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Sequels?



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Wed Jun 23, 2010 8:06 pm
Talulahbelle says...



Okay, so I've written a full length novel telling my characters' story...but I'm not done with them, you know? They still float around in my head begging for more life to live. So, I've started on a sequel. But its hard. Maybe harder than writing the first novel. I have to make sure I remember all the little things that I said in the first book, and pull in storylines and all that and I feel like my characters have run around without me doing stuff that I don't remember giving them permission to do! Lol!
So are any of you writing sequels? And do you have any tips for me?
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Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:59 pm
Rosendorn says...



I am writing a sequel. (It is, however, a planned sequel. So it's got plot continuations built right in)

First, have a list of important details from the first story that will play a role in the second book. This way, you make sure you don't miss/forget anything.

Figure out how to keep your characters growing, so they don't stagnate. What they need to overcome might be a result of the first book, or it could be something you couldn't explore in the first book, or it could be something new that you're only discovering about them now.

Make sure your new plot isn't a copy of your first plot. Readers can get bored with more of the same. Have something different, even if it's just slightly different, from your first plot. A different character arc from the first story helps this a lot.

Hope this helps!

~Rosey
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Fri Jun 25, 2010 1:56 am
RayquazaKid says...



Personally I believe in the Pixar principle. Pixar is the company that's made eleven hit movies in a row. And according to them, they will not make a sequel unless they can come up with a story as good as the original. And as it is right now, they've only made two sequals (will be four by 2012).

As you've probably noticed with most sequels to movies, they progressively get worse. Just look at the Shrek movies, for instance. The first and second movies were fantastic. However, the third and fourth movies? Let's face it, those were made solely for money and fan service.

That being said, I have many sequels planned out for my storys. However, whereas the original is probably goind to be 100k words (or more), I'm hoping to keep the sequels under 50k or so. And personally I don't want to write them unless I am forced to (most likely for contractual reasons). However, because they are such a short length they are not "full blown sequels".

In short, if you can't come up with a good long story, make some short stories based on your universe instead. That's what I'm going to do.

It satisfies giving more life to the characters, and it keeps the works being allowed to suffer from sequalitis.
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Sun Jun 27, 2010 9:31 am
Kibble says...



I agree with everyone above; as well, make sure it has an independent storyline -- obviously there's going to be some continuation from the previous story, or it wouldn't be a sequel, but avoid:

1. "We defeated the bad guy, but there's an even bigger bad guy". Unless the original story you wrote strongly hinted at there being a deeper/lead bad guy who was undefeated. Deltora Quest does this well with series 2 and 3.

2. "The bad guy regenerated!" Again, OK if the possibility of regenerating was hinted at in the first book (like in Harry Potter), but otherwise this premise is just frustrating for the reader. I'm using fantasy/action examples here, but realistic fiction can also fall into these traps -- if the entire first novel was someone getting rid of a bully/addiction/other issue, it's just annoying to have another whole novel where they have to basically beat it again, especially if it's in almost or exactly the same way as in the first book.

3. Making it so you have to have read the first book to understand what's going on. It's just annoying for people who haven't read the first book -- it will probably make them abandon the sequel, not pick up the first book.

4. Explaining everything -- you should have avoided this in the first book too (show, don't tell), but having a big long "how we got to this point" explanation is just annoying, for first-time readers and people who've read the first one.

It's great to have some in-jokes or allusions for readers of the first book to pick up on, because it makes them feel loyal and informed, but don't make the jokes excluding for first-time readers (quick reference to MC's stuffed animal collection OK. Every single joke being unintelligible to people who haven't read first book -- not OK).
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Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:33 pm
Stealth_Slicer says...



I think you should refresh your memory on the characters, read any notes and things about them and the first novel. You could also re-read the novel to be compleatly sure on what happened. That will help you be sure of what happened, and you can take another look at the underlying stories and twists to see if you want to weave them into the sequal.
  





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Sat Jul 10, 2010 12:27 am
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Chasmira1060 says...



Oh, yes, I write sequels! Lol, usually without meaning to. I've written so many books I intend to be singles, but, as you say, the characters bug you to continue living on!

It is true that you do have to remember all the intricacies from the first book and bring them into the next. I guess this has always been fairly easy for me to do, although sometimes you do have to go back and reread your work. I do agree with some of Kibble's ideas, including the fact that the second book should be made so even if they didn't read the first book, they may be missing some stuff, but they can still get what's going on. I did that in my "Gailean Quartet". It's best if you read them in a certain order, but necessary to understand what's going on.

One danger which others have pointed out too is the concept of having too many sequels. You CAN have too much of a good thing. Again, with my Gailean Quartet, it was originally meant to be one book, then two. Three was pushing it, but when it came to four, I had a long debate with myself. Even it's the same series, you want to keep everything fresh and new, even though it connects to the old. You don't want to bore readers, as happens with many shows on TV which run for way too many seasons, getting worse and worse as they roll along.

So, my tips would be, refresh your memory on the first book, including bits in the second but not too much to where readers could still pick up the second book and understand, and also be careful that you don't write too much of a good thing!
Bloodmaiden; Golden Healer, Dark Enchantress; Elantra: Song of Tears, Lady of the Dawn.
Visit the author, Christine E. Schulze, of these and other unique, exciting fantasy titles at
http://christineeschulze.webs.com/
  








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