Fellow San Jose Camera salesman Mark Cartwright and I belonged to the BMW Car Club of America’s Golden Gate Chapter back in the late 1980s. One of my tasks was creating the newsletter using an early Mac and PageMaker under Cartwright's direction.
A phrase Cartwright used frequently was “Unter Vier Augen” or “under four eyes.” Having four eyes—two sets or yours and someone else’s—still makes sense today.
One common problem many writers have is leaving ----- out (the missing word is “words”). Spellcheckers don’t see it because no word is misspelled. May grammar checkers also miss words that are not present. A second set of eyes belonging to someone other than the writer helps find these missing words, increasing the likelihood of an error-free document.
A second set of eyes—and a different point of view—also helps when writing fiction. Your co-author can spot errors not only in words, but in logic. For example, let’s say your action novel hero pulls a gun in one situation but uses her fists in another. If your scene permits her to use her gun, then she most likely will. Having her use her fists or a knife does not conform to the way your character logically behaves. A second—or a third or a fourth—set of eyes will catch situations like this, letting you revise the scene to make it more logical.
The best point about using a coauthor, though, is their ability to pose questions. Authors tend to have “one track minds” and believe their approach is the best way. Someone else may make a comment that, while on the surface seems offensive, can actually help you write a better story.
When writing non-fiction, the best feature stories have one subject with several people adding details about the person or event. These comments add clarity and detail, not confusion.
So when in doubt, and when time permits, have someone else read your documents before publishing them. Your documents—and you—will be better for it.
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