Some Tips for Writing a Series

When you find yourself in the position of planning or being contracted for a series of books—whether for two or twenty-two—it’s important to keep track of the details, and have a final goal in mind for your characters to reach.

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First, you have to decide on some basic elements:

Based upon the answers to the above, know your limits. Use those questions as a starting point to flesh out your world and make it believable.

PLOT THE TIMELINE

One of the best ways to keep track of the overall story arc is to plot a timeline of significant events. Even if the timeline stretches far beyond what is covered in the books, it helps you keep track of what occurred, when, and why. Even if it is no more than a sentence or two beside a date, it will give you bounds to work within, and a greater sense of purpose as you fill in the details between one major event and the next. You’ll know where your characters are going, which helps you to plot out the answers to the questions of how and why. It also gives you a way to track what occurs between Point A (main character gets pulled into conflict) and Point B (main character puts an end to said conflict).

UP THE ANTE

Remember, your characters have to continually face increasing odds and challenges in a series, so don’t play your trump card in the first book. There should be ripple effects from the characters’ actions, so make sure you take these things into account and plan accordingly. Make note of them. Don’t keep your world static—have the actions and reactions of all the various characters, including behind the scenes, have an effect on each other. Even if you’re using different characters book to book, as long as it’s all set in the same universe, there should be some action/reaction going on at all times. Characters should grow and learn over time, too, so make sure if they’re making mistakes that it’s not the same mistake over and over again.

YOUR "BIBLE" (OR "CHEAT SHEET")

Another tip is to keep a “cheat sheet” of sorts. Use it to keep tabs on things like minor characters, background info that might have bearing on the novels, snippets of statistics or information that you may need to refer to later, etc. You can also keep a database tracking major character attributes (height, weight, skin color, eye color, certain groups they belong to, notable quirks in speech or personality, physical ticks, habits, etc). This can be an invaluable tool to refer to when working across a series where a minor character may only pop up once every few books—and you need to know exactly what they look like so your sharper readers aren’t left wondering why the character had blue eyes in the first book, and brown eyes in the second.

ADDING QUIRKS

Lastly, you should consider keeping a style sheet—a document that tracks “quirks” to your writing style. For example, if you want to insert text messages and emails into your story, but need to show how the text should be formatted differently to separate it from the rest of the novel (e.g., extra indent, justified, font size 12, use Courier New instead of Times New Roman), make a note of it on a separate document. This goes for spelling or grammar quirks, too. This can be a handy tool for you, your agent, your editor, and the copy editor.

What all of the above boils down to is—be organized. Be prepared. Be knowledgeable about your story and your craft. It will make for a far stronger series in the end.

This post is an online exclusive complement to a spotlight on Jess in the Sept./Oct. 2010 issue of WD.

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