Argue Quote by Alison McGhee
![“So we [with Kate DiCamillo] would act them out, we would toss ideas back and forth, we would laugh, we would argue. Sometimes it went really well, sometimes it was such a pain in the ass. Our other rule was that we wouldn't work on it at all when we weren't in the other's presence. It was really…” quote by Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ea6/alison-mcghee-15698_arguing_so-we-with-kate-dicamillo-would-act-them_382879.jpg)
“So we [with Kate DiCamillo] would act them out, we would toss ideas back and forth, we would laugh, we would argue. Sometimes it went really well, sometimes it was such a pain in the ass. Our other rule was that we wouldn't work on it at all when we weren't in the other's presence. It was really hard not to do that. We'd start going on email back and forth, 'What do you think about this, what do you think about that?' But, no, no, no, it had to be live. So we forced ourselves not to look at it except during those two-hour stretches when we were actually with each other.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Podcast with Kate DiCamillo, 2015
Collaboration works best when creators meet in person, limiting remote interruptions and fostering real‑time dialogue.
In simple terms: In‑person teamwork beats endless email.
Key Takeaway
Prioritize live, focused sessions.
Themes
collaboration
focus
creativity
Mood
reflective
determined
Type
advice
process
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- co‑authoring
- team projects
- remote work challenges
Key Concepts
creative process
communication
discipline
Questions to Reflect On
- How does face‑to‑face interaction change your creative flow?
- What strategies keep remote teams effective?
A Different Perspective
Remote communication can still spark ideas; balance is needed.
![“So we [with Kate DiCamillo] decided to give the friends an object and see what they did with it. The object was a sock and it went from there. Once we got going, once we got on a roll, it became very easy to work together and to figure out how to do it. We would meet for two-hour segments, usually…” quote by Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/73e/alison-mcghee-15698_decided_so-we-with-kate-dicamillo-decided-to-giv_2315802.jpg)
![“I don't think we [with Kate DiCamillo] intended to write a book about friendship, I think we intended to write a book about two friends.” quote by Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2f3/alison-mcghee-15698_about-friendship_i-don-t-think-we-with-kate-dicamillo-int_2047261.jpg)
![“We had so much fun together as friends that I suggested we [with Kate DiCamillo] write a book together.” quote by Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0ac/alison-mcghee-15698_book_we-had-so-much-fun-together-as-friends-t_1973766.jpg)
![“Our rule was that we [with Kate DiCamillo] would write everything together, literally every word.” quote by Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f45/alison-mcghee-15698_kate_our-rule-was-that-we-with-kate-dicamillo_1672748.jpg)
![“We'd decided to write a book about two friends. I gave her some coffee and then we sat there not knowing what to do. How do you start writing a book together? So Kate [DiCamillo] got up after about 10 minutes into this endeavor, and said, 'Well, that was fun,' and started to head out the door. I…” quote by Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/88f/alison-mcghee-15698_bits_we-d-decided-to-write-a-book-about-two-f_282606.jpg)
![“Kate [DiCamillo] tends to be more reluctant about change. I convinced her to give it a try and she came over.” quote by Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/118/alison-mcghee-15698_change_kate-dicamillo-tends-to-be-more-reluctan_328771.jpg)
![“We met in the summer or fall of 2001. I had never met Kate [DiCamillo], though I'd heard her name, and I think she knew of me too. We were laughing within a few minutes, I mean really, furiously, laughing. So we were off to a good start.” quote by Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b5f/alison-mcghee-15698_fall_we-met-in-the-summer-or-fall-of-2001-i-h_517595.jpg)
