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.