On Writing A Sequel...

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