Serial killer or Serial Books?
What happens after your first novel
is published? Is it set aside, thrown into solitary like a serial killer who’s
gotten the ‘book’ thrown at him? Or is your first thought the one fan who wants
to read more about your characters?
Serials
and trilogies are all the rage. As a reader, I tend to be quite judgmental of
them, since they are difficult to do in a manner satisfying to both the people
who requested the sequel and also to new readers who have yet to bond with
the characters.
The
four major challenges of writing series books:
1.
The easiest to quit reading is the second (or
fifth!) of a series that assumes the reader has not only read all the others,
but has read it yesterday. The author of a series needs to find the right
balance of information for the reader to make each book readable.
2.
Worst is the sequel that spends 50% of the book
in a giant laxative dump, explaining every detail of the first book. Again,
balance is everything. Add necessary back-story sparingly and when relevant to
the plot.
3.
Another terrible-twist is the dreaded killer who
manages to survive to make a comeback in every successive novel, managing to be
more annoying to the reader than post-nasal drip.
Patterson is fond of this in his Cross series and I’m
not sure Patricia Cornwell could write a book without a villain from the past
in a starring role, or at the very least, the son, daughter, cousin, mother, father,
or adopted child of said killer stepping in to repeat the pattern. Their are always exceptions, but the most
successful series are those where the main characters remain the same but a
fresh plot is introduced. Jonathan Kellerman does this brilliantly in his Alex Delaware novels.
4.
No matter how well written, unless a reader has
read every book in the series, he or she will not have the same connection with
the characters and their relationships. Often the relationships feel hollow
because of it. One way to avoid this is by giving the relationships new
problems, so readers can get involved in the characters' personal lives.
5. Readers are annoyed by endings that are crafted with the next book in mind. This seems to be true more so in trilogies than series. A reader doesn't like to feel at the end of the story like he's just been set up to buy the next in the series!
5. Readers are annoyed by endings that are crafted with the next book in mind. This seems to be true more so in trilogies than series. A reader doesn't like to feel at the end of the story like he's just been set up to buy the next in the series!
Since,
as a reader, I’m so darn picky about them, I’ve been timid about doing a
series. I'm working on my third suspense novel, and though not really one of a series, it does star a
character from the first book, She’s Not There. My critique group has assured
me I’ve added just the right amount of back-story for new readers.
Unfortunately, my first beta-reader, even though she’s read She’s Not There,
wanted more detail about the past! Proving, once more, how difficult it is to
both maintain original readers and attract (and keep!) new ones.
Dear
readers,
Please
keep in mind the above suggestions and commentary are from my point-of-view as
a reader. I’ve been an avid reader all my life, long before I became an author,
and still find time to read. So, many of the above comments are personal
opinion. Please give all of us the benefit of your thoughts and expertise on
the topic by adding a comment.
Hope
you are all finding time to enjoy the wonderful fall weather.
Till
next time,
Marla
I never thought I could write a series, and now I have three of them! I don't pick on the same characters because they're easy or already well-defined. I find I want to continue exploring these people and their relationships, using a new mystery to test them and create new conflicts. But finding a balance of how much back story to provide is still something I wrestle with. I want a reader to be able to pick up anywhere in the series, feel they know the character enough, and be lured to go back to earlier novels to read more about things only hinted at. Time, and book sales, will tell...
ReplyDeleteHi Kathryn,
DeleteYou are a very prolific writer! Three series is so ambitious. I think you're doing the right thing by continuing to have your character's have new conflicts. That will bring the new reader into their lives. The backstory issue is really a skill! So few writers find the exact right amount, if that's even possible.
Keep up the good writing, and thanks for your input,
Marla
Interesting and helpful as I embark on book 2 ! Thanks
ReplyDeleteAll you serial writers have me awestruck! It is so hard to do. I'm struggling with it as I write my third novel and it isn't really a series. Guess you need a good editor! And lots of beta readers.
DeleteHope you have a lot of success,
Marla
Interesting thoughts, I'm quite close to unleashing my own series, so good food for thought. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi James,
DeleteIt pays to devote planning to be sure readers who pick up in the middle of a series aren't overwhelmed with the past of working to fill in the blanks. You want them to read the whole book and the rest of the series!
Thanks for stopping in,
Marla
Interesting article, Marla. I see the difficulty here. I never read books in a series. No reason for that. It may be that I don't like to be confined in that way. However, for a title maybe Deadly liaison or for a one word title Incident - both would appeal to me. Good luck with your series. I'd like a go a writing one myself. Always enjoy a challenge.
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine,
DeleteI read a lot of series books because I read mostly suspense.
I like your title suggestions, thanks for the input. Sorry to say I still haven't chosen one and need to decide since I'd like to have a cover done. Lot of procrastination going on!
Have a super weekend,
Marla
Hi Marla, food for thought indeed. I know that as a reader I am often irritated by the whole series thing. One particular thing that jars is when a book doesn't feel complete at the end because it has been left open for the follow up. One striking example of this is the otherwise wonderful The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. This is an amazing book, and it's also the first in a trilogy. I was in love with the story right up to the last few pages of book 1. Here, I discovered that the story wasn't going to conclude at all, and the end was a direct lead-in to book 2. I can see how for some this would have compelled them to run out and buy the next book, but for me I felt so let down that I haven't read the rest of the series and never will. This is probably my loss, as the story telling is exceptionally good, but as a reader I feel that trust is everything and I don't want to embark on a second book only to be left dangling again. A cautionary tale for the series writer I think.
