For much of the U.S., it’s getting very cold this weekend and anticipated to get colder this coming week.

Good nap weather.

I got asked the other day, is it hard to write with someone else?

“Hard” isn’t a word I’d use.  While it is a challenge to communicate, writing together is deeply satisfying and a lot of fun.  It’s like any relationship, though, and it takes work and an investment of time and energy – and yes, frankly, money.  I’m flying out to Nevada this coming week, for example.  But the rewards are worth it.

I never know how to answer the question, what’s it like to write with a coauthor.  Not because I don’t know, but because the answer wouldn’t make sense to anyone else.  It’s like trying to answer the question, what’s it like to be married to so-and-so?  Being married is unique to each couple, and even within the couple, two different people are likely to give two entirely different answers.  It depends on context and individual personality.

I also, less frequently, get the ruder question, why don’t you write by yourself?  Somehow it’s seen as bad to write with someone else, as though I’m compensating for someone.  I always feel sorry for the person who asks me that question, because it misses the point so widely.  Of course I can write, and I do write, on my own frequently.  But I enjoy writing with a partner, and that’s why I do it.

Because at the end of the day, it’s a lot of fun.

Now, back to the subject of naps.  I wonder if my laundry is done and my blanket is dry and warm and fluffy?  Hmm….