The Joy of Synergy

Photo by Anna Bass

“Synergy is creative cooperation.”
~ Steven Covey

Working in tandem on an artistic project is a unique type of joy — a combination of creative energy and relationship energy — that I find difficult to describe.

So often when I’m working creatively with another person, one of us will suggest an idea. The other will get excited and take it a step farther. Then we’ll riff back and forth, combining different perspectives and ideas, until we arrive at a concept that’s better than either one of us could have come up with on our own. 

That rush of energy is the power of synergy, from the Greek word “synergos,” which means “working together.”

It never gets old, and the excitement of it often helps us to keep moving forward so we can see our projects through to completion.

People often think of writing as a solitary career, and it certainly can be. Most of us are introverts who like to research and study. We enjoy our quiet so we can let let our brains wander and come up with new ideas. The memes about us working in our pajamas all day with our cats in our laps and our books as our best friends are not far off.  

But with storytelling becoming increasingly visual in recent times, writers are being called upon more often to collaborate with others. Depending on the project, we can work side by side with editors, photographers, graphic artists, and even video producers. (Even if we groan a little at having to get dressed first.)

In my early days as a tech writer for small software companies, I often wrote the copy for flyers, ads, and newsletters and then worked with designers to create the finished products.  

Over the years, I’ve come up with the initial concepts for my own writing websites, but it was the artists I worked with who brought my ideas to life. I often found that, as my mother used to say, “two heads were better than one.”

In the last decade, in addition to editing manuscripts, I’ve been helping authors self-publish their books. I typically work with them for months, helping to shape and fine-tune their manuscripts. Then, I switch and work mainly with graphic artists on the production of the books and related marketing materials. They design the interior layout, bookmarks and other merch, and websites for the authors. I love the entire creative process, from reading the authors’ first fledgling ideas to reaching the finish line and uploading the final files to Amazon. There’s no better feeling than holding a physical copy of an author’s book in my hand that I’ve had a role in producing. 

Even though I’ve only ever taken one graphic design course, I’ve been told that I “have a good eye,” no doubt due to the tutelage of all those artists I’ve worked with. When looking at rough drafts, I can often tell what’s wrong with a design — the size, color, the spacing — but I don’t have the technical skills to fix it. I enjoy the iterative process of describing what I want, getting a first draft back, tweaking it a time or two, and then finally arriving at the finished product together.  

In the most effective collaborations, people set their egos aside to ensure the result is the best it can be.

When people are too protective of their ideas, and hold on too tightly, collaboration can’t get off the ground. It’s a delicate dance. You have to be confident enough to speak up when something doesn’t feel right, while being careful not to offend. It’s also a learned skill; the older I get, the less ego I have. My only concern is the quality of the piece.

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been working on a screenplay based on my book All on Account of You. In this year of digging out, I have resurrected it again and am determined to finish it. My friend who edited the book it’s based on (and who is also my blog editor) has been helping me. It’s been a pleasure envisioning our story coming to life, hopefully for the big screen. It’s a very different type of writing for us — starting with a true story and amping up the humor, conflict, and drama for the visual medium of film. It’s some of the most fun I’ve ever had writing.

So often I’ve got several projects going on at once, which gives me multiple sources of creative energy. Winter has never been my favorite season, and it’s been an unusually gray and cold one here in the south, except for a few, beautiful snowfalls. But my mood has remained positive throughout because I’m enjoying all these collaborations.

If you’ve got the end-of-the-winter blahs, think about doing something creative—no matter what it is—and then consider asking someone else to join you.

Take a risk!

Here’s a wonderful article about how to get started, written by Shannon Byrne at The Creative Independent. As she suggests, “…do your research, start small, communicate often, keep checking in with yourself and your partner about how you’re both feeling, and go with the flow.”

If you happen to be an introvert, be prepared to take some time afterwards to recover, because people are not as quiet as cats or books.

Affectionately,

Elaine