As a first time writer and working on my dark novel titled “The Gathering”, I thought it prudent to leave the story with a wide open ending and the promise to expand on some of the characters and to introduce some new eccentric and dangerous characters that would fit right in.

Thinking back on that decision, I’m not sure I made the correct decision because it locks you into that story-line when maybe you’re mind has moved in a different direction. 

However, after much contemplation, I decided I needed to finish the sequel before starting another book as I’m not the type of person that can juggle multiple story-lines, hell, I can’t even juggle more than one fantasy football team a year without losing my mind. Due to the fact that I’m in the process of writing this sequel, I’d like to share my game plan.

Determine how much time has passed between the ending of my first book and the beginning of the second?

Deciding how much time has passed between the end of your first book and the beginning of the second is critical because too much time may leave unresolved issues from the first book and will most likely leave the reader frustrated or confused.  

I would think this would be similar to writing about the end of World War I and jumping into the beginning of World War II without an explanation as to the failed plan for Germany after the first conflict which directly led to the second World War.  This gap in time would scream, “What the hell happened” from 1919 to the late 30’s.  

Also, at this time, I’m contemplating what the reader would be looking for in the sequel that would ease the transition from book one to book two, to hopefully draw the reader back into my story.

​You must realize that time has inevitably passed between your first book and its corresponding sequel.  Memories do inevitably fade or maybe they are picking up your second book before reading the first masterpiece you wrote.  

How am I going to transition from book one to a successful sequel?

It’s my plan to write my sequel as if it’s brand spanking new.  My group of nefarious characters will for the most part remain the same.  I will of course add some new characters to give the book a fresh look.  It is my hope that this will allow readers that have missed my first masterpiece, to enjoy the second one as well without feeling as though they’ve been cheated of important story lines.   

With a sequel, you will need to keep the story fresh and up the intensity.  You may have loved the ending of your first book but it’s a fact that with each sequel you will need to up the ante and give the reader more bang for their buck.  

Please, do not duplicate your story with just a slightly different ending, readers are not stupid and they will soon pick up on this all too common tactic.   

Perhaps you can tell the continued story from a different perspective such as a different character or from the same character but from a different time-line.  Maybe the new story-teller was not even in the first book?   There are many ways to handle this issue, this is a great time to think outside the box.  

Remember, a sequel is simply an extension on your first book but with some added and intensified conflict, resolutions, and a sensible transition.  

What to do with characters that may not have a part in your sequel.

I had several ideas for my protagonists in the upcoming sequel but some of my characters were not really fitting in well.  I spoke to an author friend of mine about my dilemma (a great resource to any writer is a mentor, I call mine Yoda) and here are a couple ideas that were bandied about:

• Do not force round ideas into square plots just for the sake of easy transition.  
• Keep as many elements as possible from your initial story but be careful of the tip referenced above. 

So, you’ve figured out which characters are not vital to your sequel but you don’t want to leave them hanging in the wind.  

What should you do?

A cameo appearance of a former character that just happens to make an incidental return.  You will need to provide a logical reason as to why they are no longer involved (ie moved away or some other reason that makes sense to your readers).  You don’t want your readers to think you’ve forgotten a character in the first book.  

Maybe the character that no longer fits into the sequel can have a new mission or task in the next book?  It can involve a small but critical appearance in your next book?  This is one step that I’m strongly considering in my sequel.  

As I’m writing this, I have a character that was quite prominent in my first novel but I’ve been struggling with how to keep his character involved in the sequel.  Using this tip, I’ve mentally stumbled upon a great idea on how he’s going to have an impactful but small role in the sequel.  Can you feel my enthusiasm for this idea?  I can’t wait to start working on this portion of the story.  Once I finish this blog, I’m gonna start on this idea. 

Remember, as I’ve stated in previous blogs, if you are pumped about a portion of your story, write it at that moment, you don’t have to go from beginning to end.

Lastly, If all else fails with a round character and only square pieces to jam him or her into your sequel, try the noble death.  This allows the character to affect the story in a meaningful way and easily gets you out of a bind that might keep you up at night.  

These are some ideas I've been contemplating.  But let me hear from you.  What tips do you have for writing a sequel?  Please share below. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]
  
F.R. Rivers

As a first-time writer and working on my dark novel titled “The Gathering”, I was fortunate to have a day-job with tons of dead time to write.  However, that perfect job for writing eventually came to a screeching halt, as did my writing progress.  With an uncertain future, I knew it would take herculean efforts to adjust my life-style in order to finish my writing project.  

After a few weeks of stressful unemployment, I obtained a new job which was far more demanding of my time, there was zero time to write.  I first attempted to write during my thirty-minute lunch break but that didn't work (for me).  It was now clear, my new job was going to make me work for a living (rude, don’t you think?), I was now in the unenviable position of having to create time out of my life to write a novel while remaining happily married and also help keep my teenage son on the straight and narrow.
 
