jpsorrow), freshly returned from Boskone where, among other things, he sat and watched a panel on keeping a series fresh, has posted his thoughts on the topic here: Writing: Keeping a Series Fresh.It certainly set me to thinking about the series I want to write. I'm nearly done with my back story (as the last umpteen posts of mine make note of) and will soon return to my WIP.
It's a stand alone fantasy...sort of. It is a self contained story but it does actually set up events that take place in my 5 book epic fantasy series I plan on writing. This stand alone WIP takes place 10 years prior to the opening of the 5 book series.
There is a major logistical issue to resolve when I get to that series. Since it takes place over the course of 20 years, there needs to be a 5 year gap between each book. As such, I can't really have any cliff-hanging endings.
So, Joshua's post has really got me thinking about how I'm going to tackle this. And since my WIP is sort of a prologue to the 5 book series, I know I need to add in subtle foreshadowing for the 5 book series.
Also, as I near the end of the back story I realize there is a lot more plot development my WIP needs. The basic storyline is fine, but it isn't enough. There are greater things in play than the WIP's current construction will show. I need to find a way to show glimpses of this without it being too distracting to the book.
Lot's to think about.
