The Agony and the Ecstasy, aka A Tale of Two Methods for Writing a Series
Originally Published in StokerCon 2019 Souvenir Anthology by Nancy Kilpatrick
Originally Published in StokerCon 2019 Souvenir Anthology by Nancy Kilpatrick
Building your own fictional world is fun, but it also requires forethought. No writer wants to be on the other end of a reader's annoyance as in one of those Star Trek or Buffy questions that huffily starts "How come you didn't..." or "That's not what you said in book..."
I have contributed to worlds not of my own imagining: two novels in the Jason X series; one collab in the White Wolf vampire domain. Such realms come with pre-existing rules and often a series bible. At the very least there's usually a knowledgeable editor to keep the writer adhering to the desired territory.
I've also written two original series: Power of the Blood (4 novels), and Thrones of Blood (ongoing to 6 novels). Creating a world endows a writer with god-like powers of control. That's the Ecstasy! The Agony! comes because the writer alone is responsible for every single thing that goes wrong in the series.
The first series I wrote didn't begin as a series. Decades ago, I was a young writer with a stand-alone vampire novel set in the then future, 2006. I didn't have a plan, just an idea, and a love of the characters and story line. At that time vampires were becoming hot (again) press-wise. I had a great belief that Bloodlover would be published. Ecstasy! Thirty-five publishers told me not-by-them. Agony!
I felt somewhat discouraged, not enough to quit writing, but I did switch to short fiction for a while until another novel idea wormed its way into my brain and I was forced to write it or undergo a lobotomy.
Child of the Night was my next effort. From it was born yet another novel, Near Death. Much to my amazement, one followed the other. I hadn't intended that! But I liked the characters appearing in each other's stories. Ecstasy!
I won't go into the details of my adventures in publishing, but here's the overview: Pocket Books wanted Near Death. Why? Because Near Death is set in NYC. The editor felt Americans could more easily relate to their own country than to a book set in France (Child of the Night). Pre-Global Village mentality. Like most young writers eager to see print in a difficult business, I went with the publishing flow. Mostly Ecstasy!
My wonderful editor assured me that they would publish Child of the Night next. Not chronological, but I figured they knew what they were doing over at Simon & Schuster. More Ecstasy!
My wonderful editor quit her job the month Near Death came out. The new editor told me that Pocket Books had suddenly placed a moratorium on buying horror novels. Agony!
At Robinson Publishing, the editor of the imprint Raven Books wanted to publish Child of the Night. The plan included reprinting Near Death. If I could write a third book and Bloodlover could be the fourth book, each title would come out separately and then as two together in two omnibus editions. Wild Ecstasy!
That editor left Raven before Child of the Night came out, but was kind enough to insist he be permitted to edit my novel and see it through to publication. Controlled Agony!
I now had Near Death and Child of the Night in print. Bloodlover languished.
The editor/owner of a new house, Pumpkin Books, approached me and wanted to reprint Near Death and Child of the Night. Could I get the rights back and write another book quickly to continue the series? Series??? Suddenly, I realized I was writing one. I agreed and produced Reborn. Ecstasy!
Unknown to me until after all three books came out, that publisher was involved in a law suit which culminated in the house going out of business, and the owner/editor moving to parts unknown. Serious Agony!
A small publisher wanted to know if I had a novel available. Baskerville Books published Bloodlover. By then, we were in the year 2000. Bloodlover became a flashback novel, re-set in the 1960s, an era where some of the futuristic elements—now commonplace—were at their inception. Mild Ecstasy!
When the rights to all four novels reverted, I pitched the series to a mid-size house, Mosaic Press, which published them in English and sold foreign rights to several countries. The books were finally out as a set for the first time. Ecstasy!
Crossroad Press published the series as ebooks, and sold one of the novels as an audio book. Serious Ecstasy!
The biggest drawback I faced with writing four novels in the same world over decades and not realizing for a long time that I was writing a series was connecting all the dots, because I hadn't planned this continuum.
