Well, the second draft of Iron Angels is finally complete, which means from here to the beginning of September my main project will be Badger, the sequel to Wolfhound.
It is definitely a relief to have finished Iron Angels. It is going to need a little more work, especially near the ending, but at the very least the draft is complete. Plus, I honestly need a little time away from that story right now.
Badger will be the first sequel that I've ever completed in my time as a writer. So far, it has been an interesting experience. I've been trying to identify things that a good sequel needs to be effective, and I've managed a short list. A character that represents a dark version of the main character has been one thing that I have noticed; another one is the need to show both the negative consequences of the previous books' triumph. A third thing would be the need to show the hero facing new, yet serious challenges to their journey as a hero, while another is to give them the temptation to leave their trials and just rest on their laurels.
I've come up with a way to include a lot of these things, but I'm always open to more suggestions. What aspects of a good sequel have you guys noticed in your careers as writers and readers? Let me know. I will see you later!
Showing posts with label Sequels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sequels. Show all posts
Friday, July 15, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
On Writing a Sequel
Man, if there is anything that makes me want a story bible, it is the writing of a sequel.
This is something I've only partially attempted once before. On my mission I wrote sequel outlines for two books following the Jakeson storyline, and actually put a few thousand words into one once I got back, but it didn't get very far. I think I am now discovering why.
A sequel seems to be an entirely different beast from the first book. A first book has to worry about a lot of things, from the basic details of the world to the introduction of the main characters and their traits. The sequel doesn't have to worry about that, but it does have to worry about developing them further. So your character did a lot of awesome stuff in the last book. What's he doing now? How has he changed, or what could possibly challenge him after what he went through in the last book? How will he change further now that he has new things to face?
Even more intimidating is the fact that I now have to base everything on a foundation provided by the last book. I find myself constantly questioning whether a detail should have gone in Wolfhound, or if it is okay to put it in Badger instead. Were the characters and development foreshadowed enough in the last book? It has made me want to go back and do one more edit solely to provide that solid basis, though I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not.
So in summary, this is a new experience that may or may not be driving me crazy. Anyone surprised?
This is something I've only partially attempted once before. On my mission I wrote sequel outlines for two books following the Jakeson storyline, and actually put a few thousand words into one once I got back, but it didn't get very far. I think I am now discovering why.
A sequel seems to be an entirely different beast from the first book. A first book has to worry about a lot of things, from the basic details of the world to the introduction of the main characters and their traits. The sequel doesn't have to worry about that, but it does have to worry about developing them further. So your character did a lot of awesome stuff in the last book. What's he doing now? How has he changed, or what could possibly challenge him after what he went through in the last book? How will he change further now that he has new things to face?
Even more intimidating is the fact that I now have to base everything on a foundation provided by the last book. I find myself constantly questioning whether a detail should have gone in Wolfhound, or if it is okay to put it in Badger instead. Were the characters and development foreshadowed enough in the last book? It has made me want to go back and do one more edit solely to provide that solid basis, though I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not.
So in summary, this is a new experience that may or may not be driving me crazy. Anyone surprised?
Friday, April 1, 2011
On Sequels and Other Series
I have been pondering the e publishing market for a while, and one piece of advice that I have heard over and over is to not simply publish one book at a time. Apparently authors who have multiple books available enjoy a larger amount of success than authors who only have one book, mostly because readers buy more books from authors with other stories they can read compared to authors who only give them a limited amount at a time.
My question is, do the other books all need to be in the same series? I have several stories that I am partway through writing and revising, but none are actually in the same series. In fact, a lot of them seem to have trouble fitting into the same genre. Would that handicap my progress as an e published author if I put them up online at the same time, or would it be just as helpful? What do you guys think?
My question is, do the other books all need to be in the same series? I have several stories that I am partway through writing and revising, but none are actually in the same series. In fact, a lot of them seem to have trouble fitting into the same genre. Would that handicap my progress as an e published author if I put them up online at the same time, or would it be just as helpful? What do you guys think?
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