by Catherine L. Tully

By the time you read this I’ll be somewhere in Colorado. Through the magic of WordPress I can schedule this post for that time and still be in touch. Through the support of my writing partnership with Joe, I don’t have to worry about many of the other things that normally I would have to take on the road.

Now working with a partner is definitely not for everyone. As a matter-of-fact, I would not suggest it for most people. Joe and I have traveled a long road together, and through the journey we’ve discovered that we are well-matched. More importantly, we’ve developed a recipe that still allows us to be friends, despite the fact that we work together. Here are some of the things we have established to get the job done–and still be able to enjoy the other person’s company…

+ Agree to disagree. Some things we just don’t see eye to eye on–and that’s ok. We’ve learned that we don’t always have to think alike to get along.

+ Table anything that is a big deal. If one of us feels strongly we shouldn’t do something, that’s it–we leave it alone. We’ve learned to recognize that it just isn’t that important to do certain things if the other person is really uncomfortable with it.

+ Utilize each person’s skill set. I’m a detail freak–Joe’s a web geek. Instead of trying to share roles that make use of these skills, we try to break up the duties based on what comes naturally.

+ Work together. Seem like common sense? It really isn’t. Like the title of this post, “It Takes Two To Tango”, you must learn the other person’s quirks and strong points. The better you know them, the smoother things will go. Being on the same page means making the effort to do things as a team rather than just going solo.

If you are thinking about partnering up with someone, try to keep some of these things in mind as you move forward. Pairing up with another writer can be a wonderful thing–if it’s the right match!