Yuffie's Writing How-To's

How to write a SERIES

Is your story way too long to tell within 100,000 words? You might think about writing a series! That can be duology, trilogy, quadri... ology... etc. Here are some do's and don'ts when planning and writing a series.

First and foremost, don't start planning every book before you've even finished the first one. Sit yo ass down and write whatever the heck you want to write and bring that first book to a natural resolution.

If you go into the story thinking "This has to happen in the first book, then the second book this happens, and that happens in the third, etc.", you'll put limits on what happens in the first book. You might leave out phenomenal plot aspects because you're tying to save them for later books. The issue is you might not even get to a sequel or subsequent books. Pull out all the stops from the start to write the best damn book you possibly can NOW. Don't pull any punches. Let loose without worrying about any subsequent books. Give your best effort with the book you're writing now, and don't worry about whether or not you'll have enough material for a second/third/fourth book. Don't go into it thinking this HAS to be a triology or whatever.

You'll be surprised how your plans will change once you finish that first book. You might come up with something even bigger for the sequels that wouldn't have come around had you pulled your punches. And then that first book will be even more epic and un-put-down-able.

Next, one of THE MOST IMPORTANT laws of writing (and yes, this is a law for which I really cannot think of any exceptions, so please do follow this. Agents and authors and publishers have hammered this point to death, so it's definitely important to follow): Every book should stand alone.

Let me repeat: EVERY BOOK SHOULD BE ABLE TO STAND ON ITS OWN.

Sequels will likely assume you've read the previous books, so there might be some information you need from those to understand the sequels. That's not what I'm talking about here. What I mean by each book should stand on its own is that each book needs a full plot arc: inciting incident, rising action, obstacles/conflicts, goals, climax, and resolution.

That's important: each book needs a satisfying resolution. There might still be some loose ends that'll be covered in the next book(s), but there still needs to be the same plot structure/skeleton as there would be in a standalone novel.

Look at Harry Potter: each book has its own unique issue(s) and main conflict that Harry and friends have to struggle against. Book 1: sorcerer's stone. Book 2: chamber of secrets. Book 3: prisoner of Azkaban, Book 4: triwizard tournament.

Each book starts with Harry at the Dursleys (I think), and there's some inciting incident to pull Harry into the main conflict for that book. He overcomes many obstacles, the action rising all the while and stakes rising, until we reach a climax for that book, and then there's a satisfying conclusion and resolution for that main conflict.

The Pendragon series follows this as well. I think even Twilight does... I think. don't quote me on that.

A counterexample: The Assassin's Curse and The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke. Two of my favorite books, however there was one fatal flaw in both: there was no climax in either, and the first book didn't have a resolution. It just ended abruptly in a very strange spot where the action had stagnated.

What happened was that Clarke had originally written these two books as a single, long novel, and the agent/publisher had her split it into two books. That created an unnatural break so that the first book felt incomplete. That wasn't necessarily Clarke's fault, but it's a good example of how a phenomenal book can end up flopping in your mind becuase there wasn't a complete story arc with climax and resolution in the first book (Despite this shortcoming, this duology was amazeballs, so check it out, guys!)

Now, next point goes into the overarching plot for the entire series. You can think of each book being a subplot of the overall series conflict--another layer of plot. Each book should further/hinder/change something/add something to the overarching plot.

In Harry Potter, the overarching plot was taking down Voldemort. Each book takes Harry one step closer to doing that. Same basic premise in Pendragon where they're trying to take down the main baddie.

Another thing to note is that each book has to get higher stakes. If you plotted all the books on a graph, their overall action would slope upward toward the climax of the series. Risisng action with each book is hugely important to keep your readers engaged in the series.

You can look at some of your favorite TV shows for further examples. Sailor Moon has Serena battling Queen Beryl overall, and each episode is her fighting Beryl's minions, coming closer and closer to taking down Beryl for good.

But sometimes there isn't an overarching plot across an entire series, and that's okay! Each book would be even more of a standalone, in that case, with a more complete resolution. You wouldn't have lead-ins to the next book in that case (or you can!). I think Dan Brown's Robert Landon series thing does that. Each book is a different case, and the only linking aspect between the books is Landon is on the case (I've only read Da Vinci Code, so correct me if I'm wrong). A lot of detective books follow that format. Usually these are books you don't need to read in order, if that helps you conceptualize what I'm talking about with more complete resolutions. Some series you can pick up any book in the series and understand everything completely. Some, like Harry Potter, Pendragon, and Tamora Pierce's Tortal books, you need to read the previous books to understand what's going on in the current one.

Once you've finished that first book, NOW's the time to sit down and meticulously plan out some major events in future books. When that first book is published and you're working on the sequel and realize something should've happened back then to make the 2nd book work.... sorry, you're out of luck. You can't unpublish a book, and that's why many authors end up back-writing--making up things and explanations for why this thing didn't work in the first book but works now. Plot devices like that really feel fake and contrived and deus ex machina'y, so do your best to avoid that. That's why writing a series is so freaking hard, so you really need to put a lot of thought into whether or not you're going to give this story sequels. My point from before is not to limit what you put in the first book because you don't want to run out of material for the sequels.

Next, we have characters. Just like with plot arcs, the protagonist(s)  needs full character arcs with each book. They need to face new internal/external demons with each book, and after each book, they need to CHANGE. Grow, fall, whatever. Make sure they're not the exact same person they were from start to finish within each book and across the entire series.

It's not the easier thing to figure out. You had them resolve their biggest fears and inner conflicts in the first book.... Now what? You need to find a new angle to internally crush and batter and bruise them. Some other part of their psyche that's vulnerable and you as the author can manipulate.

Try to reboot your characters. Have some drastic external change at the end of the first book that will give them new internal obstacles to face in the sequel. Maybe they gain a new skill/ability that'll come with its own issues. For example, a character is fighting the main baddie in the climax of Book 1 and unlocks a new power during the fight. Book 2 might have them struggle to control that power. Maybe you physically/emotionally disable the character during the final fight, and the next book has them learning to deal with that disability while still trying to take down the main baddie. Maybe a relationship with another character changes (either romantically, platonically, make a new enemy, etc.)

One thing that really bugs me about sequels is that most of them just start focusing on the romance subplot and upping the sexual tension while the rest of the plot just falls to the backburner. Like, STOP EVERYTHING. THESE TWO ARE FALLING IN LOVE. I get that they're probably closer after the events of the first book, but don't spend 2/3 of the sequel focusing on romance and halting the forward momentum of the main plot of that story. Further their relationship, but don't bring it to the foreground while the actual action of the story is lost and forgotten for a couple hundred pages. have them intertwine and work in conjuction (or mess each other up! Romance tends to throw wrenches into the system of the plot, which is great. But don't make it the only wrench, either).

That's all I've got on series! What are your favorite series, and how did they structure the books? Did they follow my tips, or did they deviate? What issues are you running into while writing your series? Share your thoughts in the comments!