Being a writer, part 7: Sequels, trilogies and series

It might seem a bit odd to consider future stories before you've even written one, but it's an important aspect nevertheless.

First of all, it tests your main character(s). How strong are they? How pro-active are they? Is the enemy hard to take down in one go? Can they develop even further than envisaged for the first story? And, will readers still be excited by the new situations you create later on? You must also consider the time period between stories - whether that is nine months or seventeen years, for instance. Adulthood, generations, babies and children, change of work or location or friends or attitudes, vigilance or complacency etc, not to mention the rise or recuperation of the bad guys, can all change things dramatically and for the good of the overall concept. However, I don't recommend a string of seven books like Harry Potter, or the six of Jean Auel's Children of the Earth - readers will get fed up and not read them all. I think any collection should be four at the most.

The seoond thing to remember is that more than one book changes how you approach the first - more things can be left unresolved and there can be more subplots and more characters (which might be introduced late, or even not all, in the first book - think of Will in Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy). You will find yourself coming up with bits for later books as you do the first and, hey presto, they will be part done when you come to them.

So, is your story self-contained, or does your concept have 'legs' - the ability to go further?

Jack Orchison
March 16, 2014