Comments on: When writing teams break up

By: Veronica

Veronica — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:48:44 +0000

This relates to my own personal predicament. I’m a high school student and I’ve been working on writing a book. I have a friend in one of my classes that’s the prying type. She read what I had wrote and decided to work on it with me. She began to change everything about my story and what I had primarily intended for it. Frustrated, I decided to just stop talking about it with her. It wasn’t my story any more, but some fabrication of her own. It wasn’t what I wanted. I removed every trace of her work from mine and purged it. I’m afraid that if I ever published my work, she’d claim it as her own. Everything in that story is mine, the characters, their personalities, their history and background, the plot and story line. Every idea is mine. As a safeguard, I gave the main character the same initials as my own. It likely isn’t enough to prove that it’s mine, but I did so anyway. Is there any chance that she can try to claim it as her own? I don’t care about money or anything like that. I care about the fact that the story is MY creation and I refuse to share it. Any help?

By: Paula

Paula — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:18:50 +0000

@ Bill, no you don't, but it's better for the relationship if you do, and it's only fair to him. If your individual writing career takes off, he won't go along for the ride, nor will he be able to get much mileage out of the work you did together unless your schedule permits you to continue writing with him despite your solo success. So give him the heads up so he has the option of better planning for his future by doing some solo writing on the side too.

It shouldn't be a huge deal.

By: bill

bill — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:05:52 +0000

Here's another related question. The history is: Only have sold material with a writing partner, but want to work on an idea solo. It's an idea that I've come up with completely, so there's no concern of him thinking I'm taking material that we've developed together. But do I have to let him know what I'm doing? In no way do I want the partnership to end, but it's just this one idea that feels personal to me.

Thoughts?

By: Garrett

Garrett — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:39:42 +0000

Just give him co-story credit and be done with it.

Sounds like he's being difficult, but if the situation were reversed, you might feel that you were entitled to some consideration.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:54:55 +0000

@Kevin: Thanks for the insight. Let me know if there's a place you'd recommend finding an example Joint Venture Agreement.

@Magnus: Point taken.

By: Magnus

Magnus — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:40:15 +0000

@jeff:

nope, don't have it - my agent does all that for me. Plus: That's here in Germany, Europe...

But: The deal me and my partner have is one with the broadcasting people. They give us the assignment and we tell them: we do it 50/50. So they actually make two contracts, one with each, and split the money in two. In detail, the actual contracts have slight variations, since we have different agencies. But legally, we both have the rights to everything.

The important part is that WE know we're 50/50. All decisions have to be made by both of us.

By: Kevin Arbouet

Kevin Arbouet — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:31:34 +0000

Jeff:

If you want something nice and formal, you want to create a Joint Venture Agreement. It basically splits everything down the middle including any debt that you both might incur.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:09:40 +0000

@ Magnus — Do you have an example partnership agreement? I’m looking to formalize a writing partnership and want to make sure all bases are covered.

By: Totally Off-Topic

Totally Off-Topic — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:37:57 +0000

New Final Draft will be released in May. New features on the website.

By: Magnus

Magnus — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 08:43:13 +0000

Hello,

I've written two scripts with a partner - and the only deal that we found works out is a 50/50-deal. Meaning: Everything in the stories developed together is half his material and half mine. Our money-deal is just like that: we get half of everything.

This works best because: no discussions, no fights, no harsh feelings.

It's a compromise. Is the workload always 50/50? Certainly not. There are phases in the process in which one of the partners works harder or makes the more important decisions. But at other times, that turns around. And if this script is more like 60/40, well, maybe the next one will be 40/60.

What I'm trying to say: I would never ever try to untangle this kind of collective creative effort. You'll never end up happy, there's no fair solution. It's useless fighting and nobody's right. Everything belongs to both partners. So if your partner tells you: go ahead, use it, cause I won't - then go ahead. But if it becomes an issue - make it 50/50 or do your own thing.

says Magnus

By: Eric

Eric — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 08:34:39 +0000

That's good advice. I went though a split a little while back.

And when I split with this partner after having pitched him a couple of ideas, he asked, "You're not going to use those ideas we discussed, are you?" when all he had offered was a change of location on one idea.

If our "discussion" consists of me pitching him ideas, those ideas are mine, right?

I've basically put those ideas on hold for now and am working on other things. Maybe years from now I 'll come back to them, and then there'd be no way he'd recognize whatever idea is left...