Writing Partners and the Three T’s

Writing with a partner can be aggravating and at other times it can be awesome. I say this because Jennifer and I have been writing partners for over a year and at times she has made me want to pull out my hair and the rest of the time we’re giving each other pats on the back with encouragement. So I thought I would break down the Three T’s of choosing a writing partner and how to make it a successful literary journey.

Trust: For one, you have to trust that your partner is fully committed to the completion of your “goals.” As writer’s you should have independent goals and goals for the project that you’re working on—I’ll wait another time to discuss goals but for now, TRUST. I would never put trust into a writing partner who I couldn’t rely on. Who wasn’t honest, trustworthy, or even remotely devoted or consistent in their production of work.

Time:: You need to ensure that your partner is committed to the same, if not more, time to your project than you are. The last thing you want is to have a deadline and you are left waiting on your partner for the last edits—come to find out they have no time, no resources, and no motivation to ensure that your project gets completed.

Talent: Everyone has weaknesses and downfalls in writing. What’s important is to recognize those pitfalls and ensure that your partner doesn’t have the same downfalls as yourself. You should complement each other’s talent, not make them worse. It’s like a marriage, one divine partnership where you can rely on each other to give you comfort when you’re down and give you praise on your achievements.

You can find writing partners anywhere—forums, writer critique groups, or just people interested in the same project as yourself. But do not wholly devote yourself to a project that you know in your heart won’t be successful because in the end, you will be wasting your time and efforts on a half-hearted project.