So you want to write a Series, part II

If you’re back for more on writing a series, clearly my initial advice didn’t scare you away—i.e. don’t write a series. But we already covered that, so let’s move on.

A series, by definition, has more than three books. A case can be made for saying anything over two books is a series, but trilogies have become so commonplace that I think over three makes more sense. Now, this is going to sound harsh because your stories are like your children. You love them. You nurture them. You give them time and space to grow. Eventually you send them out into the world little by little—those are beta readers—then with more trepidation—that’s your editor. Finally you send them out into the world and hope you’ve done enough to make them ready for it. And you know what? You’re going to have a favorite.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Yes, I said it. All your precious darlings are not equal no matter how much you’ll tell bloggers and readers and anyone who asks that you had just as much fun writing the first one as you did the last. It’s not true. There will be a favorite and what’s worse, there will be a problem child. If, like me, you decide to write the entire series before editing and publishing, the problem child will demand attention while you’re writing another novel because it refuses to conform. You’ll go back to it over and over again because it’s just not working. There may even be times you consider whether you should keep it in the series.

Here's my advice, which runs counter to most of the advice I’ve seen. Keep your series loose. At least until you send it off for professional editing and publication. Some books will flow out of you. Others will come in fits and starts and then have another fit when you least expect it. Expect it. Sadly, this will require that you write the whole of your series first because the problem child might be the first one, or the second one.

If I had known this ahead of time, I wouldn’t have stressed so much when I realized I had to start the first book all over again—and that wasn’t even my problem child! Hopefully, this saves you a lot of heartache in the long run but honey the run will be LONG!

So you want to Write a Series, part I

When I first started my writing life, I was told to start a blog to attract followers to my books. I did so, reluctantly and one of the reasons was I felt I had nothing to offer in the way of expertise. Don’t get me wrong, I know a lot about a lot of things, and I say that without an ounce of conceit. I’m naturally curious and when I want to know about a thing, I research it and study. And yet, I didn’t know what to say to people I didn’t know, who didn’t know me and hadn’t asked me for any advice. That was almost 13 years ago.

Now I have a few new skills under my belt. I just published the last book in my four-book series as an indie writer and publisher. It doesn’t make me uniquely qualified to give advice on writing a series—plenty of people have written multiple series—but I would like to share some of the insights I’ve learned along the way that I haven’t seen anywhere else.

Firstly, if you want to write a series—DON’T! I mean it. They are a headache for people who already have tons of voices in their head from characters screaming that they want attention, that you didn’t get the right voice, that they would never do that, etc. Now add to that continuity. Charles Dickens is a beloved author, was prolific in his time, only wrote standalone novels and even he lost the thread sometimes. It’s exhausting!

But, if you’re like me, and decided that you can take on a little insanity, here’s my advice. Continuity on your own is daunting. I have a series bible and each of my novels have at least two notebooks full notes, scenes, and chapters and I still sometimes forget the eye color of my main character. To combat this problem, I have one consistent reader who remembers stuff I no longer see because, you know, forest-trees bit. I have other beta readers, but one had made himself in charge of all the things I forget, and he does it by not remembering. We all have beta readers or readers in general who read so closely they know your characters better than you do. What you need is a non-reading reader who will write things in the margins like, “Where did this come from?” or “Can you draw a map or something?” That reader is gold because they come with no baggage and genuinely want to understand the story in front of them. Answering their questions will definitely make the story better.

Plot Vs. Character, Fairy Edition

Plot Vs. Character—Fairy Edition

First, let’s address the elephant in the room…or the blog. I’ve been gone for a really long time. It wasn’t intentional, but it was with a good reason. I’ve been working on the last book in my Enchanted Path series and being a final book in a series, it’s become a bit of a bear. More on that in another post. This one is a question I’ve been asking myself while working through (seemingly) endless edits.

Plot or Character?

I know people who prefer a story that is character driven—where the plot is solely there to advance the development of the character—and like a deep dive into someone’s (or many someone’s) emotions.

What is he thinking? Courtesy of Cottonbro Studios

Others prefer plot over character where the person (or persons) are a device through which the reader understands what’s happening. As a speculative fiction writer I tend to fall in the latter camp. I start a story with a problem or a situation and then I think about the best and worst people to deal with it.

Courtesy of Suzy Hazelwood

The pitfall of character stories is sometimes nothing actually happens, at least not beyond the character’s mind. On the other hand, when plot of all important, a story can feel more like the Perils of Pauline, jumping from one disaster to another with people you barely know.

As the title of this post suggests, I wanted to look at this through a fairy tale lens. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that fairy tales are plot driven. Sometimes the characters don’t even have names, just titles or occupations. However, those stories are also very good at getting to the point of who the characters are and what they have to overcome. Cinderella is good and in a bad situation. The Wolf is bad and hungry.

Having that spelled out means we can focus on what happens to these characters. If we switched out these characters with other people, other things could happen. Red Riding Hood would likely neglect the chores Cinderella does in favor of exploring the woods. If the Giant from Jack and the Beanstalk were stomping about the woods, he’d likely have ignored the three little pigs or smashed all three houses without a second thought. So, characters do matter in plot driven stories.

Longer fairy tales can be character driven. Alice in Wonderland follows the adventures of one specific girl and her development from bored pupil to a queen. Would the story have taken the path it did if Alice had been Snow White or even an older Alice? A lot of the story depends on Alice being who she is at a particular time in her life.

Would an adult just drink it? Courtesy of Naele Souza

I don’t know if any story can be called plot or character driven. A good story has both concepts playing with or against each other. Maybe it’s more a writer thing than a reader one. As a reader I hope to lose myself in a story with relatable characters and a plot that holds my interest. As a writer only one or the other starts a project.

How about you? Do you think character or plot is more important? Do you think there should be a distinction?

A Noble's Path release: Part II

Anyone who has considered indie publication or is currently engaged in indie publications knows that, to paraphrase a well-known opening line, it is a truth universally acknowledged that no matter how well a plan is executed, something will gum up the works. For me, it's paperbacks.For my last book it took a month after the digital release before the paperback was made available. This time I think I can better that wait by two weeks. Here's hoping!In the meantime, I'm happy and proud to announce that Book Two of The Enchanted Path Series, A Noble's Path, has gone live as of this morning through these sellers. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors and tell total strangers!And check back at my author website, Book by I.L. Cruz for updates about the paperback release date.