The other day I mentioned that I am co-writing a paper with Awesome Technician. This is my second experience co-writing a document -- the first was the symposium proposal with Cauliflower -- and I really like it.
By co-writing, I mean that both authors feel responsibility for the work. In my experience, it has meant passing the document back and forth, with each person allowed the freedom to change it as she saw fit. I see co-authoring, in contrast, as a situation where one person is a lead author and does most of the drafting. The co-authors merely make suggestions for edits (however major) but it's ultimately up to the lead author to finalize the document. Of course the co-written papers have had a leader, but they have been much more cooperative than traditional collaborations.
There are several benefits to co-writing. When you get blocked or sick of looking at the project, you can pass it on to the other person. Or, you can sketch out ideas and let the other person develop them into something lovely. The reverse can happen too, where the other person does the hard work of laying out a concept and you have the fulfilling job of expanding it into something more articulate. It's also fun to have someone else really invested in the same project you're obsessing about (narcissism, anyone?).
Certainly, I want to have plenty of my own papers, but I have really enjoyed the more intense collaboration that co-writing offers.
3 comments:
Actually, sounds like a great idea. Sometimes, I just don't know how to say something, and it can help a lot to have another person give it a shot. It also ensures that if your co-author wants something changed, s/he can just change it herself. (Instead of demanding that you change it to some retarded specifications, which always seems to be what I wind up doing).
Co-writing sounds much like what co-authoring my first paper with Advisor was like (except that I did most of the writing, but we kicked versions back and forth). Anyhow, it's useful in learning different styles of writing and how to explain things.
I think I always thought this was how writing with an advisor should be. But it's not. It's too bad. It would be a lot more fun.
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