- Joined
- Apr 9, 2011
- Messages
- 412
- Reaction score
- 51
A few years ago I has an idea for a fantastic psychological thriller about teenagers who have super powers and the conspiracy that surrounds them. My premise was actually the "Big secret" of the story that the super powers come with an alternate personality that will slowly take over the main character and anyone else with powers However, I realized that there were enough complications and riffs on this idea that came after the reveal that if it was all going to be one book I would need to spill the big secret in chapter 3 or something which wasn't narratively sound. So the book was split into two books and eventually a trilogy.
Now I've reached the point where I've revealed my big secret (halfway through the first book) and I am thinking about where I want the ending to go. While I am not actively thinking about publication otherwise, I do know that first books of trilogies generally need to stand on their own and I am concerned that there really isn't a way to resolve the underlying conflict of the big secret in the first book. The ending as it stands right now is: The Bad guy's plot is foiled, but the love interest is taken over by his alternate personality, stabs the main character and leaves her for dead. She is rescued by the conspiracy who recruit her to work for them because her alternate personality seems more agreeable than normal. Just when she is feeling like there's no hope she receives a letter from her love interest saying that he isn't gone yet and that he's going to keep fighting and asks her to please be there when he comes back. It ends with her resolving to keep fighting.
While I am relatively happy with the romantic subplot ending, it still seems a rather obvious sequel hook. And, while a lot of the mysteries from the first half of the book (Who murdered these people? Why were these people after me? What's with the super powers?) are resolved, the lack of resolution for this huge thread of the narrative is making it all feel like a giant loose end.
I guess the question really is: How do you make a book stand alone when it's not? I know the story continues and while the ending I have really feels like an ending to me, it's bittersweet at best and not one I can imagine anyone would be happy with ending on "forever". Does anyone have any tips for making the first book stand alone?
Now I've reached the point where I've revealed my big secret (halfway through the first book) and I am thinking about where I want the ending to go. While I am not actively thinking about publication otherwise, I do know that first books of trilogies generally need to stand on their own and I am concerned that there really isn't a way to resolve the underlying conflict of the big secret in the first book. The ending as it stands right now is: The Bad guy's plot is foiled, but the love interest is taken over by his alternate personality, stabs the main character and leaves her for dead. She is rescued by the conspiracy who recruit her to work for them because her alternate personality seems more agreeable than normal. Just when she is feeling like there's no hope she receives a letter from her love interest saying that he isn't gone yet and that he's going to keep fighting and asks her to please be there when he comes back. It ends with her resolving to keep fighting.
While I am relatively happy with the romantic subplot ending, it still seems a rather obvious sequel hook. And, while a lot of the mysteries from the first half of the book (Who murdered these people? Why were these people after me? What's with the super powers?) are resolved, the lack of resolution for this huge thread of the narrative is making it all feel like a giant loose end.
I guess the question really is: How do you make a book stand alone when it's not? I know the story continues and while the ending I have really feels like an ending to me, it's bittersweet at best and not one I can imagine anyone would be happy with ending on "forever". Does anyone have any tips for making the first book stand alone?
