Want to Write a Series?
By Linda Wilson
How
big is your book idea? In fiction, it might cover generations as in Philippa
Gregory's Cousins' War and Plantagenet and Tudor Series, or growth of the main
character which occurs in Nancy Drew mysteries. Have your pick of nonfiction
topics that can blossom into a series from a single topic; series such as The Magic School Bus and the
Body Works series; My Messy Body, My Noisy Body, etc.
If
you're like me you might start small, believing your idea will be covered in
one standalone book. That's good, as we know your book needs to be submitted as
a standalone. My
desire to expand my book idea into a series (I am currently working on Book 2
while Book 1 continues to be primped and prodded)
developed in ways I have since found to be common.
Why
Turn a Perfectly Good Book into a Series?
That's
easy. You've got to:
- Fall
in love with your characters, especially the main ones, who have so much more
life to live that you can't possibly stop now.
Write
in a genre that lends itself to series, such as mystery, ghost stories,
romance, westerns, historical novels, fantasy and sci fi.
Believe
that series sell well and publishers like to buy multiple books because series
attract readers.
Know that the groundwork in the first book will work again, and again, and again.
Authors who write series promise readers
that the fun doesn't have to end, that there's more excitement to come, more
adventure and world's to explore, more of these lives to be lived.
Karen S.
Wiesner, Writing the Fiction Series: The Complete Guide for Novels and Novellas
Weisner
quotes author Thomas Helm: Author and reader dread the end, which is the test
of a good novel. Why not expand it into a series?
Love
reading series, from childhood on. If like me you love reading series books, then you thrive on the
familiar feelings series provoke.
Enjoy
the setting of your story and look forward to expanding on it so your characters can explore worlds, far
and wide.
The
list is never-ending. If you're
already writing a series or are contemplating writing one, then your
heart of
hearts already knows why you want to make your book into a series. For
me, this desire
developed. In the beginning, going from writing short stories to writing
my book was more of an undertaking then I ever could have
imagined. One of my biggest challenges was keeping track of the story!
What was
happening where and to whom! In a nutshell, structure is what saved
me. For one way to build story structure, go to March 28, 2013 for a
post on "The Tent Pole Structure":
What?
Turn my Masterpiece into a Series? Not!
Before
delving into the mechanics of series writing, which will be discussed in
future
posts, let's take a look at some of the ways to avoid the pitfalls, for
there are many. You will find a way to make the pieces fit together. A
way that works for you.
It's a
good idea to:
Make an overall outline that shows how each novel relates to the others.
Have an overall plot plan as well as a plan for each novel.
Be organized. Know where your series will end. Plot a timeline to keep track of events.
Choose a central conflict or premise for your series that "is the main tension or unknown that needs to be solved."
And, please, don't forget to comment and share!
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