Comments on: Should You Make Your Children’s Book Into A Series?

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:36:02 +0000

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This post was mentioned on Twitter by Writeitsideways: Should You Make Your Children’s Book Into A Series? http://bt.io/EYhK...

By: suzannah

suzannah — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:52:08 +0000

Southpaw,

Have you read “A Series of Unfortunate Events”? Brilliant!

By: suzannah

suzannah — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:51:28 +0000

Lydia,

I don’t write/read science fiction or fantasy, so I can’t really comment on the whole trilogy thing, but from what you say, it sounds like they would be utter murder to write. Glad I don’t have to think about that!

By: suzannah

suzannah — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:47:44 +0000

Sweet Valley High was the best! I cringe now when I see those cheesy covers. And The Babysitter’s Club? Loved those too

By: Amy Allgeyer Cook

Amy Allgeyer Cook — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:01:42 +0000

Great article, Fiona and thanks for linking mine as well. I couldn't agree more with what you've said. Series books are wonderful (my favorite read, in fact) but not everything can be a series. And not everything should. For me, the bottom line is: Write the story that's in your heart. If it can't be contained in one volume you might have a series on your hands. .-= Read Amy Allgeyer Cook´s last article ..WEDNESDAY WORRIES =-.

By: Bruce H. Johnson

Bruce H. Johnson — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:21:44 +0000

Lot will depend on your initial design and where it leads you. I started my first Sorcerer novel because I thought I could do a better job than what I was seeing on my favorite fiction site (this is an adult site).

I knew where I wanted to end up, but within a week, I knew the scope was much too broad to do it in 400 pages.

If you tweak your initial concept high enough and create your characters deeply enough, you might be “forced” to do a series.

By creating your story world properly, you could have many of the same characters working in a new novel in the same universe; they don’t have to be a series.

Or, you could have new characters in the same story world.

I wouldn’t advise using the same characters in a different story world. What do you folks think about that?
.-= Read Bruce H. Johnson´s last article ..Tech Writer to Fiction Writer 10: Truth Revealed =-.

By: Lydia Sharp

Lydia Sharp — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:04:18 +0000

Guess I should have made it clear that I don’t write YA, and I think there are excellent points made in this article about why a children’s series is a good idea. I grew up reading series books… Encyclopedia Brown, Sweet Valley High, and the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books (do those count?), to name a few.
As a writer/reader of adult fiction, though, I’m undecided. Mainly because there aren’t many out there that have impressed me. But I seem to have the same issue with film sequels and series, so it could very well just be me.

@Fiona,
Thanks for the link. Prologues can be a tricky beast. As a reader, I don’t mind them at all. As a writer, they are a thorn in my side. I cut the one I had for my first novel, and added one to my second novel. It’s all about what works for the individual story.
.-= Read Lydia Sharp´s last article ..How Much Do You Love Your Story? =-.

By: Southpaw

Southpaw — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:49:14 +0000

Great discussion. I think series are more popular now than ever. As readers we get vested in these characters and want more. .-= Read Southpaw´s last article ..First I was afraid, I was petrified... =-.