Thinking about sequel writing? When you write a story, you may not always plan for it to be more than a standalone book. Some authors create a book knowing that it is just the first installment of a series, while other writers decide after the story is completed to continue it through a series of one or more books at a later date. But not every author knows instinctually when sequel writing is a good plan or how to take a previously written story and turn it into a book series that readers will love.
- How to Tell If Your Story Needs Sequel Writing
- Begin at the Beginning for Sequel Writing
- Build Series Tension with Conflict Instead of Apocalyptic Drama
- Do It Again (But Not Too Many Times) in Sequel Writing
- Let Your Character’s Growth Guide the Sequel Writing
- Track World-building Details
- When Sequel Writing Goes Wrong
- Publishing Your Sequel
How to Tell If Your Story Needs Sequel Writing
Taking the elements of a story and creating a compelling sequel may not work for every book, but how can you tell if your story could be extended into a sequel of one or more books? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you might want to consider the idea of sequel writing.
- If your initial story left some plot lines unresolved
- If your main character could reasonably go on another adventure or face more challenges
- If you imagined other meaningful characters that you didn’t include in the initial story
- If you feel like your story is unfinished
Begin at the Beginning for Sequel Writing
When you are considering sequel writing for a previously written or published book, the first place to look is at the story itself.
Review your first book thoroughly. Whether you wrote it last week or 10 years ago, carefully go over the complete story again. Next, make a rough outline of the book, including all major plot points and when they occurred, to use as a model for considering plot pacing in the sequel writing. Then, create a complete character sketch for all major and minor characters. Include every detail about the character that makes them unique, from their physical descriptions to their emotional motivations to key plot points they participated in, so you can build on what is already there.
Don’t try to do this all from memory since many manuscripts add and subtract lots of details during the editing and revision process. By only including the details that made the final draft of your first book in your character sketch you can ensure that any omitted character development ideas can be potentially utilized in the sequel writing. Lastly, remind yourself of all of the details in the initial story so you can begin to think about where to go next. Readers are quick to pick up on inconsistencies from one book to the next, so make sure you have a great handle on the little details that readers would notice.
Build Series Tension with Conflict Instead of Apocalyptic Drama
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the sequel writing needs to include the craziest, biggest, or most outlandish plot twists for readers to love it. Instead, focus on creating interesting tension within the story with surprising conflicts or problems that develop naturally from the solid foundation you have built with your characters and their backstories.
Consider different ways that a character might deal with their life now as a result of the conflict resolution at the end of the previous story. While an unforeseeable plot twist can be a great plot direction to consider, building tension between developed characters organically can be more compelling to the reader as a shocking or crazy plot.
Do It Again (But Not Too Many Times) in Sequel Writing
As you think about potential story arcs for your sequel writing, consider repeating the formula for your first book’s success. Can the main character face a new foe with similar challenges but in a different, fresh way because he learned so much from his trial in the previous book?
Or can your heroine use the same tricks and secrets from book one to vanquish her new-to-the-reader antagonist? Consider using some aspects of your first story’s success and replicate with a new perspective to bring some elements of familiarity to the reader framed inside of a new story.
To avoid rehashing your first book in the sequel, think about something other than the plot points.
- How can your main character demonstrate personal growth in the sequel?
- What character relationships can be explored in the sequel that were not in the first story?
- Which interesting dispositions could you expand upon in the sequel, allowing you to bring out the quirky or deeper emotional side of a character that will help you build a new story that links to the groundwork laid in the first book?
Let Your Character’s Growth Guide the Sequel Writing
One of the most important parts of a sequel, from the reader’s perspective, is following along with a beloved main character and seeing where their new adventures take them as they move past the challenges of the initial story.
The main character should demonstrate growth as they mature, learn and change as a result of successfully passing through the challenges of the first book. Readers expect to see vibrant, dynamic characters, even if a defining internal conflict of your protagonist is that they don’t evolve enough. Look for ways for your main characters to grow and learn, including references to the initial story’s lessons as well as providing new figurative classrooms for them to experience in the sequel.
- Helpful Tip: Create a “character bible” to keep track of all your characters. You can include all kinds of details on each major and minor character for your reference, adding in things like physical descriptions, plot actions, motivations, backstories, and even what other characters know and say about them to help you build and keep track of rich, multifaceted characters.
Track World-building Details
Just like keeping a list of your characters is key, tracking all of the details in your story’s world is critical for continuity between stories. Consider crafting a descriptive clearinghouse for all of the minute aspects of the world-building aspect of your story so you can refer to it in your sequel or when developing your character’s environs in the sequel.
A sequel’s world-building references should parallel what was already designed and revealed in the previous book without restating too many exact details in the same way. Of course, not every reader of the sequel will have read the initial story, but the sequel’s world should be the same but expanded from book one, creating interest in sequel-only readers in picking up the initial story to see how it all began.
When Sequel Writing Goes Wrong
Creating the perfect second act to your story does come with potential pitfalls you should try to avoid. These three common missteps can sink your sequel unless you focus on avoiding them during the book-planning process.
1 Adding Too Many Characters: A sequel can be challenging to jump into when a reader isn’t familiar with the first book if a whole host of new characters are introduced quickly in addition to the rollover characters from the first book. Remember that each book should stand alone on its own merits, so a brief reintroduction of previous characters is helpful to readers before too many new characters are brought into the story. Your character bible is a perfect starting point to see what types of characters were not utilized in the first book so you can organically add in new ones that complement the dynamics already in place.
2 Ignoring Reader Feedback: You have read the reviews for your first book, so you know what your readers are saying about your story – the good, the bad, and the helpful. Sequel writing should consider meaningful reader feedback, especially if it reveals problems with believability, character development, or how the plot concluded. Of course, every reader may have their own opinion on how an author should have written something differently, but repeated review notes should be considered thoughtfully as you write the sequel. If reader response is unclear, use channels like social media to interact directly with readers to get their viewpoint so you can decide which way to develop your new story.
3 Overdone Recapping: Don’t make the mistake of spending too much time reviewing everything from the first book. Excessive recapping is boring for readers who loved the first book, and the overdone review will make the initial story seem irrelevant to sequel-only readers.
Publishing Your Sequel
The final step in sequel writing is to finalize your manuscript and get it printed.
- Create a title that flows with book one (and leaves room for future sequels).
- Ensure continuity with cover design by working with a cover design expert so readers will recognize that this book is a sequel.
- Include text or a review blurb on the cover referencing book one so readers will know this is a sequel and to boost paired sales.
- Produce a book that looks as good or better than the first installment by working with a quality printer like Dazzle Printing.