Writing an unplanned series is not ideal. I had no outline, no overview plan. I was winging it each step of the way. There were lots of messy bits that had to be fixed, an overarching plot to create, connections made and smoothed out. Even though by some dark magic the four books became of a piece, I do not recommend this method.
My new series, Thrones of Blood, is an entirely different entity. I wrote this series assuming it wouldn't be published. I mentioned it from time to time on Facebook as The Unpublishables. The manuscripts crossed half a dozen genres and a lot of politically incorrect territory. I was just having fun.
About twelve or more winters ago, I wrote Vol. 1 in one month. Then I began thinking about how The Unpublishables could be a fun series to write. I outlined the basic ideas for seven novels all at the same time. I worked on each book depending on how I felt that day, but kept to the idea of folding the stories together, and especially to maintaining the connection with and advancement in each novel of the two overarching series plots. I revised Vol. 1 and cut most of the genres to keep the story more coherent and focused. It and the then novels-in-progress clocked in at about 100,000 words each, + or -. I amalgamated Vols. 6 & 7 and by then had a good grasp of the six-book series. I showed the first book to a couple of writer friends, who deemed it publishable.
As well as the plot of each novel, much thought went into the big picture—the two overarching series plots. This project took more than a decade because I was determined that it make sense, and I wanted to avoid the problems I'd had with the first series being written piecemeal. Each story would, of course, sometimes veer off in an unanticipated direction, as novels will. But, as long as the plot still worked—neither predictable nor out-of-the-blue—, it was good to go. But the two overarching plots were equally important. Both built in each novel and that big picture had to lead to a satisfying conclusion.
If you are so inclined, feel free to pick up Vols. 1, 2, 3 and 4 in print or ebook (5 is out the end of 2019 and 6 in 2020) and see how structuring an overview can build.
This series will conclude by 2020. Okay, you've heard that before. Writers have been known to become so enamoured with their stories and characters that they just can't let go. I hope to not be that kind of literary smother-mother. Besides, I have other books to write, and maybe other series.
I was lucky with Power of the Blood. Working in the dark can be exhilarating, but it's also fraught with many near heart-stopping stress storms. I'm grateful that somehow I managed to navigate the rough waters without drowning. But I much prefer the safety of a secure vessel holding it all together: the series outline. That gets me where I want to go without having to plug seemingly endless leaks along the way.
Some suggestions: If you think you're writing a series, ask yourself:
- Why does this story require more than one novel to be told?
- How can one book lead to the next seamlessly without too much 'filler' to remind reader of what they read in the previous book(s)? (Tons of filler—aka exposition—is rarely pretty.)
- Is there a big plot or two or three overarching the series, and if not, why not?
- If there is, how are you going to dole out the bits needed in each novel to move those over-plots along without giving the conclusion away?
You likely need to do research, some or extensive. It's a good idea to research all the books you're envisioning in the series at once, that way you'll be less likely to crash into this-won't-work-now-because walls.
The best thing you can do for your series is to know where you're going by identifying the connecting links between the novels that keep that big picture vibrant. Minimize the Agony! Maximum the Ecstasy! Your readers will be glad you did! Wouldn't you rather end up with accolades than damnation!
- The End -
Bio
Award-winning author Nancy Kilpatrick has published 22 novels, over 220 short stories, 7 collections of her stories, and has edited 15 anthologies, plus scripted graphic novels and one non-fiction book, The goth Bible: A Compendium for the Darkly Inclined (St. Martin's Press). Thrones of Blood (Crossroad Press), her series of non-sparkling vampire novels for Adults! is ongoing. Details on her website
Website - https://nancykilpatrick.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nancy.kilpatrick.31
Twitter - https://twitter.com/nancykwriter
Blog - http://nancykilpatrickwriter.blogspot.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nancykilpatrickauthor/
Join her monthly Newslettert! Fill out the form at the top of her website.
I have contributed to worlds not of my own imagining: two novels in the Jason X series; one collab in the White Wolf vampire domain. Such realms come with pre-existing rules and often a series bible. At the very least there's usually a knowledgeable editor to keep the writer adhering to the desired territory.
