Monday 2 November 2015

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Writing a Series

with Karen M. Davis


When I first set about writing Sinister Intent - my first published manuscript - I had no idea it was going to turn into a series. How could I? I had no idea if it would ever get published, let alone be the first of three (at this stage) Lexie Rogers crime fiction books. So when I got that incredible news every writer dreams of - that I was going to be published - I was of course elated.  Then I heard, "You have a two book contract."

What? I had to write another one? This was my first thought. Then I was told, ''Don't worry, you have  ten months to write it.'' What?! Elation quickly turned to panic. It took me four years to write the first one!


However, there were a lot of positives. I already had my main characters - their descriptions, their traits, issues, and back stories. I had the settings and location - the eastern suburbs of Sydney - a place I knew well. I had a police station, support characters and many more police experiences to throw at Lexie and her colleagues.

Dilemma: since I hadn't even considered another book, I'd put Lexie through a lot in the first one and she needed a break. How much was a young policewoman able to bear? How unlucky could she be? And how believable was it that everything seemed to happen to her? I decided somebody else had to "cop it" this time. Although Lexie still needed to be in possible danger. And solve the crime. And sort her love life. Just like everyday life...

Hard part: I found writing book two, Deadly Obsession, and now, currently writing book three, challenging in a number of ways. The characters need to develop, be stretched to their full potential, learn a different life lesson. They can't just stay as they began. Relationships have to grow, alter, be tested. Snippets of events from previous books need to be inserted at the right time to remind the reader of past happenings, or to explain something. I have to refer to the other books, and check notes constantly, to ensure I don't contradict something written previously. This can be tedious and repetitive.
               



These are not problems encountered with stand alone books because the characters and story are, as it states, stand alone. The characters may have baggage but it is not set in stone.

I do love reading a series, seeing how the characters develop, whether the girl gets the guy she wants, etc, and I do enjoying writing a series - most of the time. But I must admit, I am looking forward to finishing my half-written, stand alone mystery, next.


Or perhaps that will turn into a series... Could I be that lucky?


Anyone thinking of writing a series?

I love to love...spending time with family and friends.      
 
I love to laugh at anything...especially cute animals.


I love to learn...all there is to know about writing.


12 comments:

  1. Hi Karen. Thank you for sharing your experiences on writing a series. I never thought of all the little stuff you would have to keep track of when creating a series using a lot of the same characters. I would like to write a series but I don't think it will be with the same characters, but more like a linked series.

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    1. Hi Cassandra, thanks for your comment. I didn't think of all the little stuff either. I thought it would be rather easy at first as I didn't have to think up new characters etc. And I do like to see how they develop. Though at the same time I worry about letting people down if they don't like the direction of the story of relationships. ie. a friend once said to me if I broke up the main characters she would never speak to me again... pressure! Your idea of a linked series sounds good. It also leaves room to write who and what you like... food for thought.

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  2. Hi, Karen!! I love a good series but hadn't given much thought to the work that goes into them. I'm writing a trilogy...not sure you call it a series as the characters in the first book are the parents of the characters in the second and third. Like you I do check facts from the first but I don't have to contend with the previous hero and heroine having to grow more or even recover from the trauma of the first book. You serialist amaze me! Writing can be tough but writing a series is gruelling...kinda like the difference between running a marathon and running a marathon followed by a thousand hungry zombies. 😉

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    1. Sorry Dana, my reply is below - touched the wrong button.

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  3. Hi Dana, I love your analogy... One thing I never experienced is being chased by zombies while running a marathon... or running a marathon for that matter. I love the idea of your kind of series or trilogy because you get to read about the bigger picture; the characters and their families, how they were brought up, why they turned out the way they did. Though I must say, that doesn't sound like an easy task either. Good luck with your trilogy, I hope to read it one day.

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  4. Great post, Karen! I've never tried to write a series, but I often read them because I like to catch up with characters I've become attached to and find out what happens to them. Series like Rachael Johns' Bunyip Bay novels are the type I love to read.
    I enjoyed both 'Sinister Intent' and 'Deadly Obsession' and look forward to the 3rd Lexy Rogers book.

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    1. Hi Marilyn, I'm very pleased you enjoyed my first two books and I'm like you; I love to find out what happens to characters, especially when its a story I enjoyed or I relay like the characters. I haven't heard of the bunyip Bay novels by Rachel Johns although I have heard she is a good author. I might have to look them up. Thanks.

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  5. Hi Karen. Thanks for sharing your experience with writing your crime series. A huge learning curve for you, and for us here, too. So much detail to take note of and take care with to ensure there's no conflicting information anywhere or anything forgotten. My current WIP is also part of a series of 3 books (and who knows, it may expand to more). Each book has different hero and heroine but they are connected by the world I've created. And along with the hero/heroine stories, there is a subplot going on in the background that affects all three relationships and this subplot resolves at the end of the third book. Another type of series, huh?

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    1. Hi Enisa. Thanks. Wow your work in progress (I just figured out what WIIP meant) sounds fascinating and complex. To have different relationships entwined like that does not sound easy but I'm sure it will be a great read. You say the world you have created... sounds a bit Harry Potter-ish? Maybe a little bit? I always marvel at the imaginations of some authors who can create worlds. I just draw from my own world... No great stretch there. You are obviously very creative. I hope to read your WIP one day.

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    2. I'm writing paranormal so, yes, I've created a world. A different world to HP. More woo-woo, the dark vs the light. I've always been fascinated by 'the other side'.

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  6. Hi Karen. Thank you for your insightful post. I've never thought about the character development demands placed on series authors. I'll read series with an eye to this in the future.

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  7. Hi Karen. I love your post! As a reader, I loved reading series - but I tend to 'collect' them all first, then read them in a row. So I totally appreciate authors bringing them out quickly. I also think each book should be self-contained, so a just-picked-this-one-up, new-to-you reader can at least understand the story and characters without 'having' to read the first book. What do you think?

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