How Co-Authors Write the Same Characters (Consistently)

Helen Corvis and Steaphan Kay discuss how their co-authoring process evolved across two book volumes, shifting from a highly structured first-book approach with frequent check-ins and outlining to a looser second-book workflow aimed at increasing writing speed, including initially assigning different POV characters to each author. They compare their writing styles (Steaphan's more poetic dialogue and Helen's more precise, economical approach) and describe how developmental editing revealed persona drift due to differing mental models of character behavior. They review tools for maintaining consistency—character bios that must be updated, character voice guides, visual references for characters, and timelines of emotional states—citing examples from multi-author projects like Star Trek: The Fall and co-author teams with varying degrees of structure. They close by considering a hybrid approach for a third book with fewer meetings than book one but better use of existing character-tracking tools. Please Like & Follow us wherever you listen to this podcast and on social. Helen's Bio Site (bio.site/helencorvis) Steaphan's  Bio.Site (bio.site/steaphankay)   Other Content: For indie authors at: IndieAuthors.Social For readers at steaphankay.com/blog For authors at steaphankay.com/authors For art lovers at deviantart.com/authorsteaphankay