Autumn and Jesper share their journeys to writing. Jesper came to writing later in life, it was something he always wanted to do, but it wasn’t until he went on holiday to Finland that he had an ‘ah ha’ moment, one that led him to start writing straight away rather than wait for the perfect time.

She wasn’t long out of college when Autumn began writing, and have been doing so for a number of years before she met Jesper on Twitter and they became friends.

Later they decided to pull their assets and respective skills to start writing non-fiction books together. A few years later they decided to write fiction together. 

We discuss the benefits of co-writing. For Autumn and Jesper this includes brainstorming and pulling ideas together, the advantage of one person coming up with an idea that the other person might never have come up with on their own.

By combining their two styles, they have developed a voice that is neither one nor the other but unique.

They share how they actually write their books. Jasper devises an outline using the seven pillars of story structure. He sends that outline to Autumn. 

They discuss it, decide on any changes or alterations that need to be made, and once it is agreed, Jasper writes the first draft. He then sends that to Autumn who “overwrites” his first draft. 

Jesper emphasises is the need for compromise and being open to ideas for a successful co-writing relationship to flourish. 

They later tell me about their podcast, Am Writing Fantasy, and the new project they are working on. 

If you’re thinking about co-writing a book, this is definitely an episode to listen to.

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