Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Planning For the Next Book In Your Series

Photo courtesy of Visual Hunt

One of the advantages of being a slow writer is that I have plenty of time to contemplate the chapters I’ve already written. It’s not at all uncommon for me to be in the middle of one chapter and suddenly think of something that should have been added to an earlier one. In fact, this happens so often, and my stories have become so much better because of these additions, that I’m almost grateful for being a slow writer. 

Almost. 

But all this time for reflection doesn’t just apply to the past. Looking forward can be just as important. Sometimes, during those quiet times when I’m not writing, I think about the next book in the series. Now it might seem that plotting the next book is kind of silly when I’m still plodding along with the first one, but successful writers need to think ahead. And some of the ideas I’ve developed for book two has led to a richer plot in book one. 

Knowing what the next book will be about allows a writer to know the kinds of things that should be added to the first book in order to make the transition between books easier. For example, are you going to need a new villain in book two? Then maybe we should meet them in book one, even if it’s only a cameo appearance. 

Here are some of the aspects I’ve focused on as of late. 

Future relationships: When I began my current WIP, I wasn’t planning on any sort of romance, but part way through it occurred to me the MC might be attracted to one of the characters she meets. Sparks won’t fly in this book, but who knows about the next one? I might as well plan for it now. To that end, I’ve given both characters traits that will tend to derail any lasting relationship in the future. Will they be able to overcome these problems? I don’t know, but thanks to a little forethought, the potential for conflict is now in place. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from the Hallmark Channel, it’s that no conflict is too big for love to overcome. 

Characters traits: I hate it when a character acts differently in the second book of a series simply because the plot requires it. Make sure you’ve already foreshadowed the reason for this behavior in book one. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone, we learn that Hagrid isn’t supposed to do magic, although we don't learn why until the second book, where it turns out to be a part of the plot. It wasn’t a huge deal, but foreshadowing these things not only makes the series seem richer, but it makes the story world seem more real to the reader. At least it does for me. 

Future goals of both the protagonists and the antagonists: Planning now can help keep you from wrapping the storyline up too quickly. In my current WIP, my original idea was to have the bad guy’s big bad plan be completely spoiled by the MC’s actions during book one. I have since made the plan more comprehensive, so that now the MC’s actions only lead to a setback, not a complete defeat. Luke may have blown up the Death Star, but that didn’t mean the Empire was finished. 

You don’t have to know every detail of your next book before you finish your first one, but a little forethought can go a long way to keeping you from painting yourself into a corner. And in my opinion, there’s no better inspiration for finishing a book than having the next book in the series demanding to be written.

ChemistKen

12 comments:

  1. Planning is good. Not that I really planned out the sequels to my books. I did manage to foreshadow an aspect for the second book in the first one by accident. Of course, readers still complained I didn't have any women on the ships even though it was explained why in the second book...

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    1. I'll admit that some of the best parts of my story kinda happened accidentally. But I'll never admit which parts!

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  2. I have a "plan" for my series, though I tend to deviate from my plans most of the time. One of the villains in book 4 is a semi-likable character that's introduced in my current WIP (book 2). And a minor character in the first book is a POV in book 2. And the epilogues of books 1 and 2 point to the villain of book 3!

    My friends tell me my mind is a scary place. I tend to agree with them.

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    1. Nothing wrong with a scary mind. It's what makes you a writer.

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  3. This is excellent for planning and adding things. It does help to know where you're going and where you've been. I usually go back in my drafts and add things in after something pops up later in the story.

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  4. I know what you mean about the late inspirations. It's what inspired me to use Google Keep (cloud-based notetaking). I have a tab for each book I'm pondering and add notes as the come. Very quick. Of course, then I have to get them into the book!

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  5. That thing about Hagrid is my go-to example of great foreshadowing. It's pretty clear, when you re-read the Harry Potter series, that J.K. Rowling had a plan all along. So much foreshadowing!

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    1. I don't know how intricate her series long arc was, but I do know she knew what each of the seven books would be about when she pitched it to the publisher.

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  6. Really great advice! I'm glad I'm already thinking about the sequels to my book while I'm still working on it. A character who was supposed to be pretty insignificant in my Book 2 decided he was a main character in Book 3, so that totally changed how I have to approach him in Book 2! If I'd already written the whole thing, it would just be a lot more work!

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  7. Excellent tips. I tend to write open endings because I never know if I'll be revisiting a world or a person in it. :-)

    Anna from elements of emaginette

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  8. Reading book is one of my hobby and I already read dozens of love romance and fictional books. I am also planning for a new book. After a long time I had decided to get a fictional novel. I will get eBooks download online and read all of my favorite stories as usual I does.

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  9. You're right in that the villain's utter and total defeat should not occur in the first arc of a story. He/she can still lose the battle, but not yet the war so you can write a lot more story arcs using the same villain.

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