I've noticed something as a avid reader of book series. And although none of us are to the point in which we have to wrap up a book series I think we be aware of previous mistakes.
When I was on Youtube I saw a video about the top ten worst things a fiction writer can do as seen below. So I decided to write the top ten things a series writer can do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-juftp0SfpE&feature=PlayList&p=F03553765A522D68&index=0
TOP TEN MISTAKES A SERIES WRITER CAN MAKE (I will be counting down from the least egregious to the most.)
10. Relationships-
How character interact with one another is a major draw to must readers. But it can't always be perfect. The best friends must fight from time to time and the lovers must hurt each other or not be together for a time. An author has however many books to drag it out. If the girl and boy fall in love in the first book and there are no problems why read the next. People enjoy conflict, and relationships breed that. At some point in the series the reader has to question if the relationship can survive whatever conflict arises. This leads people to want to read on. On the same note don't slap your readers in the face with a relationship. This throws the reader off balance and all their preconceived notions of the charters are crushed.
Example;
Perfect relationship Bella & Edward
Surprise relationship with no build up: Harry & Genny
9.Pacing
I've noticed the most authors pace well when they first start off, but when they reach the last book they fly or crawl to the finish. Either they hit you with hundreds of new ideas bogging down the series or they gloss over previous ideas and just try to tie up all the loose ends. With the second way you ignore the reader creating tons of questions in the readers mind. A reader that has too many questions is likely to throw a book into the garbage.
8. Stuffing
This kind of fits the above topic. In the last book authors are faced with tying up all the loose ends. They write the first few books putting in drama and conflict without realizing they have to eventually bring all this to a close. So the last book becomes a dumping ground as the author tries to make everything work. Too many stories bog down a story. Although not a book the third spider-man movie is a perfect example. The writers of that tried to do too much and it slowed down the story making what should have been an epic ending quite bad.
7. Convenience
This stems from the previous topic. When an author is faced with tying up loose ends, sometimes the author gets lazy and just makes up things for convenience. The author created an unbeatable villain, so they give their protagonist an unbeatable weapon or power that comes out of no where that somehow is just the ability the protagonist needed to fight the villain. Such story telling makes the reader dislike the main character and their cheap tricks, because they didn't earn their win.
Examples
Bella's Psychic powers
The Deluminator that brings Ron back or the Sorting hat with the sword in it.
6.Death
I've noticed that there are two ways of handling death in books the overkill or the under-kill. Either the author kills off characters for shock factor or convenience once again. This way leaves a pointless body count. Or the under-kill that uses convenience to pardon all main characters from death. Both put a bad taste in the readers mouth. The first creates saddness and reminds the reader that life isn't fair. Which at least is a good moral, but the other promotes laziness and luck.
5. Sad endings
It is fine to kill of some characters as I said, it's a must, but to kill all of is just stupid. I read a series of three books.(I can't remember the name) In the last book the two main characters died. If this is to show a message then fine, but most authors do this to either mimic Shakespeare's tragedies.( The man knew how to create a high body count) Or the author wants to break away from the cliche idea of good beating evil. Well some cliche are good. If evil wins or the characters die then the reader has waisted hours if not years all to find out the characters they grew to love died. Despite what J.K Rowling says I know the fans played a major part in some of the characters lack of death's. If she had killed Harry and his friends or Hagrid some people would have shunned the whole series. After all why would anyone want to see a good person go through hell and not get a happy ending.
Next part coming soon
