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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Mar 12, 2019 6:13:49 GMT
First, you have to intend to write a series. If you write a novel as a standalone, and then decide to turn it into a series then you couldn't have planned the series from the beginning. Unless you hopped into your time machine and returned to the time before you started writing. But if you did that would you still remember that you wanted to write a series, or would you get sucked back into doing everything exactly the way you did it before with no memory of the future because it hasn't happened yet? You could be stuck inside a neverending timeloop of writing a series with no planning.
Of course if you're a pantser who doesn't like to plan then you'd probably be cool with that. Although, planning is more of a journey than a destination, with many escalator steps. And our subconscious may sneakily be planning our stories out without our even being aware of it. Or maybe, if we live in a matrix, our evil A.I. Future Human, Cyborg creators are actually the ones planning the stories we write and we are all powerless to do anything else but write what we are programmed. o/O
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Mar 12, 2019 6:15:58 GMT
I've only written one series, and I pretty much pantsed the whole thing book-by-book, although I kept ending on cliffhangers so that I'd have an easy place to pick up and continue. I desperately want to be able to plan but my evil A.I. Overlords won't let me. Le sigh.
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Post by robertlcollins on Mar 12, 2019 14:07:07 GMT
I was absolutely certain when I wrote "Expert Assistance" that it would be a standalone novel. "Lisa's Way" was the one that was going to be first in a series (and it was). But someone who reviewed EA thought it might be nice to read more about the main character. I gave that some thought, decided *I* wanted to write more about him, and off I went!
That said, I never bothered too much with continuity in the "Jake Bonner 'verse." It's light/comedy SF. I needed to keep a few things straight here and there, but overall I just wanted the stories and novellas to be humorous or breezy.
If I set out to write a serious series, I'll pay attention and do the world-building and such. I've made maps of one sort or another. I've come up with some details on the past of those worlds. But I always try to make certain that if there will be a series, that I have as much set before I start. In fact, I'm doing that to some degree with some of my standalone novels if there's going to be something of a sweep to them in terms of plot or setting.
I have an idea for what might be the first of a new series of light/humorous fantasy works. If I decide to write more in that world, I feel like my approach will be the same as it was for the Jake Bonner 'verse. I'll get a few bits and pieces set, but then try to just have fun and not worry too much about the rest.
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Post by Jeff Tanyard on Mar 12, 2019 21:34:50 GMT
I planned my current series as a series from the very beginning. In fact, I wrote a synopsis for each book before starting the first draft of the first book. If you're going to foreshadow stuff, you have to plan it in advance, and I wanted to foreshadow stuff.
With three books now out, the series has taken some unanticipated turns. I knew this would happen when I started. My outlines are starting blocks, not finish lines. I always reserve the right to change course when necessary. But I need those outlines in order to get going in the right direction, otherwise I'll run right off the track and never finish the first book.
I'm currently revising my book 4 outline. When I'm done, I'll either re-write the outlines for the rest of the series, or I'll just sketch out a few things and then get cracking on the first draft of the fourth book. Remains to be seen.
I've also had a sinus infection for just over a week, and family matters to attend to for a few days prior to that, so I've been sort of out of action lately as far as productivity goes.
But I'm itching to get started on that first draft of book 4.
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Mar 12, 2019 21:55:22 GMT
I planned my current series as a series from the very beginning. In fact, I wrote a synopsis for each book before starting the first draft of the first book. If you're going to foreshadow stuff, you have to plan it in advance, and I wanted to foreshadow stuff.
With three books now out, the series has taken some unanticipated turns. I knew this would happen when I started. My outlines are starting blocks, not finish lines. I always reserve the right to change course when necessary. But I need those outlines in order to get going in the right direction, otherwise I'll run right off the track and never finish the first book.
I'm currently revising my book 4 outline. When I'm done, I'll either re-write the outlines for the rest of the series, or I'll just sketch out a few things and then get cracking on the first draft of the fourth book. Remains to be seen. I've also had a sinus infection for just over a week, and family matters to attend to for a few days prior to that, so I've been sort of out of action lately as far as productivity goes. But I'm itching to get started on that first draft of book 4.
Sorry about your sinus infection. Those aren't any fun. *hugs* I always get grumpy whenever things get in my writing way. I hope you're able to start on book 4 soon! As a reader/viewer I like when a series is planned out cos continuity glitches annoy me. Especially when a cool new character shows up halfway through and all these ideas crop up about how the series would have been better if that character had already existed. But I know that most writers only write one book, then publish, so that type of thing can't be helped.
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Mar 12, 2019 21:58:10 GMT
I was absolutely certain when I wrote "Expert Assistance" that it would be a standalone novel. "Lisa's Way" was the one that was going to be first in a series (and it was). But someone who reviewed EA thought it might be nice to read more about the main character. I gave that some thought, decided *I* wanted to write more about him, and off I went! That said, I never bothered too much with continuity in the "Jake Bonner 'verse." It's light/comedy SF. I needed to keep a few things straight here and there, but overall I just wanted the stories and novellas to be humorous or breezy. If I set out to write a serious series, I'll pay attention and do the world-building and such. I've made maps of one sort or another. I've come up with some details on the past of those worlds. But I always try to make certain that if there will be a series, that I have as much set before I start. In fact, I'm doing that to some degree with some of my standalone novels if there's going to be something of a sweep to them in terms of plot or setting. I have an idea for what might be the first of a new series of light/humorous fantasy works. If I decide to write more in that world, I feel like my approach will be the same as it was for the Jake Bonner 'verse. I'll get a few bits and pieces set, but then try to just have fun and not worry too much about the rest. With light and breezy stuff continuity gaffs sometimes fit right in. If a series is funny and makes me laugh then you can throw as much of that stuff in as possible and it won't faze me. But I'm much pickier about series stuff. That's why I need to write all of TMOK before I publish it. I've done the whole just publish and get it out there a ton, and now it's time to get it as perfect as possible.
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Post by possiblyderanged on Mar 30, 2019 19:55:59 GMT
I didn't start out to make my zompoc series, I told the story I had and after a while I realized there was more to it. Now I have ideas about book three, which I'm hoping will actually make a novel so I'll end up with a trilogy.
Yay, me!
I dislike reading series, and mostly my brain doesn't come up with series ideas. But I'm trying to make that change, because I can see where some things could at least be three books. The thought of long series makes me weep, though. I especially want to come up with characters and a world in a ghost hunting/supernatural suspense/horror story that I can get more than one book out of.
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Apr 1, 2019 7:52:05 GMT
A series can be a long committment, but trilogies prolly aren't too bad. I adore ghost hunting stuff, and with that you could do self-contained stories like with murder mysteries, so rather than stories with long arcs, not that you couldn't also have long ghost arcs, too.
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Post by davidvandyke on Apr 6, 2019 19:23:19 GMT
I've always loved reading series and so I always envisioned writing them. I don't plan the whole series, though I often have a vision for where it is going.
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