Episode #80: Is it harder to write the first book in a series or the sequel? -with Tui Sutherland

Welcome back to another episode of Kids Ask Authors! Grace Lin and Tui Sutherland answer the kid question: "Is it harder to write the first book in a series or the sequel?”

TRANSCRIPTS:

Grace Lin: Hello. I'm Grace Lin, children's book author and illustrator of many books, including the middle grade novel, Where The Mountain Meets The Moon, and the picture book, A Big Mooncake For Little Star. Today, I am here with Tui Sutherland, the author of the Wings of Fire Series. Hi, Tui.

Tui Sutherland: Hi, Grace. Excited to be here.

Grace Lin: Oh, I'm so glad, because I have a question I've been saving for you. It's from a girl named Brandy and she asks, "Is it harder to write the first book in a series or the sequel?"

Tui Sutherland: Oh, I think that is a really good question, and a good question for me because I've written a whole bunch of series, actually. So what's interesting for me is, with Wings of Fire, I write them in what I call five book arcs. So there's a story that starts in book one and wraps up in book five, and then a new story that starts in book six that wraps up in book 10, and then again for 11 through 15. So usually I have an idea of what's going to happen in all five books when I start, and I think that the first book in the arc is actually one of the easiest to write because I'm setting up all the problems and I'm introducing the characters, and that's one of my favorite things to do is be like, "Here's this new world and here are these new people to play with."

Tui Sutherland: And it definitely requires a lot of thinking. When I was working on book 11, which was the first book of a brand new story, I had to think about what was the new continent going to be like, what were the history of the tribes there, and the different new tribes I was introducing. But it was really fun. It was a lot of imagination and coming up with stuff. For me, the hardest book to write in the five book arc is always book four. So book four, book nine, and now the one I'm doing, which is book 14, are hard because I've set up a whole bunch of problems and usually book three takes it to this big exciting climax, and then I can't solve any of the problems until book five or book 10 or book 15, because that's where like everything has to wrap up.

Tui Sutherland: So the fourth book in the series, it's always getting from book three to book five. But each book has a different main character for me, which I think also makes it easier to write them separate, because I'm dealing with a new character and I'm getting excited about that character. And so I still want that character to have some kind of triumph or save the world somehow. So I still have to figure out what that character can do that will save the world without completely saving the world and solving all the problems yet. So I'd say the fourth book is the hardest. The second Book is sometimes hard, but usually I'm still on a roll from the first book and I know where I'm going.

Grace Lin: That's so interesting that you say that, because the series that I've written, I've always stopped at the third book.

Tui Sutherland: That's smart. I should do that more.

Grace Lin: So The Year of the Dog, The Year of the Rat, and then Dumpling Days, and then I stopped after that. And then Where The Mountain Meets The Moon, Starry River of the Sky, and When the Sea Turns to Silver, and I've stopped after that. And I think you're right, because I think the second, and even the third book, it's like I'm on a roll and I know the characters, it's so much fun, and in fact, it's easier in a way, but then I think if I had to keep going after the third book, it would be really, really hard.

Tui Sutherland: Yeah, it's like planning a TV series where it keeps going, but it can't end so you have to figure out how to fill in the space, but still be interesting.

Grace Lin: Yes, because by the time of the third book, I've used up everything. I've used up all my good ideas. I've used up all the great things. I'm like, "Okay, that's it. Time to start something new."

Tui Sutherland: I definitely feel that way sometimes. But I'm actually about book 14. I think part of what was hard about books four and nine as well is that I was using a character that didn't want to save the world like, "I just want to hide in my corner over here." So I decided with book 14, I would make it a little easier on myself and use some really crazy other character. So I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Grace Lin: That's awesome. I bet you it's going to be awesome, and I bet you that there are so many listeners who can't wait too.

Tui Sutherland: I hope they like it.

Grace Lin: I'm sure they will. Well, thanks so much Brandy for your great question, and thank you, Tui, for answering it.

Tui Sutherland: Yeah, you bet. Thank you so much.

Today’s BOOK REVIEW is by Sarah! She is reviewing The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas.

Hello, my name is Sarah and today I will be reviewing a book called The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan. This book is written by Sherry Thomas and is about a girl named Mulan who was a warrior in disguise for all her life, and her whole life she had only one goal; to win the duel that would change her life and that every person must fight. If she wins, she can reunite two priceless heirlooms which are two swords; Sky Blade and Heart Sea. When an imperial messenger comes with a message that every family must send one family member to come fight the Rouran invaders(the family member must be a man) Mulan’s father can't go, so Mulan ties up her hair and acts as a man. Because Mulan is great with her Martial Arts, she gets chosen to be in a special team under the royal duke's son’s control, and she learns that the princeling also has his secrets. Mulan must embark on a journey against the Rouran invaders, and with lots of surprises along the way.

Thank you so much Sarah!

More about today’s authors:

Tui T. Sutherland is author of several books, including those she has written under a number of pseudonyms, including the names Erin Hunter and Tamara Summers. Her first books were part of a beginning reader's series called First Friends. Her first young adult novel was This Must be Love, a comically romantic twenty-first-century retelling of Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. She has also written the supernatural suspense series, Avatars. Recent titles include the Legends of the Brethren Court series (written under the name Rob Kidd) and the Pet Trouble series. Named after a rather noisy New Zealand bird, Tui was born in Venezuela, and lived in Paraguay, Florida, and the Dominican Republic before her family moved to New Jersey, where she went to high school. She then lived in New York City before moving to Boston, Massachusetts where she currently lives with her husband and her yoodle, Sunshine.

Grace Lin, a NY Times bestselling author/ illustrator, won the Newbery Honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and her picture book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star, was awarded the Caldecott Honor. Grace is an occasional commentator for New England Public Radio , a video essayist for PBS NewsHour (here & here), and the speaker of the popular TEDx talk, The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf. She is the co-host of the podcast Book Friends Forever, a kidlit podcast about friendship and publishing (geared for adults). Find her facebook, instagram , twitter ( @pacylin) or sign up for her author newsletter HERE.

Special thanks to the High Five Books & Art Always Bookstore, Ms. Carleton’s 2nd grade class at Jackson Street School for their help with our kid questions and reviews.