Tag: literature

How do authors write book series?

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I’m often intrigued by the various ways in which people write their book series. Do they write a well received title which they then see has an opportunity to further and make more money? Do they put words to print with sequels always in mind IF a book does well? Or, is a series of books always predefined, with individual novels simply being milestones between a predestined beginning and ending?

Such distinguishing isn’t always needed for all novel series. For example, many crime books are open and shut titles but have one continuing character who solves case after case as the series goes on. However, many series complete an overall story-arc, and it is this that intrigues me.  J.K Rowling always had seven books in mind, whilst the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley-Robinson were also predetermined. But do others have a set out quota of books before they sit down?

I’ve always found that my own writing process has been rather organic. Both of my WIPs are lengthy, and my start and end goals have always been pre-written into a number of books. I don’t know exactly, to the full-stop, how they will end, but I know the overall tone, setting and character developments which the  books will close with. Other than that, I write each book with milestones to reach and specific moments to include, but a lot is left down to the characters themselves. In Inside Evil, for example, there are several instances where I was shocked at the route which a character took.

However, this organic process does allow for books to lose their way and become rather rambling, so a certain degree of structure needs to be taken; the reigns need to be held. In terms of developing a book sequence, it can soon become apparent in the book writing process, that the drama unfolding will never fit into one epic novel, and that the story needs to be broken down into smaller chunks.

I’m interested to see if other writers find that their book series evolve this way, or whether they write a sole title, note it doing extremely well and decide to pick up their characters where they left off. What works for you? Do your series create themselves, do you sit down with a clear number of novels to write, or have you simply attempted to maximise sales by taking favourite characters and giving them a new situation to play in?

When to Write Again

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Finishing a book is a funny thing. First, there’s utter relief, a sense of pride, the feeling that you’ve finally made it – you’re an author. Then, you look to publish, and whether you go down traditional routes or start off as a self published e-novel author, there’s that desperate hope of hitting the jackpot and making sales. And then, a few days after your book has gone on sale, regardless of how many copies have been bought, there’s that instant need to write again.

Many say that being a writer is like having homework for the rest of your life. Whilst you may procrastinate and find it hard to actually sit down and write, once you’ve finished a story, you’re eager to start another. You can be walking down the street and a certain scene, smell or sound sparks something in your imagination and off you go. I’ve never found that I’ve had to actually sit and think, ‘I want to write, what shall it be about?’. There’s always some idea, some unfinished work, or the possibility of a novel sequel in the offing.

The best time to write again is immediately after you’ve finished your current WIP (Work in Progress). If you’ve been published by an agent, then you may be busy doing readings, looking at artwork or going to constant edit meetings. If you’re self published, then a vast amount of time will be taken up with your own marketing and advertising. But, amongst all of these extras, don’t forget to stop writing. Especially if you’re releasing your first book, then taking the plunge and working on the next novel will help you no end as you’ll be able to offer a catalogue of titles to readers throughout the years. You only need a reader to love one novel, to gain many more sales from your other titles.

So, though Inside Evil may only just be published, I’m already preparing to sit down and start writing again. Will it be to finish my other science fiction novel, or work on a sequel to my début book? Of that, I’m not quite sure yet. But, whilst the marketing process beings, one thing that will help keen me sane is beginning the writing process all over again.

A Monumental Achievement

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I can’t quite believe that I’ve finally managed to release an e-novel. I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember; even as a child I used to create fantasy stories about families of frogs and invading toads, or little communities of insects living in the garden. I was fascinated with nature, and telling tales of their lives, and this storytelling has stayed with me as an adult. However, writing a full length novel is as monumentally different from a few scraps of paper as a boy as it gets, and it can take an extraordinary time to actually complete such works when trying to fit writing alongside every day life.

I started work on Inside Evil many, many years ago. I felt great pride and relief when I finished it but, upon reading it, realised that I had many errors to fix and stories to change. The edit process became time consuming and I had another spark in my head for an alternate novel. So, off I went writing a science fiction tale, leaving poor Inside Evil languishing in my computer files.

That was, until January 2012 when I suddenly realised that there was an entire e-book market open to me. I dusted Inside Evil off, took the time to rewrite, change, indulge and once again, get into the writing flow. Finally, I’ve completed the process and waded my way through the reams of formatting guidelines laid out by Smashwords and Amazon to upload Inside Evil for the Kindle, Sony Reader, iBook and many other platforms.

Having actually finished the novel in itself is a huge achievement. However, with marketing and sales now to come, the end is far from over.