Going All the Way: Should You Write the Whole Trilogy Before You Query?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

This week's Refresher Friday dips back to an updated look at writing trilogies. 

There are two views on writing trilogies. Write only the first book and see if it sells, and write the whole thing before you start querying.

I hadn't intended to write a trilogy when I started The Shifter, but as I wrote closer to the ending, I realized the story could continue for a few more books. There was a bigger world with bigger problems to explore, if I wanted to follow along.

Which I did. So I pitched the novel as a stand-alone that could continue as a trilogy, and that's how we sold it. The two editors who'd wanted it--one wanted the trilogy, the other the stand alone book. This is a good example of how this could have gone either way.

While The Shifter was on submission, I'd asked my agent what I work on next--book two or a new book. She's of the "write one book first" camp (I suspect many agents are), and she advised that I prepare a synopsis for the next two books so she'd have something to show editors, but to start on a new and different book in the meantime. Her reasoning was that if the first book didn't sell, I wouldn't have wasted time on a sequel that also wouldn't sell, and would instead be ready with a new book.

This is very good advice, and I followed it.

As it turned out, I hadn't gotten very far in that book when The Shifter sold, and I immediately switched to writing book two. Working on something new did help distract me from the nervousness on being on submission, though, so it was well worth it.

Since then, I've spoken with a lot of writers and discuss the pros and cons of writing the whole trilogy before submitting (or indie publishing), and waiting to see how book one does first. Having been through the process myself, I understand the reasoning on both sides.

Why You Should Write the Whole Trilogy First

Once you've written a book and it's out there in the world, you can't make changes to the story. Whatever you wrote you're stuck with. If you come up with a great plot idea in book two, you can't go back and add hints or groundwork to book one. If you write yourself into a corner on book three, you can't change anything in a previous book to create a shocking twist to get you out of that corner.

I found that was true with The Shifter. While I didn't want to change anything major about the plot, I did find several tiny things I'd wished I could have changed as I wrote the next two books (Blue Fire and Darkfall). These small changes would have added depth and some interesting twists that would have made the entire series even better.

For pantsers, I suspect being able to retro-tweak the story would be especially helpful, since they don't always know where the story is going to take them until they finish it.

If you write the entire trilogy at once, you'll also know right away if you have enough story to span a full trilogy. It's not uncommon for writers to think we have a three-book story, when in fact, we barely have enough for two books (or even one book). Writing it all first helps us spot the stories that aren't as deep as we first thought.

Of course, the downside is that it'll probably take you a lot longer to get it done. This could be problematic if you have a contract to fulfill. Or if you're in a hurry to start querying or indie publishing.

(Here's more on The Trouble With Triples: Writing Trilogies)

Why You Should Only Write Book One

It takes a lot of time and effort to write a novel, and even more to write a trilogy. If the idea doesn't sell, you'd have spent possibly years that could have produced two other novels that might have sold. Not writing the whole thing increases your chances of writing a book that sells in the same amount of time.

Having the first book out there also allows you to received some feedback before you write books two and three. A minor character or subplot might really resonate with readers, and you might decide they need a bigger role going forward. Reviews might point out strengths and weakness you want to capitalize or address before the next book. There are all kinds of ways to improve the trilogy based on how readers feel about book one.

There's also not as much pressure if you don't have a second book looming over your head. Second books are the hardest to write, because you're typically under contract and writing to a deadline. You worry about being a one-hit-wonder and if you're capable of writing the next book. Even as an indie, you'll have the pressures of readers wanting the next book.

(Here's more on Write Book One, Not Book Two)

Why You Should Do Both (Kinda)

If you're not sure which way to go, you could always split the difference. Write book one, then write a detailed outline or synopsis for books two and three. This will help you develop the major plot points and get the story arcs aligned while book is on submission or entering the marketplace. You could also create in-depth character and world building notes to make sure you have a solid handle on who these people are and how they live in your world.

If the goal is to write one book and then wait, the more details you can get down about the next books would be a tremendous help when you finally sit down to write those books.

(Here's more on The Whole Story: Plotting Multibook Goals)

How Do You Choose Which Way to Go? Ask Yourself:

• Can the first book stand alone even if I never write the others?
• Do I need to see how it ends before I'll be happy submitting it?
• Do I know where the story is going or am I still figuring out the major plot points?
• Do I have other stories I'd rather write or feel might be more marketable?
• Which way do I want to go?
• Will the trilogy be better if I wrote the whole thing at once? Worse? (Do I want agent/editor/reviewer feedback before I write the rest)

There's no right or wrong answer here, it's just figuring out what works best for you. It might even change from trilogy to trilogy based on how much is developed before you write the first draft of book one.

Which way you want to go really depends on the story and the kind of writer you are. You might not want to spend time on a long story, and are eager to get to another idea. But if you have a multi-book story idea that you feel passionate about, and it's an all or nothing deal for you emotionally, then maybe you'd be willing to invest the extra time and write all three before you start querying. Though do make the first book a stand alone if you can. The odds are SO much better for you that way.

For me, if I ever write another trilogy, I'm leaning more toward writing a rough draft of all three before I start revising book one. I do a lot of planning before I write, and know my story pretty well, but enough changes during the process that knowing how the full trilogy plays out would be a big benefit.

How do you feel about writing trilogies? Do you prefer to write them all at once or just the first book?

*Originally published March 2012. Updated July 2019.

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Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter, was chosen for the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book.

She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy.

When she's not writing novels, she's teaching other writers how to improve their craft. She's the founder of Fiction University and has written multiple books on writing.

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