A trust exercise
Co-authoring is something of a trust fall—you’re putting your ideas, your words, and your creative vision into someone else’s hands, hoping they’ll help shape your story into something extraordinary. It’s a partnership built on vulnerability as much as discovery: one that demands an open mind and sometimes, a willingness to compromise. You’re not just writing a story together—you’re shaping you creative home, a shared space where both of your voices can thrive.
And like living with roommates, bringing together different styles, workflows, and ideas can be a bit of a hot mess, riddled with potential pitfalls. Even when both writers share a similar vision, conflicts can crop up over plot direction or divergent character arcs, criticism and faulty communication. Moving in with a friend means that sometimes you’ll argue over the décor (or dialogue), and there will probably be moments when you trip over each other’s discarded drafts. But when it works, the results are more than worth the struggle: stories that are more dynamic and layered, that no one writer could have dreamed up alone.
What we learned about co-authoring
We surveyed nearly 350 writers to learn more about their collaborative experiences and styles, and the first thing we wanted to know was: Just how common is co-authoring, and what does it look like for writers right now?
46.8% of our respondents had already co-authored at least one project, while another 36.3% expressed interest in trying it out. So, a majority of writers are open to co-authoring, but some haven’t yet taken the leap. When we dug deeper into why, the most common barrier was finding the right writing partner in the first place, which makes a lot of sense, considering how scattered internet communities have become. Searching for a creative soulmate—who not only shares your vision but can handle the ups and downs of a creative partnership—can be a daunting task.
But the survey also shed light on where these partnerships begin. 74.3% had initially found their partners in fandom spaces—fanfic is natural hub for sharing, and community spaces where writers find each other brainstorming headcanons, drafting AU arcs, and swapping ship ideas, often naturally evolve into communal stories—from 1/1, all the way to thousands.
Beyond fandom, 55.7% of writers were already connected as friends or family. College friends with shared interests, siblings who grew up storytelling together, and partners who found writing deepened their connection—writing together became a new way to explore ideas and creativity.
Finally, 33.2% of co-authors met through online writing communities or workshops, while 10.5% met in traditional, in-person workshops (e.g., college classes or local writing groups). These IRL connections often began with shared critiques and feedback sessions, which organically became collaborative.
What to look for in a co-author?
While there’s no single right place to find a co-author, the key is finding someone who gets your vision and complements your writing style. A strong co-authoring relationship starts with a shared understanding, and the most important question to ask is: Do you vibe? Do your creative instincts click, and do you feel excited to brainstorm together? Chemistry and collabs go hand in hand, so trust your gut as much as your goals. Alignment on big-picture ideas, and how you gel on storytelling objectives, will be the connection that holds your partnership together.
Set clear expectations up front. Talk about what matters most to you—when sacrifices have to be made, what do you most not want to compromise on.
So when you think you've found the one, the next step is to start throwing ideas against the wall and playing with potentialities. Discussing themes and sharing feedback, setting the scene for a productive shared environment—this phase is all about discovery, seeing where your creative instincts align and where they diverge. While it's good to be a little codependent when it comes to your project, you should also maintain your own perspective and voice—and while you don’t have to work or write in exactly the same way, your strengths and styles should play nicely together.
When working with multiple co-authors—on, say, a prompt for a fanwork fest, or a community project—the dynamics can easily become more complex. But by assigning clear roles and responsibilities—a project editor, or a "flat" structure of contributors—while maintaining a shared workspace and clear processes, everyone can easily stay aligned. Regular check-ins, defined milestones, and version control can go a long way in preventing individual ideas from getting lost in the shuffle. With more voices in the mix, ensuring that everyone feels heard and valued is incredibly important, so keep a balance of structure and flexibility for the group’s collective harmony (and peace of mind).
On that note…
The (many) challenges of co-authoring
After finding an awesome partner (or partners), the real work begins. Beyond the difficulty of finding someone simpatico (a struggle shared by 34.9% of co-authors), the most common issues faced by our surveyed writers include planning the project (46.1%), managing creative differences (46.1%), and a fragmented workflow (50.7%)—underscoring the importance of establishing strong communication and a shared system for managing the project.
One of the first major decisions in any co-authored work is how to divide up the workload. Beyond simply splitting tasks, you're creating a system, a synchronicity that plays into each writer's strengths, with a clear division of labor, while fostering trust and ensuring everyone’s contributions shape the project meaningfully. Deciding early who will take the lead, on which aspects of the story, building trust, and letting each writer’s contributions and strengths shine will set the tone for the entire partnership.
