How Can Teens Collaborate With Others?
By Elaine Jinto
A few months back, a friend and I signed up for 'Metaphoria', a creative writing contest in another school. The challenge was to write with your partner a story or poem in thirty minutes, based on two random words we would get on the spot.
I was worried. I considered writing a solitary pursuit. I would write a piece, and then just ask my friends to read it and give feedback. I had never worked on the same piece with someone. My friend and I were worried we could get in each other's way.
So we did a lot of research trying to find a form that would suit us. We considered ekphrasis—where the two words could be based on an imaginary painting—list poems, and epistolary poems. Unfortunately, all of these needed a lot more time than the meager thirty minutes. Thankfully, on the day before the contest, we hit the jackpot! We discovered a form called 'Renga'.
A 700-year-old Japanese poetic form, the word 'renga' literally means 'linked poem'. Writing a Renga requires one or more partners. They consist of alternating haikus and couplets, with each stanza written by a different person.
You could look it up here- https://ypn.poetrysociety.org.uk/workshop/renga-a-collaborative-poetry-challenge/
This form was perfect! The words we got were 'bridge' and 'hope', and we each took one word and started writing. I did the haikus, and my friend did the couplets. We had to slightly modify the form considering the time limit, but it turned out well.
Those intense thirty minutes were an interesting experience. I was never stuck trying to get my rudimentary thoughts out, and my friend didn't have to pause in search of synonyms, because we were working with each other. As the poem unfolded, I realized that writing with a friend or another person is always fascinating, especially when there is a time shortage!
That reminded me of a game called "Rigmarole" I used to play with my brother when we were younger. I would start a story, and he would continue, twisting the story around and then stopping at an exciting place for me to continue. While these stories were just a long series of absurd events, it was really fun.
I know two young authors who accidentally named their main characters the same name and posted their work online. They decided to write a piece in which both of their main characters would be protagonists. It ended up as a long serial, and the two are now good friends.
But collaborating with people when you are writing can be more than just entertainment. Earlier this year, I participated in the Inklings Write-A-Thon, where we could raise money depending on the number of words we wrote. It was teens versus adults, and it was amazing to see our collective word count go up. We also got a chance to post the pieces we worked on. I wrote more in that one week than I had in the past three months, finishing around seven chapters of my current novel
Writing can be a lonely task, and you need people around. People who will give you honest feedback, enjoy your work, and, most importantly, appreciate how hard writing is. If you can, put yourself out there, reach out to people, and work with like-minded teenagers. I promise you, it will be worth it. Here is a list of platforms you could check out:
Society of Young Inklings
They have multiple spaces for collaborative writing including the Writer’s Room, a platform for teen writers to connect and the Inkwell, to post your work and gain feedback on it. They also have a space called the Inkwell Collaboratory, an app that includes Story Relays, Brainstorm Boards, and Character Swaps. They also host many events like the Write-A-Thon to promote collaborative writing.
https://www.younginklings.org/
Write the World
They host regular contests, where prizes are offered for the best pieces and the best peer review. You can interact with many other teens, receive productive feedback, and publish your work.
https://writetheworld.org/
Young Poets Network
It’s an amazing community meant entirely for young poets. Managed by The Poetry Society, it has regular contests and an extensive directory of writing opportunities, writing groups, clubs, and more.
https://ypn.poetrysociety.org.uk/
These are all unique and engaging platforms, but there are more out there. Writing groups, writing conferences, writers' forums, you need to figure out what’s going to suit you best. Collaborate with someone! Your creative process might be infinitely more exciting.