ReplyDeleteHi Kath,
DeleteI liked that one so much I added it to my list! Didn't line up real well, hopefully my readers will forgive me.
I don't read trilogies, but if that is how they work them, I would find it very frustrating. I'd rather read one very long book than get jerked around like that. It would pay to wait to read them until all three have been published. In my suspense novels, I like to leave at least something unanswered, and some readers even complain about that even though they are definitely not left there with a series in mind.
Once more, proving the difficulty of series' writing.
Thanks for your helpful input. Have a great week,
Marla
#3. UGGGHHHH. I call them "superhero serial killers," because they are apparently immortal and are somehow smarter and stronger than everyone else. Annoying.
ReplyDeleteHI, Karen,
DeleteThey are annoying. And there is a rash of them on TV lately, too. I stopped watching The Mentalist because I grew so weary of the ongoing and endless Red John connection. Now there's an omnipotent killer!
Thanks for stopping by and adding your input,
Marla
If you want to write a book then you should go through the proper guidelines, then only you can write a perfect book. You can get online books for writing guidelines or you can checkout http://rachaelbermingham.com.au/product/how-to-write-your-own-book-and-make-it-a-best-seller-2/
ReplyDeleteThat's true Raphael. All writers should take advantage of the many resources out there in order to improve their writing. There has to be a book out there specifically for writing a series. I'll look into it. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteMarla
Marla, I followed your Twitter link to the blog. Well done. Publishing has its fads and trends, and I'm not sure the sequel, prequel, nyquil, or whatever is necessarily a good one. Most books are stand alones. They allow a beginning, middle, and end - plot points that satisfy.
ReplyDeleteStill, there is pressure from publishers and editors to s-t-r-e-t-c-h out that one plot into infinity. I'm working on one series and it's painful. The stand alone almost wrote itself.
Good point, KK! I think why so many of us get roped into a series, is because we develop a character our readers enjoy. Then, in order to keep them reading our work, we put that character to work again. And as a reader, I do enjoy reading books with the same character, but that should be (for me) where it ends. I hate continuing plots. But there must be plenty of readers who enjoy that sort of thing because it's done so often.
DeleteThanks for joining me here,
Marla
Hi Marla,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I unintentionally committed #5 when trying to cram a longer book into a shorter word count requirement (ended a romantic arc but not the villain's). Got a lot of flak for that! But, as I read your blog, a new plot point came up for my WIP for another series. Thanks for getting the brain juices flowing.
Have a great day-
Gina
Too bad, Gina.
DeleteNumber five was an add on. A reader mentioned hating when that happens and I thought it was a great point so did an edit and included it. I think it's a little more common in trilogies, but don't read them so didn't think about it. It doesn't happen often with suspense novels, which is what I read.
So happy to have tweaked your creativity! Have a super weekend,
Marla
What a great blog, Maria. I read it two or three times to get your points in my head.
ReplyDeleteI write a detective series with a black DI in his forties and his white younger partner. I have four of them on Kindle.
I also think it’s enough to hint at Lee Cob’s past instead of keep digging out his antagonists over and over again. And a mention of his past personal life is enough to prime the reader’s curiosity about his earlier cases.
I think your point about Patterson is a good one, and the fact that he keeps using other writers to write his novels and then puts his own name to them doesn’t make him a better writer, but that’s just my opinion. We know it’s not plagiarism, but it does seem a bit unsavory. To me it seems as if he’s run out of ideas, and that’s a shame because his earlier work was excellent
Hi, G G,
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the blog! Sounds like you found the secret to a good series, keeping backstory to a necessary minimum.
Patterson is another subject. I read his books, but not all of them. One of his latest, Mistress, was a big disappointment. Surprising, because David Ellis, who he wrote that one with, is one of my favorite suspense writers.
When interviewed, Patterson professed to doing 50-page outlines for his books. So I've always imagined that is what the co-author receives, then goes from there. Hard to know. But today, Patterson is a business, not really an author.
What I do like about JP and his co-writers, is the no-nonsense writing style; a reader never has to wade through pages of excess description or backstory. That said, his series about the detective with ten children is a no-go for me. Too much about the kids and their nanny, and the one where they all had the flu? Yuck, a whole book filled with puking kids. Not for me, but I'm sure there are many others who enjoy the series..
That's Patterson's advantage, of course, he has something for everyone!
Have a great week and thanks for your comment,
Marla
I don't do cliff hangers and I don't resolve issues in the next book. It's just kind of more stuff that happens. So far the readers seem to "know" the characters. They don't always like them but that's okay with me. I don't write about saints.
ReplyDeleteVery good, Virginia! Sounds like you write the kind of books we like. When you write about a character who has flaws, I think it's easier in subsequent books for new readers to identify with them. There are rarely actual cliff hangers in the type of suspense books I read, but the recurring bad guy is quite common, just like on TV. I think we're all growing weary of them!
DeleteThanks for stopping in, and have a great day,
Marla
This advice was timely. Revising the second book in my Gabriella Giovanni mystery series. Trying to make sure I don't do any of the above. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHe Kristi!
ReplyDeleteGlad you found it helpful. My series advice is from a reader's perspective since I always make time to read suspense novels. It's hard to do a series and get just the right mix. I'm struggling with it now as my third book (while not really a series book) does involve characters from my first book. Giving the reader enough info about the past, but not too much is a real challenge!
Good luck with the new book!
Marla
Thanks!
ReplyDelete