In our survey, writers shared their approaches to dividing responsibilities, with three main collaboration styles: Single owner, equal ownership, and divided by strength/skill.
About 17.7% of writers reported working on projects where one person took the lead—a natural progression when a piece starts as a solo project, with a co-author joining later to provide feedback or expand on the original story. This also works when one person has a developed vision for the narrative, and the other has specific skills to offer. Nearly half of our respondents (48.2%) reported equally shared ownership, where tasks are divided evenly: alternating chapters, assigning characters, or taking on separate plot points, dividing up a map of creative terrain (“You handle this subplot, I’ll take that one!”). But the most popular approach by far—used by 86.7% of co-authors—involved dividing work according to particular strengths and skills.
Be honest about your different interests and strengths and weaknesses—everyone has more fun when you're playing to your strengths rather than fighting to make things work a certain way.
A successful partnership relies on a deep understanding of each other’s strengths—and how to showcase them. While it’s great to have a plan (no shade on the pantsers among us), co-authoring is all about staying flexible. You might start a project as the resident “plot person,” but find yourself suddenly inspired by a new character’s voice. The best co-authoring experiences are dynamic, leaving room for both writers to explore and surprise each other. As our survey showed, even when writers initially divided their tasks, there was significant overlap—creativity hardly ever follows a strict outline. And the real magic happens when both partners feel free to contribute across all areas of the story, playing to their strengths.
Staying in sync with clear communication
… No matter the scale, I think communication is the most important thing you can have with a collaborator. Communication on ideas, communication on workflow and motivation, communication on if you're not seeing eye to eye on certain details, etc.
Obviously, writing together is hard, and disconnected communication can trip up even the closest team of writing BFFs. Momentum can become a series of missed connections, and its important for co-authors to gauge each other’s energy levels and emotional state. If one writer starts to feel overwhelmed or blocked, check-ins, quick chats, spur-of-the-moment brainstorms, or inspo sessions in a shared workspace can help re-energize the project and shift things back on track.
The co-authors we surveyed—and many others who collaborate (beta readers, editors, etc.)—found it helpful to set up designated chats on WhatsApp or private Discord channels to log progress and discuss plot or character developments, share lines of dialogue, etc. Some created Pinterest boards or collaborative mood boards to visually combine their ideas, effectively building a lore bible that doubles as a real-time writers’ room. Having a shared digital base—especially when navigating time zones or opposite schedules—can serve as an ongoing dialogue for the project, keeping everyone aligned, so no idea gets lost in translation.
Always communicate! Communication is so important as to not upset each other, and setting up expectations early on will make it much easier for everyone collaborating.
Differences happen when creatives get together—you might have a strong sense of direction about a particular character’s arc, while your partner envisions a different path for them. When you meet an impasse, approach these conflicts with a spirit of openness, compromise and curiosity. Instead of digging in your heels, ask some deeper questions—what is it about this plot twist or dialogue choice that excites your co-author? Can you find a middle ground that honors both voices?
Communication and respect are crucial to any collaboration.
… But know that they, authors and editors alike, will always have your interests at heart too. They want to see the story succeed, they treat this like their own baby, and they do not want to tear it apart. They will cry and laugh with you and care as much as you about it, and ultimately, they could become your bestest of friends. They will help you achieve what is essentially the best version of the story you all could've hoped for, but you can only experience all that if you are brave and face the challenges. It's not like you won't ever see any criticism of your story; you're only delaying it much further if you choose not to collaborate with others out of fear of criticism.
The best partnerships are ones where both writers feel comfortable giving each other space and voicing their concerns—compromise without compromising the story. It's important to take a step back and realign your partnership when disagreements arise—think of what drew you together in the first place. What themes did you set out to explore? What kind of experience do you hope to create for your readers? And it always helps to remember that you’re both working toward the same goal: telling the very best story possible.
Finding the flow: real-time or solo?
All writers love their comfort zones—either behind the privacy of a locked door or in busy din of a coffee shop. Some co-authors love a real-time exchange, where working together in a shared document allows them to see each other’s words pop up live. Immediacy and spontaneity, with ideas bouncing back and forth, a real-time doc creates an exchange that can lead to unexpected breakthroughs.
