5 Tips in Writing a Great Series
There is nobody in the bookish world that hasn’t read a series. Every bibliophile definitely has a series in their shelves. So as a writer, you must be prepared and knowledgeable enough before you write a series. Make sure that you have the drive, passion, and time to commit into a long-term project, because every great series comes from a great writer. Give the readers what they want so that you can also feel the fulfillment knowing that there is someone out there enjoying your series and keeping them on top of his shelf.
Can you imagine how big is the reader base of a bunch of famous series, such as Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, and Game of Thrones? They are getting bigger each year! So, ensure that you series will also enjoy the same success by reading these tips on how to write a great series.
Plan the plot and subplots
I bet you already know what plot is. It is the element that contains the sequence of events in a story. In a series, the entire plot might be in the form of different books instead of chapters. Hence, plan everything from top to bottom. Although there are times that authors don’t plan for their books to become a series, if you already made up your mind about it then might as well be prepared. Create an outline of for the storyline of the whole series, so you will be guided. Do the same for the subplots, but make sure that they don’t overthrow your main plot.
Transition the stories flawlessly
One important part of a series that is often overlooked is the transition. Although this is not an official story element, this plays a great role in keeping the flow and momentum of the tale. Take The Genesis Project series by Greg Van Arsdale for example. He introduced the every significant character and started the story with a mystery about the protagonist in the first book The Stranger. Since it was mentioned that the main character has no memories of his past, the second book New Beginnings transitioned the story where the protagonist already recalled his memories. Although it took time, just notice how the second book gave answers to the first one, transitioned the story, and moved the plot.
Make sure that there are character developments
Readers are smart. They can always tell the faults in every story. Character development is the aspect that spices things up apart from the conflict. It is also one of the things that excite the readers. Allowing your characters grow is also enabling your story to move forward. Especially in a series where most characters either exist or not until the end, you must enhance their characteristics and abilities not only to please the readers but to better the course of the tale. This is the part where you can eliminate characters, add characters, and surprise the readers with some revelations about the characters. You have all the means and power to do the enhancements.
Use an equal amount of narration and dialogue
Stories are just a mixture of words and imagination. But when you look at the elements of a story, you can find that the narration and dialogue are as important as the characters and plot. In writing your series, use an equal amount of the narration and dialogue. Note that you work is not a narrative but a series of novels. Therefore, include a bunch of dialogue so that readers can point out the thoughts, ideas, and moves of the characters. You can choose to have an unknown narrator to do the narration but you can also choose to have one of the characters to do it. When it comes to the dialogue, use quotation marks and always indicate who said what. In that way, readers will not be bored because they are being filled with juicy information coming from the characters and the narrator.
Edit for plot holes and other form of errors
After finishing the first draft of your manuscript, proceed to editing. This is the phase where you can add and subtract some parts of your work. You can see how the quality of your work from top to bottom, and alter some portions and correct some mistakes, such as plot holes, subject-verb agreement, spelling, and others. If you want to hire a professional editor, then better. It is because there may be aspects that you have overlooked since you know how the story goes. With a professional editor, they can examine your manuscript from a clean slate and in a detailed manner.