Hi there,
Many of you know that I write in three genres, and each one is a series of books. Numerous writers enjoy writing series and it may come as a surprise to many readers that writing a series of books is, not always a particularly easy matter. My first series was, The Diana Rivers Mystery Murders, and I soon found there were several chief factors which had to be considered when I first created my central character and the surroundings Diana exists in. It is not just a matter of mentioning the geographical location. As a writer I include the characters who complete Diana’s world plus, I usually choose a different location for each book I write if possible. This helps keep the storyline fresh and if I include enough descriptive passages (not too many), I can sustain several different scenarios and create appropriate natural tension to keep developing my main character. But I must remember that I write series, not serials by instalments. Each book should be a stand-alone experience, otherwise if a reader came to the final page and realised the story continued in another volume they would feel cheated. The difference is simple - a reader can pick up any book in the series, without having read previous novels to get straight into the current story.
There’s always a but… once I have created a progressive line for my main character, Diana Rivers, her encounters and ideas are usually influenced by earlier incidents. There are a few different ways a writer can overcome this; a chance conversation with another character, or perhaps a flashback. But unless this is done well, the writing can feel clumsy, clunky and sound conveniently ‘made up’. Occasionally I discover I can ignore key effects of the last novel without any major problems, but usually I want to involve Diana as much as possible. By her character alone, she wants to evolve, as she becomes older and with more experience her thought processes have changed as well as her actions – she is human after all. She is by no means perfect. She has learnt many things since her first discovery of a dead body, and now reacts differently. As well as Diana, I consider it important to have a well-fleshed out cast of secondary individuals. Many of these personalities pop up in the first book and regularly appear in the other six. (Of course, I add extra characters throughout the series who never appear again, but that’s a different matter.)
Sometimes, I give the secondary character their own story. These extra stories give an added dimension, enriching the strength of character exchanges. The stories run along the main theme, and can often subtly interweave with the main protagonists’. Encounters are measured and mercurial, delicately introduced.
My two-other series (Dark Minds Psychological Thriller Series and the Very Affair Series) are all most definitely standalone novels – and possibly easier to write. But, that’s what I love about writing – every book is different.
My latest novel is, PARADISE PRISON, the 4th Dark Minds Psychological Thriller and is currently available as a pre-order on Amazon and other book sites for just 99c/99p for a limited time only. Paradise Prison will be published in eBook and paperback on January 7th 2017.
Thank you for popping by to read this post.
Faithx
All books on:
Google: http://bit.ly/WjDOmt
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1nTM6It
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1qnzPSZ
Nook: http://bit.ly/Yh9A0k
Kobo: http://bit.ly/259AZ69
Apple: http://bit.ly/ZFqbtC
Many of you know that I write in three genres, and each one is a series of books. Numerous writers enjoy writing series and it may come as a surprise to many readers that writing a series of books is, not always a particularly easy matter. My first series was, The Diana Rivers Mystery Murders, and I soon found there were several chief factors which had to be considered when I first created my central character and the surroundings Diana exists in. It is not just a matter of mentioning the geographical location. As a writer I include the characters who complete Diana’s world plus, I usually choose a different location for each book I write if possible. This helps keep the storyline fresh and if I include enough descriptive passages (not too many), I can sustain several different scenarios and create appropriate natural tension to keep developing my main character. But I must remember that I write series, not serials by instalments. Each book should be a stand-alone experience, otherwise if a reader came to the final page and realised the story continued in another volume they would feel cheated. The difference is simple - a reader can pick up any book in the series, without having read previous novels to get straight into the current story.
There’s always a but… once I have created a progressive line for my main character, Diana Rivers, her encounters and ideas are usually influenced by earlier incidents. There are a few different ways a writer can overcome this; a chance conversation with another character, or perhaps a flashback. But unless this is done well, the writing can feel clumsy, clunky and sound conveniently ‘made up’. Occasionally I discover I can ignore key effects of the last novel without any major problems, but usually I want to involve Diana as much as possible. By her character alone, she wants to evolve, as she becomes older and with more experience her thought processes have changed as well as her actions – she is human after all. She is by no means perfect. She has learnt many things since her first discovery of a dead body, and now reacts differently. As well as Diana, I consider it important to have a well-fleshed out cast of secondary individuals. Many of these personalities pop up in the first book and regularly appear in the other six. (Of course, I add extra characters throughout the series who never appear again, but that’s a different matter.)
Sometimes, I give the secondary character their own story. These extra stories give an added dimension, enriching the strength of character exchanges. The stories run along the main theme, and can often subtly interweave with the main protagonists’. Encounters are measured and mercurial, delicately introduced.
My two-other series (Dark Minds Psychological Thriller Series and the Very Affair Series) are all most definitely standalone novels – and possibly easier to write. But, that’s what I love about writing – every book is different.
My latest novel is, PARADISE PRISON, the 4th Dark Minds Psychological Thriller and is currently available as a pre-order on Amazon and other book sites for just 99c/99p for a limited time only. Paradise Prison will be published in eBook and paperback on January 7th 2017.
Thank you for popping by to read this post.
Faithx
All books on:
Google: http://bit.ly/WjDOmt
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1nTM6It
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1qnzPSZ
Nook: http://bit.ly/Yh9A0k
Kobo: http://bit.ly/259AZ69
Apple: http://bit.ly/ZFqbtC
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