But not everyone thrives in real-time (or in a fishbowl). Some writers feel pressured knowing their partner is monitoring their every keystroke, which can stifle their sense of freedom and experimentation, and overall chill. It can be particularly hard to let loose with half-formed ideas if you feel like you’re being scrutinized in a collaborative panopticon.
For balance, many writers prefer a hybrid approach: Each drafts their sections solo, before coming together for a joint editing session. This can be the best of both worlds—allowing space for individual creativity and the freedom to work independently, while ensuring the final work feels cohesive and collaborative. Drafting solo provides a comfy, safe space to play with ideas, while the editing phase offers time to refine and align the work.
But without a solid system for tracking changes and merging updates, confusion can quickly set in. Writing tools with version control to combine two drafts together, easily navigated version history, real-time syncing, and folders to keep things organized ensures that no idea gets lost along the way (… and we have some thoughts on that!).
Choosing the right tools
Over half of our surveyed writers reported issues with project fragmentation—as we’ve mentioned (unbiased, we swear!), the tools you choose can truly make or break co-authoring. Offline tools like Microsoft Word or Scrivener can work for solo writing, but they weren’t really built with collaboration in mind. And while Google Docs allows for collaboration, it comes with its own set of challenges—disorganized drafts, lagging on long docs, permissions mishaps, and lost comments can quickly turn a partnership into chaos. (And let’s not forget the AI bots baked into some tools—the “collaborator” that no one invited to the team.)
So, when we first started thinking, conceptualizing, dreaming about Ellipsus, we knew we had to build something different—a tool designed specifically for collaboration. Our own experiences as co-authors, and our brainstorm sessions with other writers seeking collaborative tools, shaped the features we were so excited to introduce to the world (and use ourselves). Version control, real-time syncing across devices, strongly delineated permissions, an elegant commenting system, and an integrated chat to keep the collaborative flow uninterrupted… all features designed for avoiding the chaos of collaborating, so that co-authors can focus on what matters—creating something excellent together.
Co-authoring isn’t just about splitting the workload—you’re embracing the unexpected and celebrating the flux; exploring new ideas and narrative forms, and trusting in another’s perspective. It’s a wild and unique opportunity to push creative boundaries, and discover what happens when two (or more) minds merge into one cohesive story—whether partnering with a lifelong friend, a new collaborator, or an entire crew, the best stories are what we create together.
Tips and advice for co-authoring
Play to your strengths: Divide tasks so each writer’s skills shine—one might build immersive worlds, while the other nails pitch-perfect dialogue.
Determine your skills and try to understand how the relation with the other person will be (reader/editor/co-author/others). Think about what challenges you'll face together.
Stay in sync: Regular check-ins and communication through chats, comments, and shared workspaces can prevent missed connections and keep co-authors aligned.
Communicate! Be clear about what you like or dislike in the piece, and your reasoning why. As long as you're both able to understand each other, you'll rarely come to an impasse.
Make sure to have fun with any team you work with, a good relationship with the people you're writing with makes all the difference in your work. It also makes it much easier to communicate with them and mention things like new ideas or ways to rework the ones you might be stuck on. It also does wonders if you make sure to take time to goof off with them a bit, taking time to make sure you're just having fun helps with not feeling as stressed while also giving your mind a bit of a break to relax before getting back into work.
Find a single source of truth: Use drafts, version control, and track changes to avoid drafting chaos.
Be open-minded, and don't be scared of exploring the alternative plot lines.
Streamline your style: Start with a style guide, planning doc or lore bible to maintain a consistent voice and formatting.
Plan before you write, and have both parties read over what is written and make changes until there is a mutual agreement.
When in doubt, “Yes, and!” it: Stay flexible, go with the flow, build on each other’s ideas, and enjoy the process!
It may sound obvious, but remember that you're working together towards a common goal. Having a co-author is a tremendous advantage. Talk about your story, your plot, your characters. Build your ideas together. Co-authoring is not unlike a game of "yes, and." Don't get hung up on what you feel is important. Be flexible. And just have fun with it!
Have a sense of humor and be willing to be flexible! Co-writing is so much fun but you need to not take yourself too seriously and risk that relationship because you're sure you're right. Co-writing is an amazing adventure and can really help with getting stuck or writer's block—just go with the flow and try and "yes, and" it!
Next up...
Editing! Our editor insisted we remind you to check out our Discord—where writers can connect and collaborate, and maybe even find their next co-author.
(Seriously, she’d never forgive us if we didn’t mention it.)