are some successful ones out there though, the most notable of which is the team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. They wrote The Relic and the Cabinet of Curiosities to name just two. It would seem to me that in a collaboration tasks would be split up--maybe somebody figures out plot elements and characters and the other does the actual wordsmithing. I don't really know, but I'd think it would be hard to split tasks like that.

I wrote an intro and Flopsy followed it up and I took it from there and so on.

After a while we discussed an outline and agreed a back story and then continued some more until we needed another round of plot planning.

Then we revisited the whole thing at the end to insert paragraphs to tidy up loose ends.

We were thinking about a trilogy? Any interest? Or will you wait until the final part to decide?

DJ

I'm unsure as whether your question is directed to me, but if it is I guess I'd have to say that I should read the whole thing you and flopsy have written before I can decide if this is a project I could help with. I'm flattered that you would ask---and if you haven't, in the immortal words of Emily Litella---never mind.