For those interested in writing a series, Joshua Palmatier (
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.
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.
Comments
Part of the fun of this is I get to use it as an excuse to go back and re-read some favorites to study how authors handled such things. And I get to have fun exploring my own created world a bit more than I have in the past. And hopefully continuously improve my writing and storytelling in the process.