Getting down to work

So Mrs. Kennedy, my writing partner/reason for living, arrives tonight so that we may enjoy two intense weeks of work on our book. Our writing schedule thus far has gone like this: 1) write alternate chapters (I get the odds, she the evens), 2) read the other person’s chapters, and 3) cackle with glee. Writing a humor book with someone else has many advantages, not the least of which is that, while your own writing no longer seems funny after the fourth or fifth read-through, you still get to be surprised and delighted by the other person’s hilarity. The other advantage is that you only have to write half a book. That’s a big one.

People have asked me (and by people, I mean the imaginary journalists interviewing me in my rich fantasy life) how we can alternate chapters—aren’t we afraid there will be no continuity? That it will be obvious that different people wrote different chapters? The answer is of course that we fear nothing. We laugh in the face of danger. We would scale a sheer cliff with our bare, bloodied hands; why would we worry about this “lack of continuity” of which you speak?

The real answer is that we’ve been working on this idea for so long, we have the voice down pat. At this point, we are as one. Besides, we’ll be editing it together, so wherever Eden has launched into another inexplicable stream of obscenities, I’ll simply cut that out, and distract her with some Junior Mints. You’d be surprised how much I have to do this.

In real life, I've been asked how we share files. One word: Dropbox. I asked Twitter for recommendations on good ways to share files back and forth, and the answer returned: Dropbox, Dropbox, Dropbox. And that answer was correct. It could not be easier. I have a folder on my computer that also lives on the Dropbox site and on Eden’s computer. It’s like magic.

Any more questions? Ah, yes—Helen Thomas. “How do you get your hair so pretty?”?! I don’t see how that’s relevant here, Helen.

Comments

[Marinka]

Kegels are great for dropbox. (sorry, no. I'm not available to be your writing partner. Stop asking).

[Megsie]

I think working collaboratively with someone you like and work well with is pure Nirvana. And I think your hair is pretty, isn't that always relevant? Well, it should be.

[Pam]

How thrilling to hear that you too conduct imaginary interviews with journalists! I'm urbane, witty, at ease - you too? Of course, you do have the advantage over me of actually having a book in production, there is that...

It sounds as though it's going to be great fun - how long do we have to wait?

[alice]

Oh, Marinka. Ba-dum-ching!

[Kari]

Can I be your unofficial editor? I could really use some funny these days. Coming off my enormous sugar addiction is making me quite grouchy.

[becks]

My chest is gripped with anxiety for you. Odds? I don't think I could write chapter after chapter knowing they were all ODD numbered. I had three children (I try not to focus on that right there because the thought of having a fourth to even things up is even less appealing than having three) and they were all born in odd years and odd months and I have to try not to think about it.

[Kate]

I'm not sure I've ever commented before, but I've been reading your blog for a while, and it has always driven me crazy that you have these two attributes:
a) Blogger whose writing I most enjoy
b) Blogger who posts the most seldom.
And thus, I must tell you, that I am the MOST glad that you're posting every day now. It makes life worth living. No pressure.

[Nutmeg]

I'm with Kate.

And also, we science writing types also use dropbox. It is indeed awesome, even when someone is constantly causing conflicted copies.

[lisak]

I'm with Becks. Odds? Couldn't do it.

[nelking]

Dropbox is the answer for everything.

[Holly]

I'm sooo excited for this book to come out! You go!

[Michele]

Yay dropbox! But do you pay for it or are you dealing with the measly 2GB?

[Katie]

I just read your Sun article about your miscarriage, and it led me to this blog. Just wanted to thank you for being so incredibly honest about your experience. I have blogged a bit (just for friends and family) about the recent experience of losing my baby and have been feeling so internet-naked. Just exposed. Like, holy cow I can't believe how many people read this (I mean, did I want my mother in law's co-worker's hairdresser to know about my utter misery?) But also so glad to get the shit off my chest. Reading your words normalized this experience a bit for me. So, really, thank you.

[LPC]

Writers or no, there's very little that's as much fun as cackling over the humor of a good friend. Especially if you're a girl and they are a girl, which is the world I inhabit.

[kris]

Pretty sure I had a thoughtful comment but Marinka's Kegels comment sucked it out of my brain. I'm thinking Junior Mints will help.

[jrk]

Glad to see you writing daily - your humor is my kind of medicine for the "Januarys".

[Sarah]

LOVE the dropbox myself. I use it with a client in Jakarta, Indonesia.

CAN'T wait to read your book.

ALSO want to know why 1. I'm using all caps for some words (sorry) and 2. How you get your hair so pretty, too. ;)

[Bonnie B.]

I agree with Kate! I am SOOOOOO happy to see you posting more often because I thoroughly enjoy your sense of humor and your writing.

(And I love Junior Mints, but why did you have to bring them up - I want 'em now!!!)

[Alexandra]

But the most important question posed still needs to be answered:

How DO you get your hair to be so pretty?

That's all I really need to know.

[Kendra]

I nearly emailed you a few months ago to ask how you get your hair so pretty--seriously. I know, I need to just accept that I will never have sassy short hair, just floppy, yet frizzy, short hair. But I continue to dream.

And I love the website and can't wait for the book!

[Chrystal @ Happy Mothering]

That's so great that you're so in sync writing together. My husband and I do a lot of writing together and our styles are so different. I don't think we'll ever have "one voice" in our writing. But our differences balance each other out :-)