I'm always up for a good series. I like them because if I'm really fond of a book, I don't want it to end! Since I writing Book III of the Nightshade Chronicles, I've been thinking a lot about series, and what makes one successful against another.
Recently, I read a five book middle-grade series that started off great. The first and second books were really entertaining, and the third book was pretty good, though I did skim some with that one. By the fourth book, the writing felt completely different--and not in a good way. The author seemed genuinely bored with the plot, and the writing was rambling and clunky, not to mention the book was over 500 pages long (and no, it was not a Harry Potter book, I just like silly cat pictures). The storyline actually felt like it was copied from the earlier books, just with different characters and settings, even the action sequences reeked of past scenes I already read. It was a real disappointment, at least to me, though I'm sure others loved it.
When I wrote the sequel to my debut, my editor flat out told me the book had to be super special, perhaps whatever made the first book work had to happen on an even bigger scale. Now that doesn't mean lots of explosions or anything, it just means book II really had to bowl the readers over. That was kind of a light bulb moment for me. Readers want what they read in the first book, but they don't just want a continuation; the book needs to be extraordinary on its own. I think if you're going to write a series, each book needs to be standalone great! Characters need to evolve, as does the story...not just continue.
What is your take on writing an amazing sequel or series? What are some series you've read that were in your opinion successful from the first book to the last? Without naming names, what were some mistakes you think some authors have made in series of theirs that you've read?
Thanks for reading!
Hilary
Thanks for reading!
Hilary
This is a scary topic as a reader. The first book is amazing, you are left... dangling...longing for the world, the characters, the adventure... and it flops. Maybe your expectations were too high, maybe, it lost its spark. Either way, you are left disappointed. It has only happened to me a few times (usually in subsequent books)but it hurts. I am worried, I am hearing that one of my most anticipated is a sequel flop. I am still going to read though...hoping they are wrong!
ReplyDeleteElie, I'm the same way! I want to see my favorite authors succeed no matter what the critics say! :)
DeleteIn general, I want a good series to go on for a long time. But sometimes, too much is too much (I won't be naming names here).
ReplyDeleteAgreed. You can tell when the authors burned out!
DeleteI can think of several series that I got bored with by the third book. Is the third book a kiss of death?
ReplyDeleteDon't say that! Ha, ha! I'm writing my third! ;) Let's hope the third book is the magic number. :)
DeleteThe "stop while you're ahead/leave on a high note" rule that works in life should apply to series, too!
ReplyDeleteLeave 'em wanting more! Yes, totally agreed! I think if a popular series is left that way, a writer can always come back to it when they're ready and excited about it again.
DeleteGreat topic. I've stopped reading series because they were just more of the same and it got boring. Other times, I've quit because they plot lines got too confusing. The author kept adding characters and plot lines and I'd forget what the central goal was.
ReplyDeleteWhat I liked about HP was that each book had some sort of conclusion for the problem at hand, while a bigger conflict spanned all the books. And her world-building grew with each book.
I know this is an odd comparison, but that's what happened in The Sopranos. Even up to the last season they just kept piling on more characters and sub-plots. I was glad when it was over, though I'd love to see it come back with a fresh new outlook! :)
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ReplyDeleteAnd it happens when great authors try to replicate a great series. You get the feeling that they are trying to copy a winning formula, but then it become formulaic. Or, with another series that had thirteen books, it felt that the idea was good, but then the middle most were just filler and wandered without direction. Unfortunate.
ReplyDeleteHoly Smokes! 13 book series is a lot! It would be HARD to keep that fresh!
DeleteSo true Hilary. I think the second book (and others) need to introduce things like new characters, new settings, new problems or a twist on the ones in the first book. But it definitely needs to feel like something new is going on. Good points to consider when contemplating a series.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think a lot of writers go the series route just because it is what's expected these days. Though, if I read a great standalone book, I'm so bummed it's over forever!
DeleteI love series! As a kid, I can't remember ever wishing that a series would be done or feeling like it was too derivative. One of my favorites, the Mandie series, had 20+ books with the same quasi-formulaic approach: Mandie stumbles across a mystery, gets into trouble with her friends, and has to choose between two charming boys. In fact, I don't know if the series ever "ended" - haha! - but I gobbled up the same-ness of each book. I wanted it to reflect the earlier ones, something I definitely don't feel as an adult reader.
ReplyDeleteMy main quibble with series is that it takes so long for the next installment to come out. I started reading Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time in high school (and it had already been out for a good while at that point), and the final book is just releasing next month. !!!
My books, Storybound and Story's End, don't stand alone (profuse apologies to all the readers awaiting the sequel), so, for me, the biggest challenge was continuing and resolving old components while introducing new elements as well.
Yes, that's hard for me to, Marissa! I'm trying to write Book III for Nightshade City, and it's challenging staying fresh with the new story, while wrapping up loose ends. Luckily, I've still got time.
DeleteVery interesting topic. No series comes to mind for that I felt fizzled out. I can think of ones where the first was my overall favorite, but I enjoyed them all. In those cases it was mainly because the first one blew me away with the world and the characters. To quote Sheldon Cooper, "Once a mind has been blown, it cannot be re-blown." ;)
ReplyDeleteAh, great quote, Rachel! I will have to remember that!
DeleteI am planning the second book in my series right now -- and feeling tremendous pressure for just that reason!
ReplyDeleteIt can't be more of the same. It can't be a repeat. It needs to give the readers what they liked about the first book -- but more of it, new stuff, and another layer of complexity.
I am trying to take my time with the planning and not freak out. (The not freaking out thing has been only partially successful so far.)
I'm with you, Dianne. I'm finishing edits on the second Young Inventors Guild book. I feel it's stronger than the first. I was bogged down with backstory the first time out and now feel like I can just hit the ground running...I hope. And Book Three I've had in mind since the idea hit me and moved into my brain. It's having something to say, I think. Sometimes people keep talking even when they're done with what them meant.I know what Shannon is saying- I, too, got to the end of a fabulous series and the author (clearly done saying what he came to say) basically checked out. It was really sad. There certainly is a lesson there!
DeleteNot to mention, critiques tend to judge the 2nd book just as hard, if not harsher, than your debut! Ehhhh!
DeleteYou are so right, Hilary! There is little more disappointing than falling in love with a series that ends with a fizzle instead of a pop. One major series finale left me feeling absolutely cheated. I felt like the author did things to characters for no other reason than shock value--which isn't a good enough reason when the reader is emotionally invested. Great post!!
ReplyDeleteOn shock value, it's a wonder we just don't kill everyone off! Though we are middle-grade writers, so probably not that appropriate to have a mass murder/suicide in your final book. ;)
DeleteP.S. I've been back to this blog 4 times today just to show people your "dobby" picture. Best lol cat picture EVER!! :)
ReplyDeleteHa, I know! ;)
DeleteI've always been under the impression that a series should be a larger story arc, with mini story arcs for each book that ramped up the tension toward the final book. I can see how, if you don't map out the overarching story line, the rest of the series can fall flat. It's like the editors want it to be a series, but the author hadn't thought that far ahead.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your third novel, Hilary--you can make it amazing, I'm sure!!
Thanks, Alison! I'm midway through! I keep giving myself mental high-fives for support! :)
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