Two halves make a whole-a writing partnership

Aidan is the plotter. I am the plodder. That’s how we started. It is how we continue.

When he was 13, I thought it would be a good idea for him to write down the stories that he played with all the time. He didn’t build Lego for the sake of the structures—but to sustain the story in his head. He didn’t just play with his 47 stuffies, he had an entire world that they inhabited, where they moved around the city, using the sewers during the night, in a fantastical criminal underworld.

Aidan imagines—and I poke holes in his ideas until he shores them up sufficiently that it all makes sense to me. My original plan for him to do the writing (thereby improving his terrible handwriting) came to nothing. After we designed the opening chapters of Rebels of Halklyen, he went off to play with his friends and I sat down at the computer. That was fifteen years ago.

He finished high school, went to university to study math, and got a job playing with numbers. I retired as a teacher and had more time to work on our stories.

What can I say? It’s fun. We use Discord now. He posts chapters. I pick them apart and post my questions. He calls me most days on his way home from work and we chat our way through the plot holes.

My job is to sit myself down and settle into the story. What he gives me is an outline—although the more we do this, the more detail he provides. I build the characters. I put them in action. I paint the scenes. I show the reader the story that Aidan tells. I also, as the result of my 1970s education, pay attention to grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and dialogue tags.

I make sure my modifiers don’t dangle and I watch for misplaced modifiers so descriptions stay clear. I keep my tone consistent and my point of view steady. I prefer active voice for energy, but I use passive when it serves the story. I check transitions so paragraphs flow smoothly. I choose precise words to avoid vagueness. And above all, I aim for conciseness—every word has to earn its place.

We are working on Strangest Intelligence, the second book in the Legend of Order and Chaos. We wrote it four years ago when Aidan was finishing up his degree. Now that he has more time and more brainpower to devote to the story, he has imagined marvelous ways to boost its power. So while I honestly thought it was ready to edit and share, he is tearing the whole thing to pieces and building it up.

But that is all part of the fun. Loftiest Intelligence is out there in the world after the release last week. The reviews are great and we are thrilled. I love this one from Bill Reed that shows the split personality of our writing.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Excellent Beginning

I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of Loftiest Intelligence. I found it to be a very well written book and a great beginning to the series the Legend of Order and Chaos.

One of the things that I like best about the book is that it’s written on two levels. For those who want just a quick read, one that flows very well, has very interesting characters, it’s a great fit. If, however, you’re like me and love the idea of exploring the characters, their roles in society, and their interactions with others, it’s also a very good fit for you. The authors have developed characters that have depth and are true to life. That depth comes in stages; we’re introduced to the characters briefly in the beginning. As the novel continues, their characteristics began to develop and it brings real depth to them.

All in all it was a very enjoyable book. One of the things that struck me was the similarities to Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon. There are a great many parallels, and I hope that it becomes as epic as that series is.

If you haven’t read Loftiest Intelligence yet, you can get a copy here.

Happy reading.

Warm regards,

Paula Baker and Aidan Baker Davies