You can find inspiring movies at your local cinema, or you can fill the shelves at the library with book series.Readers identify with the main characters in a compelling series and yearn to spend more time with them as the series goes on.Series readers can be loyal, but they will bristle at inconsistencies in plot or character.To write a successful book series, you need to develop interesting characters, create a setting that your readers will want to visit again and again, and have a plot that can be sustained over multiple books.
Step 1: There is a genre for the series.
Romance or commercial fiction are more suited to a series than fantasy, science fiction, and mystery.Do you think your idea fits into the former or the latter?Children's and young adult fiction can be used for series building.Fantasy series tend to sell better than individual fantasy novels.
Step 2: Consider the type of series you will write.
If you want to write a large story broken into several books, such as the Harry Potter series or a group of stand-alone books featuring the same characters, you will have to decide.If you make this decision, you can figure out whether you will plot each book separately, or try to have an overarching storyline between the books.Did you just finish a novel and want to say goodbye to your main characters?Is the plot so wide-ranging that it needs to be told over several installments?There is a chance that the former motivation will lead to a long-running series, like a group of mystery novels.You will need to decide if you will have an ensemble cast that appears throughout the series or if your main character will meet new characters in each book.
Step 3: A writing timeline is needed.
To plan out the series, you should create a writing timeline with deadlines and due dates.Determine how much time you will devote to writing the book series.You are encouraged to complete the book series if you have deadlines for completed chapters or a certain page count.You may have a goal page count that you have to hit.You may have to complete a certain number of chapters every month to get the book series done.As a series writer, you will need to write frequently.Your audience wants to know what happens next to your characters.If your readers get tired of waiting for your next book, you don't want them to move on to other books.
Step 4: The main character should be active.
Active characters are more interesting than passive ones.The main character in the series should make better or worse decisions.They should be involved in the plot and the action of the book series.Make sure your main character is someone who will stay with you and your readers through the length of your series.Your character will be seen by your readers as a close friend or a member of their family.Readers care about what happens to them.A main character may be a teenage high schooler who wants to win a spelling tournament at school.The person is motivated by the need to win.
Step 5: Give your main character a story to tell.
Give your protagonists a back story to make them believable.A backstory is a character's past actions.It can affect their behavior in the present.Your character may have an addiction or a divorce.It can make them seem real.It's possible that your hero has a difficult childhood or struggles with their sexuality.It is important to keep in mind that issues like an addiction or a medical condition will need to ring true throughout the series.If you're tired of writing about this problem by the third novel, you can't have your character get a miracle cure.
Step 6: Determine the main character's job.
If your main character is an adult, they may have a profession.If your main character is a child, they may live at home or go to school.Add your main character's background to their time day to day.A profession where your main character can interact with a variety of people is an option.This will make it easier for your character to solve problems that relate to their job.Your main character could be a hair stylist who finds himself drawn into the mysteries and personal lives of his clients.She could be a corporate lawyer with expertise in white collar crime who is sought out by the police for help on new cases.
Step 7: Personal relationships for the main character must be created.
If your main character ages throughout the series, make sure they develop their skills as they get older.As they get older, their relationships with others should deepen.Your main character might have a best friend that is still close to them.Their decisions or experiences could be affected by this relationship.The main character's relationship to them may be complicated by the fact that their best friend is a con man.
Step 8: There should be compelling minor characters.
There will be recurring characters in your series regardless of whether you are writing a long-term mystery series or a science fiction trilogy.You will be able to surround your main character with an interesting ensemble if you give these characters the attention they deserve.Minor characters can challenge or work against the main character.If your main character is involved in solving gruesome murders, recurring characters can offer occasional comic relief.
Step 9: There is a character bible.
One of the most important jobs you will have as a series writer is maintaining consistency.A character bible should include information on ages, birthdays, physical characteristics, personality types, and back stories of each character.The characters you introduce in the first book are likely to play a role in subsequent books.If your main character is divorced with two children, they will have to play a role in future books.Keeping track of the extended family of your main character can be done with family trees.You can keep your character information in a notebook or on a spreadsheet.
Step 10: Write the first book and think about the whole series.
When writing a series, you need to be aware of where you are going and what problems your characters will face.If you include teases and clues in the first book, readers will be more likely to read the rest of the series.The ending is one of the key points you want to cover in each book.Before you start writing the first book, you should sketch out the entire series.Keep the outline in chronological order, and outline any key events you have in mind.
Step 11: The series will end.
Thinking about the ultimate conclusion will help you drive the plot in a believable way if you are writing a trilogy.It will be easier to write how your characters will get to the final resolution if you know the course of action for the series.
Step 12: Don't make your books part of the whole.
One challenge of writing a series like a trilogy is figuring out what to resolve in each installments and what problems to carry through the series.Each book should have its own plot and conclusion, but it should also show events to come.A series of books may be linked with the same characters, settings, and problems.There are books that focus on different characters within the same world.There are some unresolved problems in the first book.Allow the characters to grow.Readers of subsequent books will not have read the first one.References to previous plots and situations should be included.
Step 13: It is possible to create interesting subplots.
Subplots are a good way to develop your characters and drive the action.Incorporating a romantic subplot into a mystery thriller could help show another side to your main character outside of their job.Subplots give the reader some satisfaction of the plot.If your overarching plot continues through several novels, the resolution of a subplot or two can give your reader a sense of satisfaction.A minor character gets into a fight in a book.The repercussions for the minor character could affect the main character.
Step 14: The ending should be compelling and strong.
There are clues to the final resolution in the series.The end of the series should be realistic and compelling.The main character should be changed by the end of the series.Don't have a twist at the end that does not feel earned.If a new concept is introduced at the end of the book that saves the day, your reader may not like it.You could have an ending that answers a few questions in book one of the series.A few unanswered questions will allow your reader to feel satisfied but also curious about what might have happened to a few minor characters or the main character's relationships in the books.
Step 15: Readers will want to revisit a setting many times.
Whether it is a rugged mountain town or the halls of Congress, you will need to create a world that is interesting and complex enough to draw your readers in again and again.Your main character should be part of the environment.Setting can be used to set a mood.If you are writing a detective novel, you could focus on the dark alleyways and seedy underside of an urban area.The setting for a science fiction or fantasy novel will involve a fair amount of world building.A new culture, government, terrain, and even climate will be created by you.
Step 16: Consistency is maintained for your settings.
An ongoing list of information about key settings in your series is similar to a character bible.Information on your list should include names of key buildings and streets, as well as distances between landmarks, stores, and restaurants the characters frequent.Information on the paint color and furnishings of rooms commonly featured should also be included.
Step 17: How you address the passage of time will be determined.
There are a few things to consider when writing a series.Your character can age relatively quickly or they can stay the same age throughout the series.Minor characters need to age accordingly if your characters will age significantly over the course of the series.