For those of us that never saw our stories as anything other than stand alone, and now we are writing not only sequels but complete series. This, to anyone outside the creative community, sounds like someone complaining over too many ideas. When in reality, we became plotters instead of pantsers and quilters instead of plantsers.
What are the pros and cons of this, you might be asking yourself. Well first off, it can throw monkey wrenches the size of Texas into a story. Why? Because last book Character A did something that was a one off that now has to be explained. Or if it's anything like 4 Queen for 4 King, where the main cast from book 1 reappear in books 1-4. But it’s not in a prominent way. They are literally in the background until about halfway through.
Pros of being able to write/plot a series… More time to explain and explore the world as a whole. You honestly get to show every detail, problem solve, and in a lot of ways show everyone’s true colors by the end of the series, even the writers. Another pro is you don’t have to just let the story fade, not just yet. If there is an avenue you haven’t strutted down, you have the opportunity in the next installment.
Cons, which is currently the bane of my brain's existence. Every plot line, existential crises, character’s attitude has the ability to take over, especially if you're working with a big cast. Even when it's not their turn to be the center of attention. Also if you're a free flowing pantser, you now have to pull back and ask yourself the hard questions. Like does or doesn’t this fuck with your magic system. Did this new character do something that is completely unheard of for this world? And what events do you want to see happen, without playing out the exact same story line from the first book.
This also goes into the questions who will be in the next book. What part of the plot line needs to be carried over and what can be unique to the next story. Will there be an overall theme for the series or will you just throw things at the wall until it sticks. And the biggest one of all… do you give the villain, who remarkably stayed alive in book 1, a redemption arc or find another way to end them. Do you let the characters have choices or do you make concrete decisions that could very well derail the creativity and process if not handled in a timely manner?
There is no wrong way to write a story, book, or series. There are some uncomfortable truths we do our best to ignore like its the plague. And while most view us as complaining, they don’t see the three or four main characters almost ripping each other apart over something trivial. The side characters that became just interesting enough that people really noticed when they disappeared. Now they have their own novella in the subseries. And the Badass Female, she’s sitting over on the work bench with a strong ass coffee debating her own life choice, let alone the ones you gave her to deal with.
Even though we created the world, we are not the rulers of it. We are the vessels that hold their stories until it's time to tell them. So, which character turned you on your head today? Which series has you groaning, because you never had any intention of writing it? And the Biggest question of all… How much do you still love what you do? Leave me some comments below.
Be Brave, Be Bold, But Always Stay Humble.
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