When we tell people that we are coauthoring a series of fantasy novels, one question that Morgan and I often get is “How does that work?”  I understand their curiosity.  

When we think of fantasy novels, it often those written by single authors, like The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien) and A Song of Ice and Fire (George R.R. Martin), that spring to mind. While there certainly are a number of well-known fantasy series that were coauthored (Dragonlance by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis comes to mind) coauthoring is  the exception rather than the rule.  

So how do Morgan and I “make it work?” Well, to begin with, we never intended to be coauthors. The stories that Morgan and I told in the world of Siraden weren’t intended to become novels, but were instead just stories for the two of us to enjoy telling. When we eventually decided that we wanted to write down our stories and share them with others, it was only natural that we would do so as coauthors. Luckily, over the years in which we simply made the stories for ourselves, Morgan and I had had plenty of time to develop a process for co-telling a story. Although we’ve definitely had to tweak things, our method largely consists of brainstorming sessions and detailed outlining. You can find me pacing back and forth in a room while we bat ideas back and forth and Morgan furiously scribbles those ideas down in a notebook.  

I have personally found the process of coauthoring these books with my sister incredibly rewarding. We complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses very well. For example, Morgan is great at seeing the big picture and I am excellent at keeping track of all the little details. She often has to pull me out of the weeds when I get to focused on something minor, while I keep her conscious of how the big moves she wants to make might trickle down to affect other parts of the story. By combining both of our strengths the two of us have been able to make Siraden a much richer and world than it would have been if I had kept it to myself. So, although it may not be the most common way to write fantasy novels, I would not want to write them any other way.  

— Duncan