I've also written two original series: Power of the Blood (4 novels), and Thrones of Blood (ongoing to 6 novels). Creating a world endows a writer with god-like powers of control. That's the Ecstasy! The Agony! comes because the writer alone is responsible for every single thing that goes wrong in the series.
The first series I wrote didn't begin as a series. Decades ago, I was a young writer with a stand-alone vampire novel set in the then future, 2006. I didn't have a plan, just an idea, and a love of the characters and story line. At that time vampires were becoming hot (again) press-wise. I had a great belief that Bloodlover would be published. Ecstasy! Thirty-five publishers told me not-by-them. Agony!
I felt somewhat discouraged, not enough to quit writing, but I did switch to short fiction for a while until another novel idea wormed its way into my brain and I was forced to write it or undergo a lobotomy.
Child of the Night was my next effort. From it was born yet another novel, Near Death. Much to my amazement, one followed the other. I hadn't intended that! But I liked the characters appearing in each other's stories. Ecstasy!
I won't go into the details of my adventures in publishing, but here's the overview: Pocket Books wanted Near Death. Why? Because Near Death is set in NYC. The editor felt Americans could more easily relate to their own country than to a book set in France (Child of the Night). Pre-Global Village mentality. Like most young writers eager to see print in a difficult business, I went with the publishing flow. Mostly Ecstasy!
My wonderful editor assured me that they would publish Child of the Night next. Not chronological, but I figured they knew what they were doing over at Simon & Schuster. More Ecstasy!
My wonderful editor quit her job the month Near Death came out. The new editor told me that Pocket Books had suddenly placed a moratorium on buying horror novels. Agony!
At Robinson Publishing, the editor of the imprint Raven Books wanted to publish Child of the Night. The plan included reprinting Near Death. If I could write a third book and Bloodlover could be the fourth book, each title would come out separately and then as two together in two omnibus editions. Wild Ecstasy!
That editor left Raven before Child of the Night came out, but was kind enough to insist he be permitted to edit my novel and see it through to publication. Controlled Agony!
I now had Near Death and Child of the Night in print. Bloodlover languished.
The editor/owner of a new house, Pumpkin Books, approached me and wanted to reprint Near Death and Child of the Night. Could I get the rights back and write another book quickly to continue the series? Series??? Suddenly, I realized I was writing one. I agreed and produced Reborn. Ecstasy!
Unknown to me until after all three books came out, that publisher was involved in a law suit which culminated in the house going out of business, and the owner/editor moving to parts unknown. Serious Agony!
A small publisher wanted to know if I had a novel available. Baskerville Books published Bloodlover. By then, we were in the year 2000. Bloodlover became a flashback novel, re-set in the 1960s, an era where some of the futuristic elements—now commonplace—were at their inception. Mild Ecstasy!
When the rights to all four novels reverted, I pitched the series to a mid-size house, Mosaic Press, which published them in English and sold foreign rights to several countries. The books were finally out as a set for the first time. Ecstasy!
Crossroad Press published the series as ebooks, and sold one of the novels as an audio book. Serious Ecstasy!
The biggest drawback I faced with writing four novels in the same world over decades and not realizing for a long time that I was writing a series was connecting all the dots, because I hadn't planned this continuum.
Writing an unplanned series is not ideal. I had no outline, no overview plan. I was winging it each step of the way. There were lots of messy bits that had to be fixed, an overarching plot to create, connections made and smoothed out. Even though by some dark magic the four books became of a piece, I do not recommend this method.
My new series, Thrones of Blood, is an entirely different entity. I wrote this series assuming it wouldn't be published. I mentioned it from time to time on Facebook as The Unpublishables. The manuscripts crossed half a dozen genres and a lot of politically incorrect territory. I was just having fun.
