Thread: Size of a Series

I've whittled down my series of six books down to four, but what I want to do is create a larger series, perferably six. I just don't know if I have what it takes to fill that much space, which is why I decreased the number in the first place. Any tips on how to play with the plot to extend it's size, without adding useless filler that avoids the actual main plot?

Lot's of sub plots. The more ends you need to tie up the longer it will take to tell a story. Just be sure it does not drag in the middle if you know what I mean.

Have you written the first book? Write the first book so that it works as a stand alone book. It is harder to sell a series than a single book. Don't try and write a series. Try and write a single book. After that, well if you still have a story to tell then make it a series. And why would you want the series to be so long?

Without knowing the story line I can't add much to that. People continue to live their lives even after one story is told. If I were to tell a romance story about how I met my husband, the courtship and then our marriage it would probably be a finished novel. But my life didn't end at marriage. So why should your characters end? They will continue to do things even after the first storyline ends.

It's actually the opposite. It's harder to sell a stand-alone than a series. If a publisher sees a book with potential, and the author tells him s/he's already wrote the sequel and is working on the third, that's potential money-in-the-bank if the first is in any way successful. You only need to look at the series novels of today to see how massively popular they are: The Dark Tower, Harry Potter, and Twilight, to name but a few.

Having said all that, I agree with Cambyses. In my opinion, the best way to keep a novel, never mind series, interesting is by having lots of sub-plots. You should avoid "filler". It's one of those awful things authors who have made their name do. It's boring, irrelevant to the novel, and it can turn a potentially brilliant book into an average one.

Originally Posted by Kat

Have you written the first book? Write the first book so that it works as a stand alone book. It is harder to sell a series than a single book. Don't try and write a series. Try and write a single book. After that, well if you still have a story to tell then make it a series. And why would you want the series to be so long?

Without knowing the story line I can't add much to that. People continue to live their lives even after one story is told. If I were to tell a romance story about how I met my husband, the courtship and then our marriage it would probably be a finished novel. But my life didn't end at marriage. So why should your characters end? They will continue to do things even after the first storyline ends.

I want it to be the kind of story that people immerse themself in for longer periods of time. I'd hope you would agree that it's very different reading one book and then the story end rather than really following a character for many books. It's a far different experience if you're more immersed in it. The same goes for movies and television series. I can't say I've felt the same about the two. Lost for example, was a far different experience than, for example, I Am Legend (although that's a bad example considering there was only one character, really). Still, you see what I mean?

So I want my readers to really bond with the characters over a long period of time so they feel a part of it as well. And I'd rather do that extensively rather than in an instant.

Plus, my story won't finish in one book, or at least, I couldn't make the first book a stand alone. That would be contradictory to the plot. It's all one flowing story, each book a step towards that final objective. It's more alike LOTR and Lost.

As for what you said last, I only intend to write, for these main characters, the start of this particular adventure and then the ending. After that, I might write a few prequels to cover events not detailed enough. Without explaining too much, my set of main characters stumble upon an enemy who's intentions appear far more malicious than stealing money or terrorizing society. So the kind of book I have is the kind where you start from some simple enemy who's seemingly trying to destroy a single city and end with an abominable villain who's goals are unknown (at least for a few books, but it's more complicated than that).

So the series is really long line of revelations, mistakes, deaths, enemies who are far more complicated than they appear (as well as several enemies, not just one), and ultimately a huge mystery that by the end, is for the most part, solved, excluding few things. And before you warn me about making things too confusing, I know very well what could happen. I do intend to keep things as simplified as possible. Mysterious, but not confusing.

Basically, I want it to be long so the readers get as close to the characters as possible, so they can also experience this insane adventure, which I intend to really serve as a metaphor for life. Plus, I do think these books will be a good read, and I'd rather extend that enjoyment than wrap it up too quickly. This really is an epic adventure that deserves length.