Solo VS. Series

I have a brain for sequential fiction. It's my curse. I write a story, and then I see exactly where those characters are going next the minute I write the end. Now, not everyone thinks this way. There's nothing wrong with that. I like a good stand-alone novel. But...I also adore a well written series. It's limits the number of authors I'm exposed to though, I admit it. A series is an investment, you don't want to get three books in and discover the author isn't what you expected.

Or worse, that the a subplot you were invested in doesn't pan out in any way. Or that the ending is awful. It can be utterly disappointing to see a lackluster ending to a series you love.

So as a writer and a reader, I never want my own readers to go through that. I want them to be satisfied at the end of the arc.

You've most likely seen this diagram before.

This is generally referred to as "Freytag's Pyramid" and is the most commonly accepted diagram for a story arc. Any kind of story. Short stories, novellas, novels, etc. Now, with a stand alone novel, this diagram (along with it's variations and genre specific versions) is usually all you need to plot with.

Now this is a trilogy. So you have the individual pyramids inside an arc. This is how your plot details are going to be worked in. Your arc should terminate when the last book does (as illustrated). Every book is going to share in the arc. So no matter how many novels make up the arc, you'll always finish in the same place.

You should also note that the arc is taller than the pyramids. See, only a little bit of information to tease the overall arc should be included in book one. It's a subplot, not the main plot. You need to be focused on the main plot while carefully asking questions that lead into your main arc. Book two will require more of the subplot. You need to make sure that the latter half of this book involves the series arc in a more meaningful way so that it all ties into the final book. The final book won't be be a plot within the series arc, it's going to be the series arc. Sort of in miniature. It'll recall things from each proceeding novel and then pull you into that plot you've been teasing of the past books and bring it to conclusion.

I generally know the finale of the series by the time I've finished the first draft of the first book. It's important to at least have an idea of where you're going. Sure, you can (and there are many an author that has) jump from stand-alone to series after publication.

But if your already thinking about what's going to happen in books two, three and four while writing book one? You might be a sequential author. That's when things like Series Bibles come in handy. There's a lot of organizing, plotting, planning, and timelining that goes into writing a series. It's always better to do that work at the front end, rather than have to go back in later and do it after you've written three novels with no end in sight.

It might seem like a lot of work, but it's definitely worth it. Obviously, there's no iron clad "right way" but I can tell you that this preliminary work makes my life a lot easier.

What the Heck is a Series Bible?

Nothing like starting on book two of your freshly minted series only to end up in a hail of uncertainty as you dig through your previous book for information you swear was in there. Like, for instance, what color so and so's eyes were.

No one wants that. "What can I do to prevent that fate?"

Well, I'll tell you, you can start working on a series bible! IE, a document that contains all of your cannonical information in one place, organized and accessible.

Everyone has their own way of organizing information, obviously, but here are some pretty easy tips to follow. Obviously, you can use the word processor of your choice, and for those of you with a love of spreadsheets--have at. (I am not one of them).

I usually start mine with character information. I use bolded headings and easy searchable terms.

So, for example:

Jane Smith ALIASES:
BORN:
MOTHER:
FATHER:
AGE AT BOOK 1
BASIC DESCRIPTION (eye color, hair color, height, figure, etc): Broken down by appearances, age, etc.
OBJECTS ALWAYS ON PERSON:

Characters are listed under headings like MC, REGULAR CAST, MINOR CHARACTERS, FRIENDS, ANTAGONIST, PETS, etc.

I try to note relationships as they relate to my MC as well as interior relationships, secrets and the like.

Here's part of Liadan's Series Bible (with plot relevant details redacted)

After character information, I include a timeline. Timelines are essential. I find myself constantly asking "When did that take place again? What year was it? What month? What time of year?" It's so much easier to be able to scroll through a timeline.

Mine are set up generally like this:

TIMELINE

YEAR : BOOK - MONTH, SPECIFIC DATES (IF ANY)

I generally keep all of my plotting details in the timeline, as it keeps those details organized. So, for instance, if I'm planning to reveal someone's parentage in book six, I can drop that in the timeline. I can also then go back in and determine where foreshadowing elements need to go. Book titles, as I come up with tentative ones, also go in here.

This basic timeline is of course separate from a more intensive timeline I sometimes work up for individual manuscripts. I generally only need one when I have a lot of traveling going on and am working over a long period of time. 

I also keep my synopses, query letters, pitches and the like in this document (organized by title), or at the very least, in the same folder with this document. Character reference images and the like could also be placed in a separate folder within the folder (I like keeping things sorted to the nth).

The important thing to remember is to continue to update this document when editing your manuscripts. A series bible won't help you at all if it's two drafts out of date. No one person is going to need the same information in their bible, but this should at least give you a good place to start. Just remember, compile now, save yourself heartache later.

Trust me on that.