About twelve or more winters ago, I wrote Vol. 1 in one month. Then I began thinking about how The Unpublishables could be a fun series to write. I outlined the basic ideas for seven novels all at the same time. I worked on each book depending on how I felt that day, but kept to the idea of folding the stories together, and especially to maintaining the connection with and advancement in each novel of the two overarching series plots. I revised Vol. 1 and cut most of the genres to keep the story more coherent and focused. It and the then novels-in-progress clocked in at about 100,000 words each, + or -. I amalgamated Vols. 6 & 7 and by then had a good grasp of the six-book series. I showed the first book to a couple of writer friends, who deemed it publishable.
As well as the plot of each novel, much thought went into the big picture—the two overarching series plots. This project took more than a decade because I was determined that it make sense, and I wanted to avoid the problems I'd had with the first series being written piecemeal. Each story would, of course, sometimes veer off in an unanticipated direction, as novels will. But, as long as the plot still worked—neither predictable nor out-of-the-blue—, it was good to go. But the two overarching plots were equally important. Both built in each novel and that big picture had to lead to a satisfying conclusion.
If you are so inclined, feel free to pick up Vols. 1, 2, 3 and 4 in print or ebook (5 is out the end of 2019 and 6 in 2020) and see how structuring an overview can build.
This series will conclude by 2020. Okay, you've heard that before. Writers have been known to become so enamoured with their stories and characters that they just can't let go. I hope to not be that kind of literary smother-mother. Besides, I have other books to write, and maybe other series.
I was lucky with Power of the Blood. Working in the dark can be exhilarating, but it's also fraught with many near heart-stopping stress storms. I'm grateful that somehow I managed to navigate the rough waters without drowning. But I much prefer the safety of a secure vessel holding it all together: the series outline. That gets me where I want to go without having to plug seemingly endless leaks along the way.
Some suggestions: If you think you're writing a series, ask yourself:
- Why does this story require more than one novel to be told?
- How can one book lead to the next seamlessly without too much 'filler' to remind reader of what they read in the previous book(s)? (Tons of filler—aka exposition—is rarely pretty.)
- Is there a big plot or two or three overarching the series, and if not, why not?
- If there is, how are you going to dole out the bits needed in each novel to move those over-plots along without giving the conclusion away?
You likely need to do research, some or extensive. It's a good idea to research all the books you're envisioning in the series at once, that way you'll be less likely to crash into this-won't-work-now-because walls.
The best thing you can do for your series is to know where you're going by identifying the connecting links between the novels that keep that big picture vibrant. Minimize the Agony! Maximum the Ecstasy! Your readers will be glad you did! Wouldn't you rather end up with accolades than damnation!
- The End -
Bio
Award-winning author Nancy Kilpatrick has published 22 novels, over 220 short stories, 7 collections of her stories, and has edited 15 anthologies, plus scripted graphic novels and one non-fiction book, The goth Bible: A Compendium for the Darkly Inclined (St. Martin's Press). Thrones of Blood (Crossroad Press), her series of non-sparkling vampire novels for Adults! is ongoing. Details on her website
Website - https://nancykilpatrick.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nancy.kilpatrick.31
Twitter - https://twitter.com/nancykwriter
Blog - http://nancykilpatrickwriter.blogspot.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nancykilpatrickauthor/
Join her monthly Newslettert! Fill out the form at the top of her website.
Sales Links to Thrones of Blood series:
US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077LJK6H7/?ie=UTF8&redirect=true&ref_=series_rw_dp_sw
CAN: https://www.amazon.ca/Revenge-Vampir-King-Thrones-Blood-ebook/dp/B01NATQL4E/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=revenge+of+the+vampir+king&qid=1564153194&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07NCYYQNC/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077LJK6H7/?ie=UTF8&redirect=true&ref_=series_rw_dp_sw
CAN: https://www.amazon.ca/Revenge-Vampir-King-Thrones-Blood-ebook/dp/B01NATQL4E/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=revenge+of+the+vampir+king&qid=1564153194&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07NCYYQNC/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
REVENGE OF THE VAMPIR KING (THRONES OF BLOOD BOOK 1) BY NANCY KILPATRICK
