No stranger to writing a series, KA Tucker has written five of them and has some hot tips if you don’t know where to start. Namely, series such as The Simple Wild, Ten Tiny Breaths and The Wolf Hotel series have captivated audiences and kept them coming back for more. Having devoured every book in The Wolf Hotel series, I can confirm KA Tucker is a boss at developing her fictional men into kind, caring souls who only have eyes for their girl. The international best-selling author wants you to know her advice for attempting to write a series and avoiding burnout.
A lot of authors may start out by writing standalones before committing to writing a series. It can seem daunting when you’re not sure how to get the story started but Tucker says, deciding to write a series doesn’t have to be an “upfront decision” when you first start writing. Often, Tucker will begin writing a book with no intention for it to be a series until she’s almost completed the book and realises, she wants to give the readers the chance to explore the characters further. She says, “I don’t even know how many books it’s going to be because I just dive in and see where it takes me.” The only time she has made an exception to this is when she’s writing a fantasy novel and knows it needs to be at least a couple of books. Or when the “Ten Tiny Breaths” series was traditionally published and required some basic planning of who the stories were going to be about.
Let’s say you start. You write the first book. Then you’re about to write the second or maybe you’re even onto the third but how are you meant to maintain a consistent tone that your readers are familiar with? Tucker recognises it’s a “challenge” but finds that every time she goes to start a new book in a series, she “jumps back into the series and rereads it.” The aim of this is to “get into the characters headspace,” to figure out where they need to go next to reach their goal. If not this, Tucker can be found looking through notes on her phone or reading post it notes that have her thoughts scribbled on it, to help re-establish the tone of the series. She also recalls specifically with her fantasy series, receiving a style guide from her editor that was “so helpful and uses that to build off of.” The number one takeaway here is to immerse yourself into the previous story in any way possible.
I know I can’t be the only one amazed by how Tucker manages to tease a character’s personality out for five books. And finally, you can too by being “organic.”
As a panster, Tucker constantly reminds herself “what is the end game for this character?” She used Abbey from Wolf Hotel as an example, saying she wanted to give her a backbone towards Henry “so she could stand up for herself.” She kept this in mind when writing and used this to inspire what should happen before, for her character to reach this goal. It is also evident in Henry’s character when he begins as “cold and calculated.” Relationships couldn’t be further from his mind but by the fifth novel readers learn he’s a “very, very different man at the end of it.” Tucker strongly suggests reminding yourself of “what conflicts does your characters need to encounter to get from point A to point B,” is the best way to ensure character growth.
You’re probably wondering this sounds great and all but what about avoiding burn out?
Tucker has had her fair share of moments held hostage by the keyboard, but she finds when her hot, billionaire hotel owner is being difficult, she needs to get out of her own head.
Space and time away to reflect on the progression of the novel is most important to her. Tucker understands the “real risk of burnout,” and doesn’t recommend it so she suggests giving yourself time to figure out what’s “not working with the story.” She doesn’t always know “what’s not working” but knows in her gut there is something there that is making her “bash my head against a wall.” Tucker has put a lot of effort into learning how to sense this feeling before it eventuates into something debilitating. She proposes when writers feel this, they should “shut down for the day and step outside of the creative world.” She finds peace in “picking up someone else’s book or might go and binge something on Netflix.” Either way, anything to get into a new mindset is ideal for coping and warning off feelings of fatigue.
The one question I was burning to ask and I’m sure you’re all excited for the answer too – What would be your number one piece of advice for an aspiring writer who’s maybe written a standalone but wants to attempt writing a series?
Whilst not a life altering answer, I found it to be lifesaving when it comes to writing books interconnected to each other. Technical focused, Tucker encourages authors to “have a bible with all your details.” Now this is essentially a book or document that will list your character’s name, eye colours, whether they have a scar and if so, where is the placement. These are all what may seem like minor details at the time, that may need to be referenced later for later books in the series. She says, “it seems so simple, but I promise you when you’re at book four, and you know, you’ve written 700,000 words and you’re trying to remember if you did this or that, it’s those tiny details that will drive you bonkers.”
About K.A. Tucker
K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge.
She is the internationally bestselling author of over thirty books, including Ten Tiny Breaths, The Simple Wild, and the Fate & Flame series, Until It Fades, Say You Still Love Me, and Keep Her Safe. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, Publisher’s Weekly, Oprah Mag, and First for Women.
K.A. Tucker lives outside of Toronto. Learn more about K.A. Tucker and her books at katuckerbooks.com
To see Tucker’s advice in action, you can read one of her series here.