By Ellen Butler
Whether you’re an author, reader, publisher, agent or
average Joe, you’ve probably noticed that series are all the rage. Dystopian YA
novels are knocking it out of the park at the box office with The Hunger Games and Divergent series. On the small screen
shows like HBO hit, Orange is the New Black based on the popular nonfiction book by Piper Kerman, has found a
fervent fan base.
What’s the draw to a series as opposed to single
titles? For obvious reasons, a series is an attraction to publishers because readers
become vested in a character’s life and develop strong attachments. The frenzy
that builds, awaiting the next installment of a popular series, guarantees
healthy sales. From a writer’s perspective, I’ve found a series allows your
characters grow and develop over time, providing a depth to them that you can’t
achieve in a single title.
While penning my first novel, Poplar Place, I watched the hit series Twilight skyrocket to the top of the best seller lists and thought,
“I need to get in on the series action.” I wracked my brain for ideas only to
come up empty. In the end, my Love,California Style trilogy actually grew out of what I originally planned as a
stand-alone novel. When I finished Heart of Design, I thought I’d have that knuckle-cracking feeling of relieved
completion. Instead, for the first time, it troubled me to let go—not only of
my main characters, but the side characters I’d created. After conversations
with my agent and a brain storming session that basically ended up with
outlines for two more novels, I decided not to let go of my successful LA
entrepreneurs, and my first series was born.
With the final installment of the trilogy in my
editor’s hot little hands, and a release date August 24, I’ve come to a few
conclusions and am here to impart the wisdom of lessons I learned. First, writing
a series takes commitment, make sure you are invested enough to meet the
obligations of the commitment. Though I enjoyed writing the trilogy, at times,
it was difficult for me to stay focused in order to meet the deadline. You see,
there are other novels knocking on my creative door and while I wasn’t ready to
leave after Heart of Design it will
be a relief to close the door on my LA ladies after the release of Art of Affection. The publishing
contract with specific deadlines helped keep my creative energy focused on the
trilogy.
Second, plan ahead. I’ve determined it’s much easier
to write a series if you already know it’s going to be one. Although,
unknowingly I’d set up my romantic storylines for books 2 and 3 in Heart of Design, I ran into difficulties
with the trilogy. By the time I wrote the third novel, I’d locked myself into
certain character traits, looks, and history that I longed to change. An
outline of the entire series prior to writing the first novel would have
avoided some head banging writer’s block.
Finally, the best advice I can offer a writer
interested in setting out on the series road—in order to keep from tearing your
hair out on book 3, 8 or 28—create a character chart. The chart I created for
my characters listed careers, relationship to others, part in the story, and
physical traits (e.g. eye color, height, hair color, etc.). It became my bible
and probably saved me hours of searching through previous manuscripts to
maintain consistency. I found it most important for side characters that had
smaller roles in the first novel but grew to become central characters by the
third. In addition, I also recommend creating a timeline for uniformity; I hand
wrote a chronological calendar.
What’s next on my writing agenda, you ask? Believe it
or not, I’m straying away from series writing, and returning to single title. A
WWII novel that I’ve been researching over the past two years is bursting to
get out. Don’t fret my series fanatics, there’s another trilogy forming on the
back burner of my medulla oblongata and it promises to provide gregarious
characters with laugh out loud antics and suspenseful plotlines.
___________________________________________________________________
Ellen Butler received her bachelor’s in Political
Science and Master’s in Public Administration and Policy from Virginia
Tech. After spending years working for a
medical association writing dry but illuminating policy papers, articles and
promotional materials, Butler made the leap to novel writing to release her
creative side. A mother of two, she currently resides in the Virginia suburbs
of Washington, DC. Follow Ellen Butler at: Website:
www.ellenbutler.net
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/EllenButlerBooks
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