Writing a series question.

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Azure Skye

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Can you carry a plot or sub-plot on throughout a series in a middle-grade fiction book or should everything be wrapped up by the end of that particular book?
 

Kida Adelyne

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You can have a plot carry on through, but make sure there is a sttifying end to each novel. Unless (like HP) it's the fourth book in the series and everyone who gets that far can be expected to want to buy the next one.

You might want to ask in the childrens writing thread.
 

katiemac

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Even in the Harry Potter novels though, JKR gives her readers a satisfying ending no matter what number book she happens to have in the series. It's been as complex as the bad guy is foiled, or as simple as Harry's school year ends. Most often, it's both.
 

James D. Macdonald

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My own Circle of Magic series (six books, middle grades) had a set of complex plot-and-subplot arcs. Each book had its own beginning, middle, and end. The entire series had an over-arching plot. Each two-book pair had a plot arc, and each three-book set had a plot-arc.

It was crazy-making, doing that series, but it worked pretty well, I think.
 

PixelFish

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If you have characters that could be oriented around a series, try to come up with a first novel that introduces all the characters ands sends them through a complete adventure, wrapping it up, more or less, at the end. Sure, you can sow the seeds for another story in there, but concentrate on having a story that stands alone strongly. Then if the publisher likes it and accepts it, you can tell them that you already have more in the pipeline.

Going back to the first Harry Potter book: it actually stands really well as an individual book. The later books definitely have ongoing story lines which don't always get wrapped up by the end of the book (think of the ending to books three, four, and five, especially), but the first one would still survive as a single story. (It's frustrating to get into a series and then have the author stall out for a period of time. I'm involved in a fantasy series where the final volume of a particular trilogy was due out four or five years back and still hasn't come out. The author has a very good reason--several if I read their website aright--including death in the family and illnesses and good ol' writers block and prior contracts, but of course, I keep checking to see if it will come out soon because I want to find out what happens. The author's first book of that series does stand on its own....)
 

mistri

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In most series books, whether they're YA or not, the ones that have the most satisfaction for me personally are those that resolve some big plot points at the end of each book, while smaller threads (or ones that grow up to be big threads) might go unresolved for another time, another book.
 

Azure Skye

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Thank you all.

James, my head is spinning.:D
 

Richard

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Books, especially sci-fi/fantasy books that are written to be a trilogy, typically make me annoyed rather than inquisitive. They can work really well, but more often you find that the first book doesn't really go anywhere, the second is padding because the author's signed for a trilogy/ends up on a big cliffhanger stolen from The Empire Strikes Back, and the third never really seems worth the build-up. Bonus points lost if the big plot twist is that the evil Dark Lord is the main characters dad.

The word 'Chronicles' especially is a turn-off along the lines of a pound of cold liver to the crotch.

Basically, if I've bought a book, I've bought it for a story - not a little piece of one that I have to wait another year to continue. It's one of the things I really like about Pratchett's work - assuming you like his style, and I do, each new release is a satisfying plot in itself, regardless of its ties to the other zillion books.
 

katdad

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You can do both

In a series novel, you normally have a major plot line that's resolved in the book, and there are also continuing plots that evolve over the span of several novels.

In my private detective series now in progress (novels 1 & 2 at the agents, #3 in progress), I for example have a serial murderer whom I introduce in novel #2. He escapes to appear again in a later book. I also have several continuing characters with their own sub-plots, all of which will continue across the span of several books.

But I think your main question is whether the CENTRAL theme should be answered in each novel.

I think that you should not leave the readers hanging for the next book for ALL the major points -- they may feel cheated. But it's okay to resolve a portion of the major themes, and keep some threads open for later. Try to strike a balance.
 

James D. Macdonald

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That's one of the ways to do series. The other way to do series is just a set of books involving the same persons in the same setting.

You can read the Perry Mason books in any order, without losing anything.
 

Axler

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In my Outlanders series, I employ both the serial story arc and the stand-alone format.

In the 33rd novel (Children Of The Serpent, coming out in May), I resolve a number of story threads and sub-plots, some of which stretch back to the very first book in the series, now seeming to be a very long time ago. Maybe because it is.

