The Birth of a Sequel

Sequels don't always just come to you. They don't. Of course, sometimes they do, but that's neither here nor there.

I'm here today to tell you how I know when a sequel is coming.

Sequels are tricky things. Sometimes they come to life at the same time as book one, and you start out knowing that you're writing a trilogy. Other times you get to the end of book one, and you simply know that you cannot give up on these characters. That's the type of situation we're talking about today: the time when you set out to write a standalone, and find yourself immersed in a series.

        1. The characters aren't finished, even though the story is

Maybe this means that the love story hasn't been fully discovered, or someone new has entered the picture and doesn't want to disappear just yet--whatever the case, your characters will tell you. If they're unwilling for your story to end, they'll do one of two things. They'll try to keep your first book going, well beyond what the book wants to hold, or they'll show you the sequel burning a hole in your head.

Either way, you'll have your answer.

        2. The story isn't finished, even though you thought it was

This one is a little more annoying and hard to peg, simply because it will depend on what length novel you intended to write. I tend to write longer stories, so sometimes it's hard to tell when they're getting too long. But when you reach the point that the story is longer than you wanted it to be, that it's getting more annoying than interesting, it probably means you need to write a sequel instead of continuing on in a single novel.

        3. You just can't find the ending

Yeah, yeah, it's similar to the last one, but it's still valid.

Sometimes the ending just isn't in sight, but you have a perfectly decent midpoint that would make a good ending for... something. Well, call it a book. That's all you have to do, really. End it in a cliffhanger if you have to, so you can set the proper goals for getting your sequel written.

Whatever the case, if there's a sequel in you, I hope you'll know it and you'll take the plunge. Thus far in my writing career I've only written one standalone, and I have to admit, writing a series is far more fun.

[love and winky faces]

{Rani D}