BooksGoSocial Conference Magazine
Serious about series by Alison Morton When I started my first novel, INCEPTIO, I had no idea what I was doing. Writing was an impulse, a reaction to a dire film and thinking I could produce something better. But not even halfway through the first draft, I realised I had a far bigger story than I’d anticipated. So I did the classic thing – I decided to make it a trilogy. But in the end it became a series of eight books; six full length novels, a novella and a collection of short stories.
So what did I learn from writing this series? 1. Work out the overarching plot in advance
My books are adventure thrillers with a dash of romance set in an imaginary country, Roma Nova. The first four follow the adventures of Carina Mitela from when she first arrives in Roma Nova to sixteen years later. She pursues her quests and saves the world as well as herself. But that’s too vague. Each book has twin functions. Firstly, it should contribute to the overall plot arc of the series. In my own series, Book 1 sets the scene, introduces the world, the ‘rules’ of that world, the main characters and the initial obstacles the heroine must overcome. Book 2 (novella) establishes the heroine in her own adventure. Book 3 throws a major challenge at her, consolidates the story arc and sets the ground for the final reckoning in Book 4. Secondly, each book must stand on its own as a complete story. A reader may pick up Book 2 or 3 first and while they may be eager to find out what went before and what happened afterwards, they must have a satisfying read from the book they bought. Writers need to drip in enough backstory to bring the new reader up to speed without boring the established fan.
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