Creative collaborations. Writers and editors

Creativity, which the culture often depicts as a solitary enterprise, is almost always impacted or even dependent upon one or another aspect of a real relationship or an internalized object relationship. This paper utilizes the example of creative collaborations between writers and editors to illustrate aspects of co-creativity, co-construction, and mutual influence. It draws on Howard Gardner's observation, based on a series of biographical studies, that a creator during a time of artistic or intellectual breakthrough requires both an affective support system and a cognitive one. His observation echoes that of child researchers who emphasize that the contour of developmental lines depends not only on an internal dynamic but on interactions with significant others and on cultural and social influences as well. This paper describes both successful and problematic collaborations between writers and editors and demonstrates the strengths of such collaborations and some of their potential faultlines as well.