Most of us have busy schedules such as day jobs, loved ones to share time with, hobbies or time to exercise or be active in one way or another.  So, time is limited and you need to create time on the periphery of your days.  

Personally, as a new author, I need more time than 15 minutes here or there to get the pen and the brain flowing.  That is not to say an idea cannot flash into your brain at a moment’s notice.  For that reason, always carry a small recorder or a small pad to jot something down.  That is just a bonus tip for you, no charge. 

Now for the ideas to help you find that valuable missing time.  There are many ways to find this elusive time to write and since everyone is different, what works for me may not work for you.   But let’s give it a shot…

1.  Wake early a few days a week.  

This would work for the morning person that may have a 9 - 5 job and does not mind waking early and getting some writing done while the world and the house are still asleep.  This idea worked great for me as I’m a person that has that 9 - 5 job and I need a larger block of time to write productively.  

2.  Reduce television time.

This one turned out very well for myself and the family, however, at first this idea faced a lot of friction.  Most of us watch too damn much TV as it is and after much debate, we reduced one hour of television per night, my wife got some extra reading time, my son did some extra studying or time with his flight simulator and I got the precious time to write.  It is now part of our routine and the grumbling has long since stopped.  

3.  Lunch time at work.

This tip was not helpful to me personally, however, many writers have told me they write during lunch.  Most of these individuals have one hour lunch breaks and if they eat in 15 minutes give or take, that leaves them plenty of time to get some writing accomplished.  

4.  Does your family do any activity that does not include you?

For several months, before this Covid-19 crap hit the fan, my son had been taking courses at an airport one night a week, due to reasons I don’t want to bore you with, I decided it would be easier on myself and my vehicle if I just stayed at the airport and waited for him.  This gave me two extra hours with my laptop to get some real writing done and my wife the book worm, got more reading time at home. 

These are just a few ideas that can help and I’m sure there are many more, however, if I list them all, this blog would become a novel.

If these ideas fail to help you or you have another tip that you’d like to share, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]  

In conclusion, the small sacrifices you incorporate into your life will give you extra time to write your book because, unfortunately, it will not write itself.  

F.R. Rivers
 
 
 
 

Dealing with road blocks

As a first time author of a serial killer fiction entitled “The Gathering”, I quickly learned that most, if not all my road blocks came in the middle portion of the book.  In most cases, an author finds a story idea that motivates him or her begin writing, they have an idea about the beginning and in many cases, a great ending in mind.  It is the middle, or “No man’s land” as I call it to be the most troublesome.  

My aim for writing my book was roughly 100,000 words.  Please note, you do not need to make your goal number of words by any means, it’s just to set a frame for the length of your book.  If it’s a good book at 85,000 or 115,000, it doesn’t matter.  

Now, assuming the exciting beginning and the thrilling ending take up 20,000 words each, you now have 40,000 words accounted for and require an additional 60,000 words in the middle.  This “No man’s land” can make or break your book.  If a reader loves the beginning of the book, falls asleep in the middle, they won’t make it to your exciting conclusion.   

You will need to successfully link up your beginning and your ending which to be honest, is the location of most road blocks.
  
Additional characters and twists in the story will need to be created.  I will briefly address characters and twists in the story for this blog because those were the areas of difficulty for me and where I feel I can help you (the new writer).

Character Creation

It was at one point in my travels through “No man’s land” where I needed an additional character and I felt completely out of ideas, maybe I’d been writing too long that day, I don’t know, but I was stumped for a name, character description and how he fit in the story.  To keep this blog mercifully short and to the point, I will just hit a couple key points.

As I was sitting in my chair searching my brain for a character name, I decided that the first person to enter my office (I was writing during my lunch ok, don’t judge me) that I’d take their first name, change it to another name beginning with the same letter and same amount of letters.  (i.e. Steve became Scott).  In short, make a game of it.  You can turn frustration to amusement that way.  

I had also decided that the character would have the opposite physical traits, mannerisms and personality of the person that entered my door.  Tall becomes short, an ass hole becomes charming, unsightly becomes handsome and so on.   

Twists In The Story

Having created my new character, a young man named Scott and the fact that he was far younger than the other characters in my book, I contemplated a logical reason he’d be in the story.  (I made him a pot washer in the tavern where the story took place.)  Now I had the character and his reason for being in this tavern.  He was now linked with a bunch of eccentric old killers, the story grew and “No man’s land” got smaller.  

There are many more road block issues that can come across your mind as you write, in short, I found it fun to make a game of character creation and many times it led directly to an additional twist or misdirection in my book. 

If you have any further questions on this matter, please feel free to ask by contacting me on my website HERE.
F.R. Rivers

I’m a first time author who never considered writing a book until an idea struck me and I followed through to the end.  You may be asking yourself, “Why would I take the advice of a self proclaimed novice?”  
Well, I can honestly tell you that the lessons I’ve learned and continue to learn remain fresh in my mind.  The bruises from my lessons (i.e. failures) have not all healed as of yet. So, yes reader and potential author, I feel I can help you get started.  

