tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8141896152701041164.post1052064717750711909..comments2023-09-27T03:56:43.727-07:00Comments on Rose City Romance Writers: ResearchAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05880106055269169399noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8141896152701041164.post-16846975288938164332008-07-14T11:14:00.000-07:002008-07-14T11:14:00.000-07:00Until recently I've always written stand-alone sin...Until recently I've always written stand-alone single title stuff, and I'm just beginning to realize series can be useful. The advice from editors used to be to not attempt a series until you were a well-recognized published author because it was so chancy. If you left a publishing house, you could unsold manuscripts no one would want to pick up. I have a friend sitting on three orphans now. Scary! But series work a lot better with e-publishers, as you've mentioned. <BR/><BR/>If you decide it's just to be two books, then call the second one a sequel, and go on to something else. I remember Mary Jo Putney talking about a "trilogy" that ended up continuing for seven books, at which point she refused to write more.<BR/><BR/>I make separate folders for main characters in my books, but as you know, things change. That's where I like spreadsheets because they keep the essential information in one place. I used to keep all that major info in my head, but that's become an inadequate storage facility.Delle Jacobshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09551688823035092802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8141896152701041164.post-58627711832002330382008-07-14T10:55:00.000-07:002008-07-14T10:55:00.000-07:00Like Genene, I don't think there's anything wrong ...Like Genene, I don't think there's anything wrong with a two-book series. But if you wanted to have more books, have you tried a more loosely connected concept so that you aren't tied down to a complicated bible? For example, rather than interweave characters or overarching plot, you could choose an element -- say, an heirloom pendant that causes a person's worst fears to manifest, or a wandering minstrel whose songs leave a clue about a person's dearest desire. Or something like that. A single repeating element wouldn't tie you down to hard'n'fast plots for each book but would give a through-line for the series and an end for readers to anticipate. In the pendant series, the last book would be the breaking of the curse; and the last minstrel book would be the minstrel finding love.Jessa Sladehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09569827979530923930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8141896152701041164.post-65675129499172475162008-07-13T14:22:00.000-07:002008-07-13T14:22:00.000-07:00Thanks, Genene - some great comments! I'm back int...Thanks, Genene - some great comments! I'm back into book 2 of a series right now, so I'm combing through the first book to put important details into a spreadsheet. It's great that you've developed your own system - part of the craziness of the series Bible was trying to force different personalities to do the same thing and do it in detail when they weren't getting paid...Heather Redmondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13217344945585103858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8141896152701041164.post-3195522348923567312008-07-13T11:55:00.000-07:002008-07-13T11:55:00.000-07:00Hey, Heather!Maybe it's OK to limit a "series" to ...Hey, Heather!<BR/><BR/>Maybe it's OK to limit a "series" to two books. Lots of authors preface their advice with "take what works for you and don't worry about the rest." Perhaps that's the best route for a series also. Why beat yourself up if two connected books are what work best for you? Or just a single book? <BR/><BR/>Since I just finished the rough plots of a nine-book series, I was very interested in your comments about a series Bible and the project manager having a nervous breakdown. Fortunately, I plan to write my series by myself, which will of course take longer than if a group of authors were writing it. However, I'll have much more control over where the stories go and can "tweak" the Bible if need be. <BR/><BR/>I'm very detail oriented and love to use charts and photos clipped out of magazines that fit with my stories. I've also made up my own forms and processes -- mutated to what works for me from classes and articles on writing. I've done a couple workshops on some of the processes I use. I also have a wall with easel-sized pages for pictures and notes about the stories I'm working on. I posted a picture of this wall on our blog on June 27. <BR/><BR/>It's great that you read to keep one step ahead of the market. That's not a skill that I've developed yet. <BR/><BR/>Hope your computer has recovered from your Google research and good luck with the novella!Genene Valleau, writing as Genie Gabrielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02565138811080005830noreply@blogger.com