Marriage of Minds: Collaborative Fiction Writing [Paperback]

Nikoo McGoldrick (Author), James A. McGoldrick (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0325002320 | ISBN-13: 978-0325002323 | Publication Date: May 11, 2000

Part how-to book, part relationship book, Marriage of Minds offers strategies and techniques for creating successful collaborations and successful fiction.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The marriage analogy, albeit apt, grows tiresome quickly. Early chapters on searching for Mr. "Write" and the "prenuptial agreement" give way to later ones on sticking it out "through better or worse" and "surviving the seven-year itch." The writing in Marriage of Minds is full of italics and exclamation points and cute little stories about deleting each other's edits. Regardless, Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick (whose books The Dreamer, The Enchantress, and The Firebrand appear under the pen name May McGoldrick) have gathered some useful information for potential collaborative writers regarding such things as work-style compatibility and rights issues. Perhaps the greatest service they provide comes in the form of anecdotes from the frontlines. Writing a book with a friend or a sibling or even--as with the McGoldricks--a spouse may sound like a grand old time. Some writing teams complain that they even have trouble convincing friends and family that they are actually working. But creating together can take its toll. "People would hear us 'working out plot problems,'" confide Shirl Henke and Carol Reynard, "and then move sharp instruments out of our reach." --Jane Steinberg

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann Drama (May 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0325002320
• ISBN-13: 978-0325002323
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,261,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb introduction to the fine art of collaboration., July 3, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marriage of Minds: Collaborative Fiction Writing (Paperback)

Marriage of Minds covers the fine art of collaboration, describing how collaborations work and providing a blend of literary how-to and relationship analysis to show what skills are needed in a collaborative effort and how to achieve success. The focus on collaborative fiction provides a fine foundation for understanding the dynamics involved; both personal and literary.

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved the book., April 12, 2010

By 

K. Heffner (Norwalk, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Marriage of Minds: Collaborative Fiction Writing (Paperback)

I recently had very mixed experiences collaborating both as a writer and an artist. Now I understand why. If I had read the book before we began the relationships I would have done things differently. I am sure I would have enjoyed the process and the results more.

I interviewed Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick for a TV show recently and was impressed by the the way they interact. I picked up the book after watching the two in action and was glad I did. Their sense of humor and good natured play comes through in the book. They have managed to maintain a strong writing relationship (I thought the other books I read preparing for the interview were well written) and a strong marriage while rewriting each others work every day. The book uses their experiences and as well as those of other collaborative writing teams. I thought the presentation was well balanced and helpful.
I would definitely recommend the book to anyone considering a collaborative creative project.

5.0 out of 5 stars Telling it like it is, November 20, 2004

By 

Lorraine Talbot (Winsted,, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Marriage of Minds: Collaborative Fiction Writing (Paperback)

This slim volume (less than 150 pgs)is an interesting read. I've no desire to become a collaborative writer, but read it out of curiousity, to learn how writing a book, something I've always thought of as a singular activity, could be done by two people.
The authors don't just relay their own experiences as a husband and wife team, but have included many other team's experiences, teams that consist of sisters, other couples, friends, even a mother & daughter team.
They discuss finding the right partner and everything that comes after, division of work, settling disputes, contracts, etc.
There is a tremendous amount of information that is useful to any aspiring writer, a sort of quiz of required talents and a realistic, hard look at the difficulties involved in getting published and achieving success. This is something that is glossed over in most books on writing. It is unique to find this aspect of the writing life spelled out as it is here.