Interview on Collaboration with doe times
Sometimes the hardest part of collaborating is getting started. Here are some tips from creators that have collaborated—sometimes with an absolute stranger—and made something wonderful!
Did you know your partner in collaboration beforehand? Explain how you got together.
encryptedsouls & i met the first week of June 2023. We were at the Atlanta Beltline, which is a very trendy, outdoor walkway lined with shops & bars. i was waiting for a friend’s arrival. Both encryptedsouls & i were carrying books (me: Mean Baby by Selma Blair, encryptedsouls: A Black Women’s History of the United States by Daina Ramey Berry & Kali Nicole Gross.) We ended up grabbing drinks, having a 30-minute chat, & exchanging numbers. Our fun, random meeting - plus Icebreakers Lit accepting submissions in June - was my inspiration for keeping the story set in the month of June. i actually have pictures of our first meeting, haha.
How did you collaborate? What was your process?
encryptedsouls & i worked from a shared list of words that he came up with based on emojis i selected. i chose emojis that match the Icebreakers Lit logo & primary color. So i showed encryptedsouls those emojis and asked him, “What words come to mind when you see these?”
Here’s his list:
• (🦄) unicorn
• (😈) gotcha, bitch
• (💜) purple heart
• (✝️) cross
• (♒️) idk
• (🚺) woman
• (🙋🏽♀️) black woman
• (🙇🏽♀️) black child
• (🛐) prayer
What were some challenges you faced during the collaborative process, and what did you learn?
For me, the biggest challenge was that i was moving out of state at the same time we were collaborating. It was often hard to get in touch, even when we planned to call at certain times. i learned that - no matter how much you vibe well together - you need to have structure within your working relationship. For us, if we could go back in time, our structure would be set meeting dates & locations, rather than randomly scheduled ones.
Also, encryptedsouls is a poet, not a prose writer, but i thought, “You know, i’ve never seen a short story with a poem as a prologue. That could totally be a thing, right?” So i learned that if you like someone’s work & want to collaborate with them, find a way to make that happen. It’s worth it.Any final words of advice for future collaborators?
Any final words of advice for future collaborators?
Working together oughta be fun! Prioritize the fun. 2) i think you should truly like the writing of the person you’re working with. encryptedsouls has done a lot more writing than me, so i was able to read his previous work & know it’s good stuff. 3) Flexibility & structure need to go hand in hand. Definitely give each other space to work, but i recommend also setting meeting times to check-in regularly. 4) Encourage one another
Read doe times & encryptedsouls’s piece, “Unicorn Destiny”
doe times (Dominique Marie Makanaonālani Times) is a Language Arts educator currently studying English Education for Equity & Justice at Boston University. She is *very* on Twitter chit-chatting about books. Connect with her: @domi_times ☺