I’m sure you’ve heard people say, “I’ve done this or that for so long, I should write a book.”  This person may indeed have plenty of stories to draw from but I’m betting it’s the big picture that is preventing them from writing. 

Just my guess though. 

I’m going to make the following information as easy to understand as possible for two reasons, first, this is my first blog and I want to be as concise as possible while hopefully getting my points across clearly.  Second, the project of writing a book is daunting and I hope to decrease the anxiety you may feel.  If you are reading this, you most likely have thought of a topic (or more) to write about.  Maybe it was a long time in coming and you’ve been thinking of this for some time, or like me, it was like a thunderbolt.  Either way is fine, but right now is the time to act.  

Like our friend Yoda once said, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

Strike fast with a rudimentary outline or just a list of ideas.  This early process does not need to make sense or even take outline form and should not take long.  If you are limited for time at this crucial moment and the idea remains vivid in your head, take any opportunity available. 

​Heck, if you are sitting on the john, take a pad of paper and a pencil and write down your ideas.  This is called multitasking my friend.  ​

Initially, when I began writing, I had read or heard many writers claim that you need to set aside a time to write and remain vigilant.  I’m sure that works for many, however, I stumbled into a slight variation of practice and it worked wonders for me.  

I did set aside a time to write, however, my goal was not to type madly for an hour or two, I would commit to type ideas I may have had during the day such as a new character, a twist in the story or even better yet, an epic ending to my story.  

Since my book idea and storyline was so exciting to me, I would sit at my designated time and type ideas or add/change the outline and nine times out of ten I’d find myself still typing well into my time set aside for writing.  It had a snowball effect.  

You see, as I wrote, I’d see the need to clarify one of the thoughts I had just added.  I would then find myself expanding on the clarification and before I knew it, my son would be hollering out to me that it was dinner time and I’d been writing for over an hour.  

So, in short, set time aside to write but DO NOT feel you have to type for an hour or more.  This can be overwhelming and counterproductive to the process.

If you are going to be serious about your writing endeavor, you will have to set aside time to write, that is a harsh reality, however, and most importantly, you need to make the writing time realistic from the beginning because if it’s not, your writing project will have one foot in the grave before you’ve begun. 

To summarize this point, if you don’t have much time available, do not attempt to set aside two hours a night. 
​
Also, at this stage, it is NOT the time to worry about punctuation.  It’s time to get the ideas down while the faucet of your brain is active and excited.  There will be plenty of time later in the process to worry about commas and run-on sentences.    ​

It is extremely helpful to your story if you have a great ending in mind early in the process.  Many great writers and beginners like myself have used this method with success. During the early stages of my writing, I came across a quote by Toni Morrison, “I always know the ending; that’s where I start.”

Once your first (of many) outlines is in order, it’s time to get into the routine you have set and begin to take the outline and start to mold it into a story piece by piece.  I found it best to begin writing about whatever portion of your idea excites you the most. This can be the ending, a developing character or a story twist. 

​Hell, on days of complete brain lock, begin a list of acknowledgments.  It’s good to keep a list of people who have supported your efforts or have aided in your research.  It is crucial to keep the excitement at a high level in the beginning of your book writing adventure. ​

As your book takes shape, it would be a good time to determine what kind of characters should be added to your story.  As an example, when I was writing my book, I soon realized that the book was taking a very dark and and sinister tone and my story really could use some colorful and eccentric characters. 

​Unfortunately, it is also at this time when you will most likely discover that certain characters or story lines you’ve written about might not really fit as you had hoped.  This is frustrating to be sure. But, alas, you should not throw out this creative writing material. Keep it. You can put this unused writing in storage (whatever format you use) in a research file because the character or story line may be perfect for your next book.  ​

​Also, as you write, it is vital that you write down quick thoughts (or scribble them on a pad near you) you may have had while writing or just during the day.  If you are like me, you can forget a thought as fast as you had it. I actually just had this happen to me as I was writing this blog, I hope I can recall it. I think it was important.

While you are in this beginning process, it would be a good idea to meet some local authors.  Many of them would be happy to give you some timely pointers. meeting other authors could be helpful in many ways, from dialogue issues or just some moral support in times of frustration.  

Hopefully you will take some of my advice to heart and maybe make some adjustments that work for you.  If that’s the case, I’d love to hear what you did as it may work for me or other potential writers.  

Remember, the creation of a book is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.  The writing can take some time and the only schedule you need to keep is your own.  If you are going to write a book that was of great inspiration, write it well. My book took three years to complete, it was well worth the time and effort.

The thought I had earlier that I could not recall is gone to the great abyss of my brain.  It may have been brilliant or not-so-brilliant, so, in short, write down everything.  

Good luck, happy writing.

​F.R. Rivers