Is it writer’s block if I should be working on the screenplay revisions for the April 27 shoot, but I’m blogging instead? It also might be another form of resistance that I’ll christen “partner’s block” for purposes of this post😊 I have my first draft, and I have input from Bruce, and now I have to meld two very different voices together.
I have co-authored books before, but my writing experience on this project has given me a new window on partnering. My last partner effort was nonfiction, and a text book at that, so it was pretty straightforward in terms of the tone and the structure. My text book writing partner and I just divvied up the chapters based on our preferences and expertise, and it was smooth sailing after that.
My only other partner effort was contributing to an anthology, which is really not partnering, except with the editor. I do work with editors on some of my other writing, but that type of collaboration is its own beast, and every writer does that. Not every writer chooses to write fiction with a partner, as Bruce and I are doing for the April 27 shoot.
Aneesh Chaganty. Photo Credit: David Ko
But screenplay collaborations are not rare. In my Forbes interview with Aneesh Chaganty, writer/ director of Searching, he credits collaboration, not only with his writing partner, but with the various technical experts involved in filmmaking, as critical to his growth as a director:
…when I asked Chaganty what he has learned from his creative journey to feature film director, he mentioned the value of not doing everything yourself. In the beginning, he assumed he had to learn and do everything firsthand. Over time, he realized that it’s better to know how to communicate about everything and work with others on it, while you focus on just one thing.
Cecilia Mejia. Photo Credit: Aviva R. Pusey
Producer Cecilia Mejia is another interview I recently did in Forbes, which underscores the benefit of collaboration. Mejia is not a writer, but takes a lead creative role in her projects. Her upcoming feature film, Yellow Rose, began as Diane Paragas’ project. Mejia joined as the first collaborator several years into the idea, and the partnership has culminated in a film that opens the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival in May:
Seven years ago, [Mejia] was working for the Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund, when Diane Paragas, the Filipina director of “Yellow Rose”, contacted Mejia for information on social impact issues. They hit it off and created a documentary together, which became proof of concept for what is now, “Yellow Rose.” Mejia has raised over $500,000 for the project over the last seven years.
Clearly, partnerships work, and I just need to buckle down and work out those revisions!
