Writing a book, as anyone who has written one knows, is a challenge. I had already had three published before I set out to write ...but few are chosen: A Different Path to Coming of Age with two former high school classmates and lifelong friends, John Tuohey and Richard Olive.
The book is a memoir that chronicles how a decision by each of us to enter minor seminary at age 13 rescued us from lives of chaos, petty crime and violence and set us on a positive path to ethical adulthood even though none of us became priests.
I had a number of friends in writers’ groups who had attempted to write a book with co-authors and had never finished it. Some commented that they hoped my friendship with my co-authors would survive attempting to write a book together. It has.
What Were the Challenges?
The three of us lived hundreds of miles apart: Richie Olive in California, John Tuohey in New Hampshire and me in North Carolina.” That meant the majority of our discussions about each other’s drafts and our edit suggestions had to be done primarily by e-mail and occasionally by phone.
The challenge of reading one another’s manuscript edit suggestions was intense because one of us was working with Apple computer software, another with Microsoft Windows from, it seemed, the 1890s and I was working with updated Windows Software. “I can’t find those edits you said you made on page 110.”
I had previously co-authored a book, Young Enough to Change the World: Stories of Kids and Teens Who Turned Their Dreams into Action, with my wife Brie Goolbis; so I knew that discussions about what to leave in and what to exclude as well as disagreements over edit suggestions could result in frustration and even uncertainty: “Is this really worth it?”
John, Ollie and I did have a number of passionate debates about what to include in the book and what to leave out – or rephrase. I remember a particularly difficult debate about whether to include the N word which was continually used by one of the author’s parents when, back in the 1950s, he referred to African Americans. That argument was settled when an African American friend of one of the authors told him she would never read a book that used the N word regardless of how good it might be or who wrote it.
Despite the many challenges of co-authorship, John Tuohey, Richard Olive and I were able to keep our eyes on the gift in the dragon’s mouth. And in 2018, after six years of work ...but few are chosen: A Different Path to Coming of Age was published by Vandamere Press and has received excellent reviews from readers and from The Midwest Book Review. (See below)
Lessons Learned:
- Understand that co-authoring a book is even more challenging than writing a book on your own. Expect some frustration and disagreement. Always keep your eyes on the gift in the dragon’s mouth: a finished product that may even be published.
- Agree on one person to coordinate the work of the group: someone to make sure that agreed upon deadlines are met, that there is a working copy of the entire manuscript with updated edits, that one person is working with a publisher if the book is to be published, etc. Since I’d been previously published, I was chosen to do this.
- Always respect one another even if you don’t agree with an individual’s suggestion. Focus on the suggestion and how it relates to the final product, not on your feelings about the person offering the suggestion.
- When there is sustained disagreement about an issue, allow time for reflection and take the opportunity to ask for advice from others you trust. Recall how our issue with the N word was resolved
- Each author should review conflict resolution strategies prior to embarking on the project, knowing that conflict is likely in a collaborative project.
- Always, always take time to celebrate progress at whatever stage of the writing you are in. Emphasizing the positive will make it easier to deal with the challenges you will face on the way to the completing the manuscript.
- And take note: working with a co-author can be a very positive, gratifying experience as well as a challenge; it was for us.
I welcome comments and questions about this piece.
Link to Readers Comments.
”As thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is ultimately inspired and inspiring, "...but few are chosen: A Different Path to Coming of Age" is an extraordinarily engaging read from beginning to end. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, this 'Coming of Age' study is very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as, both community and academic library collections.” Able Greenspan, Reviewer for THE MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW: