Writing a trilogy book

Characters emotional load can increase to create tension frodo has to cope with the disappearance of pivotal members of his party. The first rule of writing a book series is having enough content to justify more than one book. Three books are too many to focus on just one or two main characters. I will talk more about the different age ranges shortly, but in essence, board books for 0 to 2yearolds should not have long words or long sentences. New ideas appear all the time and they affect previous assumptions about how the story is going to. Still, there are some simple rules that should be obvious but apparently arent that every series writer should follow. Your readers will immediately lose interest if your character development and transition are weak. One challenge of writing a series like a trilogy, for instance, is deciding what to resolve in each installment and what problems to carry through the series. The ultimate successful trilogy is based on the basic threeact structure where book one is the equivalent of act one, book two is act two, and book three represents act three.

What you need to know when writing and publishing a trilogy. Each book stands alone but should be connected to the others. She likes to multitask does our lucy, shes launching a new book today, just friends in vegas, which is the third in her fabulous series, just friends, andshes over here telling us all about things we need to consider when writing a series. Some will definitely do better if they plan ahead, whereas others will do just as well with finishing the first book. Though theyre nowhere near as popular as their threebooked companions, duologies.

British indie author rosalind minett while its currently received wisdom that writing books in a series gives the indie author a great marketing advantage, not all series are planned as such sometimes they evolve from story, as british novelist rosalind minett discovered when writing her recently completed relative invasion trilogy. I just want whatever finale im reading to deliver on the promises made in the earlier books in the series. Each book should have its own plot and its own conclusion, but it should also foreshadow events to come. How to write a childrens book in 9 easy steps complete. In some cases, there may be some small link between the plot arc of the first book and the second two, but nothing of enough consequence that it would shift this style of trilogy into one of the others weve listed above. Aug 22, 2020 the process of writing a trilogy is generally intricate, especially when it comes to structuring the story. The arc lasts for three or five or maybe even ten books, but theres always an end. The only thing you need is one big arc that runs within the individual books. When a teacher or anyone else asks you to write a book summary, he or she is requesting that you read a book and write a short account that explains the main plot points, characters and any other important information in your own words. This book gave an overview of types of series that a 15 year old might have written for a school assignment without any actually writer coaching on the practical stepsguidance on how to approach writing a series itself. Aug 17, 2017 writers who feel pressured to write a trilogy when their storys plot doesnt justify it will often fill book two will contrived conflict, ramping up meaningless drama and increasing shock factor in an attempt to keep readers engaged until their series finale.

A book can be a tremendous marketing tool, but the downsides can include shelling out for a pricey ghostwriter and doing your own publicity. Being a pantser instead of a plotter when writing multiple, connected books only leads to disaster. Plotting the overarching storyline with a rough timeline and a cast of characters created, you can shift focus to your. Each book needed three drafts as well as endless pages of notes and scribblings. Lessons learned while writing a trilogy publishing crawl. Oct 05, 2012 finished the third book in my trilogy, which didnt start out to be a trilogy. Its the most unyielding rule in the entire industry. Consistency and organization are the keys to creating a beautiful, smoothrunning, and memorable trilogy. How do i style the title of a trilogy or informally titled. This guide offers a roadmap on how to write a book from beginning to end.

How to write a sequel thats better than the first book. Jul 23, 2019 how to outline a trilogy or series of novels starting your outline when youre first getting started, out lining a trilogy is no different from out lining any other. Once you have it, a great way to keep it is to send the reader to a second, third, and fourth book. Jan 19, 2021 make your books selfcontained, yet part of the whole. Im trying to weave in foreshadowing for the whole series as well as anticipate what the characters will need to do in book 1 to have the series conclude in book 7. If they do address series, its usually a limited series like lord of the rings. Jun 17, 2020 how to write a trilogy in 6 steps step 1. Writing a trilogy creates many amazing opportunities. Book 5 will be out next year fingers crossed, then book 6, book 7.

Starts with the hook, ends with the first plot point. Take notes, and keep them in a place you can find them. Writing a series of novels takes things to a whole new level. You might want to prove your expertise on a given topic or create a funnel for your business. In this style of trilogy, each book has its own defined beginning, middle, and end. Why writing in a series will make you more money as a fiction. More marketing opportunities its also easier to market a series of books, because you can use the first book in the series, for example, as a permanently free or doing free promotions on that first.

Apr 12, 2017 british indie author rosalind minett while its currently received wisdom that writing books in a series gives the indie author a great marketing advantage, not all series are planned as such sometimes they evolve from story, as british novelist rosalind minett discovered when writing her recently completed relative invasion trilogy. A book series is a powerful writing tool, because it allows you to take your reader on a journey. Sometimes this can be a person, a group, your characters own inner struggle, or even your world. My first work is a trilogy and it works in such a way that things happening in the first book affect things in book 3 and things in book 3 affect things in book 1. Im sure writing any book, particularly a trilogy, is harder than it looks. Those programs arent designed for handling tasks like writing a novel. Romance author lucy keeling things to consider when writing. Writing a trilogy or a multi book series has numerous advantages, especially for writers of genre fiction. Know what makes writing series different writing a series is different to writing a standalone book for a number of reasons. Writing a trilogy is not going to be difficult if you love and enjoy writing and have a great plot and characters to develop. If you want to write a series, know how to end one. Writing a trilogy creative writing forums writing help.

Set in an unnamed island country known only as the state, in the imagined near future, the books follow the intertwining stories of a number of characters, principally a state police detective named danny samson and an assassin. If youre writing an anthology series or a trilogy that features the two arcs, three books or individual arc structures, then planning all three books ahead of time isnt strictly necessary. Aug 12, 2014 in a trilogy, you need the stakes to rise with each book, until the true enemy is beaten. Tolkiens the lord of the rings and philip pullmans his. Dec 16, 2017 if youre writing a series, holding back till youve got the first three books ready to roll can be a real winner, marketingwise. Series have multinovel continuity this separates a book series from a book cycle characters andor settings, andor conflicts return. Give the characters a unique set of objectives, set of trials, everything. Writing series are all the rage right now in fiction. Jul 27, 2017 while there are seemingly endless ways to plot a trilogy, there are indeed a few specific plot structures you can follow to help you better map out a plot that will really wow your readers.

No reader wants to drudge through unnecessary passages just because you have the room. Apr, 2021 my az theme this year is a guide to my trilogy of novels called the state trilogy. However, if youre working within an invented timeline such as in terry pratchetts discworld books, you may want to sketch out what the years or decades before your stories looked like and keep track of any events in your books that will have knockon effects on. Instead, consider writing a duology a two book series. Many of them wont even start a book until theres a. Feb 25, 20 however, having not ever written a trilogy, there are a few things i would do now when planning a series that i thought could benefit future trilogy authors. Treat the middle book as a rickety bridge to the finale. Stick to the strengths of book one and, if you find you cant without mentioning the others, then book one has major flaws. Therefore, if you are writing a trilogy, then you must invest wholeheartedly in the character development of each of your characters. There are a ton of reasons why you might consider writing books. I tied together two situations, each from the previous books, to bring it all to a conclusion. Then those individual books need to be compelling enough to carry the book on its own. Learn how to write a book trilogy using these 5 simple steps. They both have a beginning, middle, and endthree acts, all the usual plot points, rising and falling action, etc.

These 7 writing tips may help you avoid common issues when writing a childrens book. For all the wouldbe wordsmiths out there, ive got nine books to read if you want to write poetry but dont know where to start. Writing a book trilogy is easiest when you understand structure and series writing. If youre writing a complex arc trilogy, the first book is your only chance to hook readers into your epic plot. Just like the threeact structure of a play, book or movie, a trilogy represents. If youre an entrepreneur who has been through the ringer in life or business and willing to share, selfpublishing can be powerful. Youll need to know key details from book one when youre writing book three. But books on novel writing arent about writing a series either. Even if you plan to write an expansive multi book series, editing is still your best friend. You have to introduce your characters, world, and major plot lines that will run throughout the trilogy. Oct 05, 2012 i think the best thing to do to make sure each book has its own story is to make multiple story plans or arcsone for the series as a whole and one for each book. How to write a book and actually finish it in 5 steps. Aug 31, 2015 im also starting a seven book historicalfantasy series, and its a completely different process than writing my first book.

Jul 15, 2020 in this case, yes, go on and write that series with your main character growing and evolving over a very long period of time. These notes are essential, since writing any novel requires a mix of forward planning and improvisation. These 12 ways can help you begin as a writer if you havent ventured into the territory or improve yourself if you are already one. Writing any longform piece in a standard word processor is a hassle. People are like sea glass, the longer and harder they are tossed around, the more beautiful they are.

Most writers are writing picture books for ages 3 7 thats the most common category. I was already writing what i thought was going to be the sequel, so instead, i separated the first book into two, and the sequel became book 3 of a trilogy. But if youre planning a trilogy that has an overarching plot line that spans all three books, there isnt much room to cut corners. Its nice for readers if they dont have to read one book to understand the others but is also nice if certain characters.

See more ideas about writing, novel writing, writing a book. Examine successful trilogies structures and learn what works. Katniss is just trying to survive the games, and she does. In a series this is especially true because each book has to live up to the last, and if possible get better and better until the end. Apr 11, 2016 so focus your query letter on book one. Youre reading entrepreneur india, an international franchise of entrepreneur media. How to write a childrens book in 12 steps from an editor. The main question is the quality of your first book.

I think it differs per person, as we have different ways of writing. Before you launch into a series whether it be a duology, a trilogy or a sprawling tenpart epic you need to seriously consider your commitment to the task. Pitch it as if it werent in a trilogydont mention future books, plots, etc. Feb 07, 2018 instead of writing one 400,000word book, think about writing more of a series. So far weve looked at how to begin your trilogy and the difficulties of book two. If you want to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry, theres no better way to begin than becoming an author. When writing the first book of your own trilogy, be it a fantasy novel or a thriller or other genre, think about how. Too many unanswered questions in the first book can be deeply unsatisfying, even if you plan to address them later. It also encourages reader loyalty, providing a builtin audience for each subsequent book. The trilogy is one of the most popular and revered formulas in literature, movies and beyond. While i know the major events, there are always details that only come out through writing. When you write the next book, even though its a trilogy, there should be a new starting place and a new ending place.

These six tips for how to write a book series will keep you organized and sane. The trilogy then continues with a heightened new plot arc that spans the remaining two books in the series. I know, i talk about scrivener a lot, but being able to keep all of my writing in a single file has been so helpful to keep things straight. Ultimate guide on how to write a trilogy tips to write. Thomas cromwell, entertaining his guests with a quick reading of the. Pull out your favorite journal or notetaking app now and jot down a few lines you have to begin somewhere. Mar, 2017 youd think writing the second book in a series couldnt be that much different from writing the first one. And when i began sending it off to agents several said it felt as though id jammed two books into one. Well, the trilogy is the first three books of the all souls series. I still say save the cat is one of the best writing books out there. The story continues in book 4, times convert out now.

Some of the finest works of fiction are contained inside literary or cinematic threequels. Apr, 2021 romance author, lucy keeling is taking over my blog today which i am thrilled about. K t lee is joining us today to explain how and why she did just that with her new calculated series. If youre writing a historical fiction series think the century trilogy or hilary mantels wolf hall series, then you will ideally remain faithful to the facts unless you consciously choose to deviate from history. If you fail to hook your reader with your first book, then they wont get to your final two books. If you write a picture book more than 1,000 words, youre sunk. Since you want to know how to write a trilogy, youll likely have a sense of your. Jan 14, 2020 lessons learned from writing 23 books in my trilogy use a comprehensive writing system like scrivener if you can, or make really organized folders. Theyre very heavy on things like the heros journey and character arcs. The 2021 fastestgrowing private companies early rate deadline.

Examples include the millenium trilogy by stieg larsson and the indiana jones film trilogy. How to query an agent when writing a trilogy or series. Should i write all three books in a trilogy before publishing. Boost your proposalwriting skills and chance of publication with the weekend book proposal. Your trilogy can grow alongside them, and you have far more space to explore your characters, worlds, and themes than you would in a single novel. How to write a book series without messing things up. If the book really is too large to wrap up, then my suggestion is cut some parts. The bartimaeus trilogy took me about four years to write. Aug 19, 2020 fear is a challenge every writer must overcome with any form of writing. In speculative fiction, especially epic fantasy, readers expect books to be part of a series. Things to remember in writing a trilogy joab stieglitz. Dont start writing a trilogy only to leave it halfway through. Apr 22, 2019 here we are at the end of my three part series. I like to read standalones, trilogies, and series, so when writing this story, i decided to let the plot and characters dictate how long it needed to be.

That end book needs to wow the reader whilst reaching a satisfying conclusion. You must remain committed to it because whether you realize it or not, it is a mammoth task. Book two and book three feed off of the previous ones, though, so starting with book three is probably not the best idea. The first book in a trilogy is usually the easiest to write, for a couple of reasons. If you are committed to writing a trilogy, your characters must evolve throughout each of the three books. The trilogy is the most popular series format, and many authors and stories have. Naguib mahfouzs the cairo trilogy, containing the novels palace walk, palace of desire, and sugar street, is an example. How to write a series 10 tips for success now novel. Mar 21, 2018 when a trilogy is published in one volume with a title of its own, the course of action is clear.