I actually prefer the arc rather than the stand-alone, but both have their strengths and weaknesses.
 

veinglory

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I would say that each book should be statisfying as a stand alone volume but also carry plot elements over -- sort of like episodes in a good TV series.
 

Christine N.

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I just finished the first book of a planned series. By "finished" I mean the first draft. I started the ripping apart process last night.

Anyway, the series has a theme, I guess you would call it - the main character will be in each book, and the setting will be the same. But each book contains a different adventure. It's hard to explain, so let me. A girl, who is transplanted from New York to a big English manor, discovers a secret library. Some of the books are of a unique nature, sucking the reader inside and leading them through a series of adventures. The only way out is to follow the clues and find the item that is the title of the book, some piece of lost mythological treasure. Lots of mythology and magic involved.

I don't know how to catagorize it, exactly. I called it a theme, since it's not really a plot. Each book will have it's own story, but they will be of the same nature. And each will wrap up at the end. Does that make sense? Someone tell me what I'm talking about!

I guess I could have an overarching plot line, I plan on introducing an antagonistic element in the next book that will carry on through the series. The first book is an introduction.
Have I thoroughly confused you, because I think I've confused myself.
 

Azure Skye

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veinglory said:
I would say that each book should be statisfying as a stand alone volume but also carry plot elements over -- sort of like episodes in a good TV series.


That's the direction I seem to be heading.
 

Andrew Jameson

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Question for you published novelists: When querying, is it advantageous, disadvantageous, or neutral to mention that a novel could be marketed as either a stand-alone or as the first of a trilogy?
 

James D. Macdonald

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If the first book doesn't sell, there isn't going to be a trilogy.

Any book can be used to springboard a series -- I'd say let the editor ask if you could write more in the same world.
 

Jamesaritchie

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Seris

Andrew Jameson said:
Question for you published novelists: When querying, is it advantageous, disadvantageous, or neutral to mention that a novel could be marketed as either a stand-alone or as the first of a trilogy?

For an unpublished writer, I don't think there are any advantages at all to mentioning a series, and there can be disadvantages. You have to sell the first novel before anything else can happen, and when that first novel is published, how well it sells will determine whether or not there will be a second novel, so the first one had better stand alone.
 

Andrew Jameson

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James D. Macdonald said:
If the first book doesn't sell, there isn't going to be a trilogy.

Any book can be used to springboard a series -- I'd say let the editor ask if you could write more in the same world.
OK, completely understood. I just thought it would be interesting to mention some things in passing in book A that could be used later in books B and C. Not unresolved issues, but things like referring to an unseen person or event in a character's past that has a *minor* impact on the story in book A, but would have a *major* impact in book B. Something like that.

I was thinking along the lines of building a house: I want to build a single story (ha! pun!) house, but with an extra-deep foundation and reinforcements in the walls. Takes a bit more work, and anyone visiting my house would't be able to tell, but if I want to build a second story later, the support is already there.

Or am I overthinking it?
 

Axler

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Andrew Jameson said:
Or am I overthinking it?

Not really. You can mention the possibility of further books or not...if the editor likes and accepts your material, then it wouldn't hurt to put the concept of a franchise in his mind if the first book is successful.

If the editor doesn't like your material, then apprising him of the possibility of sequels wouldn't make any difference to him one way or the other, would it?
 

Jamesaritchie

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Second book

Andrew Jameson said:
OK, completely understood. I just thought it would be interesting to mention some things in passing in book A that could be used later in books B and C. Not unresolved issues, but things like referring to an unseen person or event in a character's past that has a *minor* impact on the story in book A, but would have a *major* impact in book B. Something like that.

I was thinking along the lines of building a house: I want to build a single story (ha! pun!) house, but with an extra-deep foundation and reinforcements in the walls. Takes a bit more work, and anyone visiting my house would't be able to tell, but if I want to build a second story later, the support is already there.

Or am I overthinking it?

There's just no advantage to this. Believe me, if the first book sells wel, you'll have no trouble getting the editor to accept a second. If it doesn't, the foundtaion just doesn't matter.

And when you're first contacting an agent or editor about a novel, they want the focus to be on that book. When you start talking about a second in a series before they've even bought the first, it just takes the focus away from where it should be.
 
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