Screenwriting : Collaboration Advice by Samantha Lee

Pro: A backboard for ideas, a fact checker (or Bull$%#^ detector.), and an extra pair of eyes or ears for rereading what you wrote the day before. Con: May call you out Bull$%#^, will expect work being done not caring how many Sniper kills you got in Call of Duty, and will ;) expect a fair share of the profits/credit.

The last not really a con but has sunk at least one collaboration and or project.

I have done many collaborations. Pros - Depending on who you do it with, you learn a lot about the writing process and the visuals of screenwriting.. I've had the privilege of working with actors and one author and the journey itself was fun. Cons - No guarantees at all. Two were supposed to go into production and did not. I worked very hard on the final drafts, sometimes eleven hour days because I was told production dates were coming up. Everyone I collaborated with disappeared. I call it the Hollywood Heartbreak, nature of the business. Instead of considering myself a cautionary tale, I get up, dust myself off, and get on to my next project. Maybe one day. Hope this helps.

I find in most collaborations, after talking to many whom have done it, that one person generates the ideas for the story and the other person helps and writes it out (because they're the better writer). As long as both contribute it can work. Do have an agreement in place that mentions if the relationship falls apart that each will be given credit (i.e. one person created the story, and the two share writing credit), and how the compensation will be split (usually 30% to story creator, and 35% to each writer; or you guys figure out the split). This saying covers it best, "Equal partnerships ain't."

It depends on who you are collaborating with. I collaborated with a producer on a couple of screenplays, and I hated it because he was difficult to work with. I also collaborated on two with Judy Norton, and we worked will together. Anyway I suggest making sure you are on the same level experience wise and if you don't have an agent or manager you might try and find one to collaborate with who has one. At least that way, you know the script will get read by more people.

Donald Westlake was speaking of novels but once said something like "Collaboration is twice the work for half the money and a third of the fun." I'm not sure I'd recommend it unless you have a few scripts under your belt, ditto, your collaborator.

You're in the UK - what market do you intend to write for? If you're targeting your home market - look local. If your market is the USA - look for an American writer. Although we both speak English - you talk British, I talk American and our use of language makes it very difficult to work together. That's just the truth; no matter what some will argue.

You can come up with more ideas/dialogue/scenes/etc. when you collaborate. And if one person is stuck on something in a script, the other person could find the solution. One con: conflict and disagreements might come up during the collaboration (which doesn't happen when you're writing alone).

Thank everyone for your pros and cons, its given me a lot to think about

Doug Nelson Do you think that a British writer could write a US-based show or just stick to British shows? My pilot is half US and half Welsh.. so a bit of a challenge.

Hi Samantha, I just finished a collaboration on a feature script with a young lady who, up until this point, had only written stage plays. This was her first attempt at a feature, and it went great. Her notes, outline, characters, were so easy to work with, and I had so much fun on the project. I recommend collaborations if you can match with the correct person., someone with a shared vision like your own, and has a modest ego who's willing to listen as much as they are wiling to contribute.

Thanks, John Think I will look around for someone. I only started writing last year and had some really good feedback on the script service here at Stage32 which has encouraged me to continue. My main downfall is dialogue but will keep at it.

i did a three-way collab a long time ago and I was dumb to not draft a contract before we started writing the script. My writing partners and I got heated after a money offer; it wasnt life changing $ income but ppl suddenly get amnesia of what they actually contributed. I know it sucks to spend out of pocket $ for contracts and a lawyer to review, especially for a spec script (writing sample) but take care of the business first. Buyers sometimes buy specs and they want a clean "chain of title."

Thanks for the tip Dan, I will bear this in mind.

Samantha, I'm not at all good at collaboration, but having written for radio initially, and lectured on the subject, would reckon my dialogue is OK. I would maintain that anything we put down as dialogue has to pass four tests: would this character say this - would anybody say this - would this character say that this way - would anybody say that this way.

Thanks, Grant, I did a read-through with a few friends last week and we did change a few things but still feel that there is something missing but as a new writer finding it hard to put my finger on it.

I write with my brothers and it goes pretty smoothly. I don't know about writing with others. My advice is to have something in writing if you do. Good luck.

It can't be someone who's a stranger... you have to have a relationship before you collaborate.

I can give you one con.

I collaborated on a project (not a screenplay) and the biggest hurdle we had to overcome was that there was no “Me” and “Him”. It was “us”. He didn’t like when I was changing his work, nor did I see the need for his changes. If you find someone that can dispose of themselves (and you can do that same) and see the work from an US pov. You will be okay.

I write with my brothers and I always put in their ideas no matter what. Makes life easy. You just have to make the idea work.

I love the struggle of collaborations. That is all.

When you start the project together as a collaboration, be sure everyone is on board for the premise. Everything can be gel if you follow the premise. Make everybody feel like they contribute. One person can't be controlling. It can be a challenge but you'd be surprised how good things can be.

I LOVE a good collab. But man, you have to genuinely respect the person that you're collaborating with (and vice-versa) and learn to truly listen to one another. Be able to practice some healthy give and take.