Yesterdays Gone: SEASON TWO (THE POST-APOCALYPTIC SERIAL THRILLER) (Yesterday's Gone)

grounds and decorate the interior. That’s largely how Yesterdays Gone has been put together, especially in the second season. But the best parts of the project for me have been during those brainstorming sessions when the pieces of our story click together between laughs and gasps and ohmygod’s.
    We each write our pages, pass them between us, then usually get on the phone to discuss what worked, what didn’t, and how to blend things better the next time. Though we’ve been writing together for over three years, we live hundreds of miles apart, and have only met one another in person twice. So I pace my basement in circles, or turn the treadmill on low, while we shoot the shit and hash it out. I think much of Yesterday’s Gone’s magic is dusted in those moments when we’re building our story out loud. And I think part of that is because we often speak in terms of how our story would play out if it was shot for television.  

    DAVID: I think we bring out the best in each other’s writing, each with our own strengths. We both write and edit an equal amount of each other’s stuff, though we vary on stories, or even within chapters, who will be taking lead. It comes down to whoever has the best idea for that particular story. Sometimes we’ll handle our own first drafts of the segments, and other times, we’ll write story beats or prompts for the other to flesh out. It’s a very fluid and fast process which has an energy I’d never have working solo. If left to my own devices, I’d still be perfecting my first unpublished novel.

    IS IT EASIER OR HARDER TO WRITE WITH ANOTHER WRITER? DO YOU EVER GET INTO ARGUMENTS OVER WHAT GOES ON THE PAGE?

    DAVID: Sean and I work remarkably ego-free. We listen to one another’s ideas and never worry about who gets credit for the stories. When we first started publishing, we had to consider whose name would be first on the book covers. The first idea we had was to go with whoever was lead on that story. However, we decided to just stick with one constant branding, “Sean Platt & David W. Wright.”  
    It doesn’t matter if people think Sean wrote something I did, or vice versa. Though, I did write all the really cool shit! And Sean wrote the parts you didn’t like as much :)
    The thing you need with a co-writer is trust. Trust to carry out a vision, trust to respect what you’re doing, and trust that they’ll tell you when something isn’t working on the page. It’s kind of like marriage, except without all the sex (though Sean keeps propositioning me!) and arguing, two people working for a common goal and more concerned with the final product than individual accolades.  

    SEAN: I’m a collaborative writer, so I probably prefer to write with someone else. I’ll probably always have at least one project going on that is just mine, but I write fast and love working with others. When you have a great writing partner, ideas are easy and verbal riffing is ridiculous fun.
    In three and a half years, I can’t remember a single argument over whether or not something went on the page. Dave will make suggestions and I take them on first call. The opposite is true, too. Dave and I have wonderful, creative harmony. I’m sure there will be something one of us has to fight for at some point in the future but we haven’t seen it yet.  
    Our creative differences are more like creative preferences, and while there is a wider gap in business philosophy, creatively it’s as easy as walking.

    HOW MANY “SEASONS” WILL YESTERDAY’S GONE RUN?

    DAVID: We’re writing it as three seasons. I don’t want to spend too long on it. There’s too many different stories we want to write this year! I have this cool year-long story I’m itching to write, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. We’re also working on two more serialized projects, and a host of other books.  
    We won’t rule out a fourth season if demand is there AND it makes sense for the story. But right now, we’re planning for three, and I’m not padding to make room for a fourth season just because the books are selling well. Of course, if someone wants to pay us a few million, we’ll pump these things out for the next 10 years, and even help design the action figures.
    Just kidding.
    Maybe.

    SEAN: I love the idea of three seasons, but I’d be happy to write another three after that if the demand was there. Any time we have an audience eager for something, and we can deliver a satisfying story with both