Author: theladywrites

And how (maybe) you can meet yours.

^{This is a guest article by Kindar @TheTigerWrites}

I want to be upfront about this; there was an element of chance in me meeting my collaborator. But like every time chance gets involved, it was help by having prepared the landscape. Not that those preparations were made with getting a collaborator in mind. They were simply what I did at the time.

The first thing I did was put my stories out there for people to see and comment on. I’m a believer in being critiqued as a way of improving, so I’d put everything I write on the sites of the community I was part of(back then it was !Y Gallery and Furaffinity) this led to readers there commenting. 90% of those comments were to the effect of “I like this” or “I don’t like this”, while the rest would add explanations to their liking it or not.

Those are the useful ones.

The second thing I did was respond to anyone who gave an explanation. I’d ask questions about it, or simply thank them. The one thing I never did was tell them they were ‘wrong’. It didn’t matter if I thought they were. My job as the person putting chapters up to be commented on, is to take the comments, and thank the people commenting. It is not to ‘prove’ my superiority.

What I was aiming to do was create an environment where they would be comfortable telling me their honest opinions. And let me tell you, after a while, they were honest to a fault. I have thick skin, and some of the comments were difficult to take.

So, be ready, this is not for the faint of heart.

But the things I learned simply from doing this are invaluable.

Among those who commented, there were a few who had insightful comments on nearly everything I posted. So I approached one, ask if they were interested in collaborating, explained what I was looking for, which was basically someone to help me structure/outline stories. There were failures after failures. It isn’t because someone can give good constructive critique that they will be able to provide any more help. If you can stay on good terms with them after the attempt, they make great beta readers.

Among those was the person who’d eventually become my collaborator. By this point, I’d asked him to beta read my chapters and he’d agreed. He became my primary beta reader. And his insight was invaluable. To the point that when I became utterly stuck in a story, he offered solutions, which led to me to asking for his assistance in structuring the rest of the story, then the next one, and with the quality of that work I asked him to become my official collaborator, he said yes.

As they say, the rest is history.

Here is my opinion(and that is all this is) on finding a collaborator.

You have to make yourself visible. Find the communities that match what you write and engage with them.

You have to engage with people. If others are posting their stories, you can comment on them. If there is a conversation space go there, talk with the others. When someone comments on your posts, be polite, be supportive, and if the opportunity is there, engage with them. Sometimes, if not often, negative constructive comments on your chapters will lead to positive results one you inquire deeper.

You must be supportive. Readers won’t want to comment if they expect your reaction to be confrontational. A lot of that can be established ahead of time if you’ve commented on others’ stories, but it shouldn’t be forgotten when you are responding to a comment left on your story. Remember, if someone did not understand what you wrote/meant, it’s possible it’s because you didn’t explain it properly.

You must be willing to take risks and walk away from them. Asking someone for help is a risk, but it isn’t an unbreakable contract. Make your needs clear, listen to their conditions, reach the agreement for one story/chapter/whatever, and if you realize it isn’t working, thank them, if you think they’ll be receptive, explain why it isn’t working (or if they are the one for whom it isn’t working, listen to why it didn’t work for them) and move on. Try it again.

You must cherish your collaborator. Once you’ve gone through all that and found one, I think this is self-evident, but your collaborator needs to be cherished. Don’t take them for granted. If you can find a way, return the favor (I will read everything my collaborator puts before me and comment on it. When he asks for help, I’ll give it to the best of my ability).

Accept that one day the collaboration will come to an end. This one’s rough for me. I dread that day, but while I hope for it to be as far in the future as possible, I know it is out there. You must accept that too. Your collaborator has a life of their own, and one day, they will have to put that before your work. When that happens, well, you already know it’s possible to find a collaborator, and now you have experience doing so. So, look for one again and keep in mind that it will be a different kind of collaboration.

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