Sequel Writing

[mmerriam]

This is something new for me. I've never written a sequel before (and am still a bit concerned that I'm writing the sequel to a novel I haven't sold yet).

It seems the vampire novel I was poking at earlier is really the second book in the Monster-Hunting Barista series of novels (remember: I said it was the most commercial novel I had written). On the one hand, this is not unexpected. I knew when I finished Dead Brew I would probably be writing more novels featuring Sharisha Zajicova. I didn't expect to be jumping into the next one right away, but you write the thing you've got.

Which means I'm learning a new skill: recapping the incidents in the previous novel. I need to do this so that when they sell, readers won't be totally out to sea if they accidentally pick up the second book first. But it has to be subtle, concise, and small enough not to annoy anyone who read the first book. All that those readers would need is small refresher.

This writing gig really is a never-ending quest to learn the next valuable skill-set to add to your toolbox.

Comments

[jimhines.livejournal.com]

I've struggled with this a lot in two series, trying to figure out how best to recap the events of previous books. So far, the closest I've come to figuring it out is to just not do it. Or do as little as possible.

If something is directly relevant to the current story, bring it up when it becomes important, the same as any other background or flashback. Otherwise, the readers don't really need to know.

Which sounds nice in theory, but still turns out to be a bit tricky in practice. I think it also depends a lot on how dependent the second book is on the events of the first.

Good luck! If you figure it out, please let the rest of us know :-)

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I think doing as little as possible is probably the best way to go.

Right now I've got what amounts to a 260 word info-dump moment in scene two. All the stuff in that section handles the things that are dependent from book #1 to book #2, so right now I feel like I need it. My plan is to scatter that information out across the early scenes, dolling it out in drips and drivels when the characters involved are "on screen."

Come draft #2, I will probably rip it all out, but for now I feel like I need it in the novel.

[camillealexa.livejournal.com]

So far, the closest I've come to figuring it out is to just not do it. Or do as little as possible.

Yes! As a reader and a writer, I say yes, this.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I think this is definitely a case of "less is more." Right now the plan is to scatter out the info that must get in as one and two sentence bits when the pertinent characters come on stage. That should keep it down to about 5 to 10 sentences total scattered over the first three chapters.

[tiny-wings.livejournal.com]

It may sound like funny advice, but I thought JK Rowling was really good at doing that, so go read your HP books :-P Remember how she'd mention a character, then describe, in one little sentence, something they had done in the past that was relevant to the current situation? It's short and it's relevant, so it's not obtrusive or annoying for readers who are familiar with the story, and it's enough for the reader who's been a while between books or the reader who is new to the series.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I think that is really good advice. I've sorted out what information needs to be carried over and have it as one 260 word block of text from Sharisha's POV, but I'm planning to scatter that info out as the pertinent characters come on stage in short, one and two sentence bits.

[spiderling.livejournal.com]

If the books are episodic enough and self contained enough then the recap isn't all that necessary. Little bits sprinkled in here and there will be fine. I would ignore it until the point where it becomes abolutely necessary to mention something from the previous book.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I think this how it is going to go, little sprinkles of information scattered out where needed.

[glynisj.livejournal.com]

Keep us informed of how you're coming along with this. It should be very interesting.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

Will do! I plan to blog a bit about the process, since the process changes from novel to novel and as I grow and change as a writer.

[morvenwestfield.livejournal.com]

I've been trying to get a handle on that myself. Charlaine Harris recaps a lot in her Sookie Stackhouse series, on which True Blood is loosely based. Reading a few of her books in short succession, though, I found the recapping was getting to me a bit, but I think that's because I was catching up all at once. I think that if I had read the books as published, with let's say, a year between them, I wouldn't have noticed it as much because I wouldn't have remembered as much.

Recently I started listening to an audiobook version of Christopher Moore's "You Suck" and then realized that I should have read "Bloodsucking Fiends" first. So, I stopped, got the audiobook for BF, and listened to that. I thought he handled it well because I didn't even realize I was getting information from a previous book, though I did wonder why he wasn't going into more detail about those characters ;-)

Yes, keep us informed! I'm curious.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I really want to avoid just dumping a lot of information on readers. It needs to happen subtly and naturally. Time to learn something new as a writer.

[bondo-ba.livejournal.com]

I will be following your progress with interest, as I also haven't written any sequels...

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I plan to blog a bit about the process, since the process changes from novel to novel and as I grow and change as a writer.

[dmbaird.livejournal.com]

Please do blog - I have gone through it and would love to see how another writer deals with sequels. I think I did okay, but could always use some tips. :-)

BTW: I had three beta readers for Veil of Whispers: the first reader had read Spell Keeper and pointed out the ares he thought had over-done recaps. Then I gave it to two betas who hadn't read SK to let me know if they could follow everything without feeling like they were missing information. They were able to tell me where more background explanation was needed.

[mmerriam.livejournal.com]

I think I will end up sorting this out in the second draft. Right now I am tossing in the stuff I think I need to carry over from the first novel to the second, kind of like I toss in everything I think I need for the story in the first draft as I careen along toward the end. Second and third drafts will be where I likely sort this out.