Every writer desires to remain in his reader’s mind for as long as possible. Knowing how to break your stories or ideas into a series can be a very good way of achieving it. Once your reader is captivated by the first piece and is aware of two and three being underway, you are already on your way to becoming their preferred author. Nevertheless, if you desire to secure a place of pride in your reader’s heart with an interesting series, here are tips you can explore to write a successful series.
TIPS FOR WRITING A SUCCESSFUL SERIES
- Select the kind of series that best fits your narrative.
The first step is finding a series that fits your proposed tale. Next is considering the authors whose series you enjoy reading. They almost all fit into one of these categories:
Serial: a series of interconnected stories presented in an orderly chapter periodically.
Episodic: An episodic series are books one can read out of order. However, it always has the same main character.
Interconnected: A series with a cast of characters from the same world.
- Prepare a series plan in advance
An outline in advance is essential for writing a novel series because it helps you avoid losing perspective. When writing a series, it is important to understand how each book in the series binds with the overall plot arc and how they fare independently. A pre-planned structure will help you monitor what happens when handling different subplots across many volumes. In addition, your outline will act as a guide throughout the writing process.
- Introduce the main characters early, but expose their backstories systematically
If you desire to quickly pique the interest of your readers in the character arcs of your series, it’s essential to introduce them early. Establishing your characters on time gives your readers a quick understanding of your characters’ traits. Your characters determine the purpose of your story. However, the reason behind their goals can manifest gradually.
Also, explain the reason your characters have goals by adopting primary events (for instance, meetings between your lead character and an antagonist) and subplots. Your characters will develop, and readers will easily uncover some secrets and unknowns when you adopt this method of revelation. This means sequels will naturally be more engaging since there is more to learn.
- Introduce new characters to keep your series in motion
In the first series, readers should be able to know the key people to exhibit love and hate. However, the sequels should feature new major characters, emotions, significant to insignificant villains, mentors, and reunited relatives. This is because they form a crucial component of a successful series. Make the minor characters matter but know that including a walk-on character is not a wise decision to take when indecisive about the proceeding scene. Also, show how each new supporting character helps or hinders your primary character.
- Each book in your series should have a compelling primary event
Keep in mind that each book in the series should be capable of being independent. When a reader starts with a later book in the series, they should be able to dive into the plot without getting lost. However, for each book in your series to succeed as an independent piece, they should all have a compelling central theme and image. To write a successful series, create a primary and a secondary conflict and (at least a partial) resolution for each book in the series.
Ensure the last book in your series ends on a good note and settle every major conflict and plot arc. Use language that is emotional and suggests a conclusion. You can also summarise the first book story at the beginning of the series if you want to relate to earlier events. Properly engaging these tips will certainly help you write a successful series.