The Arrangement

“But the publisher said the sample chapters flowed perfectly,” Nathan said. “Shit, I think he even used the word ‘seamless’.”

“Yeah, well the publisher is your father’s best friend,” Burke pointed out. “Soo…”

They fell silent now, the three of them. I seized the opportunity.

“Wanna know the real problem?”

Now I had their attention. Totally and completely.

“You’re going about this the wrong way,” I said, waving my arm around. “You’re treating the writing of these books like some unwanted task that needs to be parceled out, rather than done when inspiration actually strikes.”

They stared back at me emptily. I took the silence as a cue to go on.

“Throw away your schedules,” I said. “Write when you feel it, and don’t force yourself to write when you don’t.”

From the look in their eyes they were getting it. Maybe. Sort of.

“So you’re saying we’re too rigid?” Chase asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “That calendar is your worst enemy.”

“But that’s how we keep on track,” said Natha

n. “That’s why we’re actually ahead, instead of behind.”

“Yes, but the writing suffers,” I explained. “You’re so segregated, you’re locking yourselves up and ignoring each other. You’re supposed to be writing this story together, but none of you are in tune with what the others are doing.”

Burke and Nathan were looking at each other now, as if granted some kind of personal epiphany. Only Chase didn’t seem convinced.

“But that’s what the shared machine in the hallway is for,” he said. “So we can see each other’s work.”

“Those are polished, finished chapters though,” I pointed out. “Right?”

“Yeah. So?”

“So by the time you read them, they’re mostly unchangeable. You need to communicate with each other a lot earlier. Keep things more dynamic and fluid while you’re writing entire sections of the story… not after you’re done.”

I was actually standing up, that’s how excited I was. Turning to face each of them in turn.

“So what do we do now?” asked Nathan.

“Well first… am I distracting any of you?” I asked. “Be honest.”

“No,” Chase and Nathan said quickly.

“Fuck no,” Burke chimed in. “Actually, you’re the one good source of inspiration I have.”

The others nodded vehemently. Seeing their enthusiasm made me feel warm inside.

“If that’s the case, then fuck the writing schedule,” I said. “You should be writing when you want to. Writing when you feel like it — not when you’re forced to by whatever day of the week it happens to be.”

They were staring at each other now, gauging one another’s reaction. Each trying to see how the others felt.

“Instead of avoiding each other you should be talking about your chapters. Sitting down next to each other if you have to. Going over things line by line, scene by scene, so that each character is a collaboration.”

Burke actually laughed. Nathan too.

“Holy shit that makes sense.”