7 Tips on Writing a Series

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

 This week's Refresher Friday takes another peek at things to consider before your write a series. Enjoy!

A novel series is an investment, both on the writer’s part, and the reader’s. Most of the time, it’s designed from the start to span multiple books—either open-ended or with a predetermined number of books planned. It’s a commitment to live in the same world with the same characters for years—or decades in Sue Grafton’s case.

The series might be a collection of stand-alone novels that all explore a common genre, such as a mystery or a romance. It might have a common element that ties the books together, such as characters who all work at the same law firm, or romances between a common group of characters. In some series, you can even read the books out of order and it won’t matter, because they’re not dependent on each other to understand the overall story.

If you're planning a series, it's worth spending a little extra time to determine the broader strokes of the series and how you plan to maintain and sustain it.

1. The Concept or Hook Behind the Series

A successful series is more than just a lot of books about a character or world. There’s a concept behind it that ties the books together and gives readers a reason to come back book after book. It could be as simple as a detective doing his job, a unique person dealing with recurring situation only she can handle, or a fascinating world connecting a group of characters.

This concept will be at the heart of every core conflict. It will likely be the thing you say first when describing your series to people, as it will define what the series is about.

(Here are five ways to hook your reader)

2. The Overarching Series Conflict

If the series is situational, such as a mystery with a detective, each book will have its own goal and there might not be a bigger issue hanging over the protagonist's head (though there might be a larger character arc goal to work toward as the series develops). But if the series is designed to feel like an ongoing character in an evolving world, there might be something larger at stake that slips into each book.

The series conflict will be more than just one problem that never gets solved. The world and characters will have a variety of problems and issues that can be tapped at any time in any book so it always feels like things are happening. There will be multiple conflicts to drive multiple novels.

(Here's more on determining where your conflict comes from)

3. The Characters

If the series will follow one or two characters, knowing who they are and what they have to gain is key to knowing what each book will be about later. If it’s a common world with common characters who each take focus in different books, then you’ll likely have common secondary and support characters as well.

Your genre can also play a role in how you create your characters. Some genres expect character growth while others don’t want the protagonist to change. James Bond is the same in every book, while Stephanie Plum learns and grows from her experiences. If the characters are all part of the same world, they might learn from each other’s experiences or have one plot affect another in the series.

The main characters will also need enough conflict to sustain a series. They’ll be connected to the core conflict of the series, and have reasons to solve all the problems that will be encountered over the course of the series.

(Here's more on knowing if you need a character arc or not)

4. The Series Timeline

Your series might take places over a few weeks, or it could follow a family for generations. How long the story will take to unfold can affect how you choose to write it and what characters will be part of that world. If it takes place over years, you might choose to have the characters age. If you want them to feel timeless, you might write it as if time passes slowly.

You’ll also have to decide if the series has an end date or if it’s open ended. Series where the protagonist never changes are often open ended, because the individual book conflict is what draws readers in (like a mystery). They want to see the protagonist solve the problem and they enjoy seeing it over and over. Series where the protagonist changes and evolves often have predetermined events that signal the end of the series. They might even be designed from the start to only run a certain number of books.

(Here's more on dealing with backstory in a series)

5. The Series World

No matter what the setting, your series will take place somewhere, and that world will appear over and over. Determine the rules and common elements, and how that world might change over the course of the series. If you’re writing a genre with special rules (magic, science, history), establish those rules before you write to ensure you won’t break your own rules by accident later.

The more inherent conflict in your world, the more plot options you’ll have over the life of the series. It’s worth considering the types of conflict you want to write about as well, and design a world or setting that gives you the deepest pool to drawn from.

(Here's more on researching and worldbuilding a series)

6. The Reader’s Investment

A series asks a lot from readers. You want them to invest time and emotion in your characters and your world. Think about how you plan to reward then for their commitment. What they can expect from the series and how it will be worth their time.

You might also consider what readers expect from a series in your chosen genre. If readers are accustomed to a happily ever after, and you never give them one, they’ll likely lose interest and stop reading. Conversely, if they prefer the sexual tension of a romance, getting your characters together too early could rob them of their enjoyment.

Readers might also lose interest if the series drags on and never resolves anything. Always having things go wrong so the protagonist never wins and never gets ahead can be tiresome. Design a series that dangles the carrot, but offers other treats as well.

(More on revising a series here)

7. The Series Bible

Keeping track of the myriad of information in a series is a challenging task. Having a series bible will help you remember all those critical (and mundane) details and provide an easy reference guide to check when you forget (we all forget after a lot of books). It might seem silly to write down the color of your protagonist’s eyes in Book One, but by Book Six you actually might not remember.

(Here's more on keeping a story bible)

Writing a series can be a lot of fun and a lot of work, but with a little planning on the front end, you can make it a whole lot easier--and a whole lot richer.

What are your favorite series? Is anyone here writing a series?

For more help on plotting or writing a novel check out my Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure.

Go step-by-step through plotting and writing a novel. Learn how to find and develop ideas, brainstorm stories from that first spark of inspiration, develop the right characters, setting, plots and subplots, as well as teach you how to identify where your novel fits in the market, and if your idea has what it takes to be a series.

With clear and easy-to-understand examples, Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure offers ten self-guided workshops with more than 100 different exercises to help you craft a solid novel. Learn how to:

• Create compelling characters readers will love
• Choose the right point of view for your story
• Determine the conflicts that will drive your plot (and hook readers!)
• Find the best writing process for your writing style
• Create a solid plot from the spark of your idea

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure also helps you develop the critical elements for submitting and selling your novel once it’s finished. You’ll find exercises on how to:

• Craft your one-sentence pitch
• Create your summary hook blurb
• Develop a solid working synopsis And so much more!

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is an easy-to-follow guide to writing your novel or fixing a novel that isn’t quite working. 

Available in paperback and ebook formats.

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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