So, You Want to Write a Series - Part 2

Can You Answer These Three Questions?

When I thought about writing a series, the first thing I did was ask myself these three questions. And I HAD to be honest with myself about the answers.

Question 1. Is the story big enough?

In a series, you not only need one overarching story, you need all the other stories that will feed into making that ultimate story worth chasing across three books, five books, thirteen books, or more. If you only have one story idea, it will get watered down or full of holes as you try to stretch it across so many pages. You need multiple ideas. Robust, cohesive, and satisfying story ideas, one for each book that will make up the series. And you should have a decent idea of how they will support and enhance each other and merge into the ultimate story before you decide you’ve got a series.

Question 2. Is your main character big enough?

This character has got to be interesting. They have to be layered and multifaceted and capable of growth and change. A character’s growth and change are at the heart of every story. And so of course it will be at the heart of your series. It just may be less apparent from book to book. Like the old fable explaining how to boil a frog, your main character’s growth may be slow, but it must be cumulative and happen in a logical way.

I started thinking about this growth in phases. How could I take what usually happens in a singular novel and parse it out?

Since the first book in a series is often one with strong world building and a realization that all is not as it should be, I decided the first book would show change and growth in discovery.

In the next book I am showing change and growth through an altered opinion. In other words what the character first thought of as true has now come into question and will be proved or disproved.

In the third book I decided to show growth and change through a deepening of understanding, of conviction, or a settling of the main character’s course of action.

I’m thinking these phases that happen in acts in a singular novel, can separated out in a series. Doing this also helped me see what each book’s desire line might be.

Question 3. Is your ending big enough?

After all those books and the hours of reading, will your reader get what they came for? Can they look back across the span of stories and feel satisfied that the end was well worth the journey? Is it “oh so obvious” now at the close that this is how the story would end? You can echo storylines and endings from books within the series – I actually encourage you to do so as you will be tying up all those plots anyway – but the end of the series must be its own. It should be surprising, gut wrenching, original, satisfying, and undeniable. Easy, right?

Well?

If you answer “No,” to any one of these questions, keep thinking and writing and working until you get them all to “YES.”

Does this mean you have to outline? And Plot? And make spreadsheets? And fill notebooks? Only if you want to. Some people love that stuff!

What I’m saying is you need a plan. A Master Plan. More about that next time.