One of my favourite Christmas gifts this year was a CD of music by Yo-Yo Ma called Songs of Joy and Peace. It’s a collaborative effort with Yo-Yo and other music masters including Diana Krall, Dave Brubek, James Taylor and Natalie Macmaster. When I watched a documentary about the process of recording the songs, I found myself feeling quite wistful about the collaboration. All these talented people got to work together to make something beautiful!
As a writer, of course, I don’t do much collaboration. It’s really all me: I pick the topic, decide on the slant, do the research, write the words, edit the words. There’s no equivalent of an arranger or producer, like there is with an orchestra. Nobody smiling across from me and keeping the beat. I don’t provide the harmony to anyone else’s melody. I’m more like a trumpet solo in an empty room.
And yet.
This week, I had a call from a woman in Toronto who, along with her aunt, has opened her family’s letters and photos to me for inclusion in my book. Mr. Busy listened patiently to my rant about the grant application process I’m currently slogging through. Two new people subscribed to my blog. My friend Lynn lent her HTML skills to update the blog – check out the cool new process tracker! – and also my website. And Lynn, my friend Jen and Mr. Busy all said of course they’d read 20 pages of manuscript on a tight deadline so I can complete the grant application.
Hmmm. Trumpet solo in an empty room? More like an orchestra after all.