Tuesday, April 16, 2019

The Trick About Writing A Sequel

Welcome everyone!

Work on my sequel book is coming along well. I have written on it for 12 consecutive days, so now it's becoming a routine.

The hard part at the moment is wanting to focus on writing while the NBA playoffs are on. I'm a huge NBA fan, so I hate to miss any of the games. But priorities. Finishing my book means more to me that watching the games, so I have to make the sacrifice.

Anyway, I've done some research into what people want out of Book 2 in a series. It turns out, they want the same thing only different. While that might seem paradoxical, it makes a certain amount of sense. Readers want the same type of story but with different challenges and different outcomes.

I think the best example of this type of thing was the second book in the Harry Potter series. It's essentially the same story as the first:

  • Rotten step-parents set up the status quo
  • A strange messenger summons Harry to the school
  • People hate on Harry the whole time he's there
  • Mysterious attacks happen in the school
  • There's a hidden room where Harry confronts He Who Shall Not Be Named in some form
Honestly, if the first book in the Harry Potter series had been named, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" would the title still have made sense for that book? I think so. 

So in Book 2 for my series, the plot will have some similarities to book one. However, the challenges faced by the main character and the outcomes at the end will be vastly different. 

I do feel this is the best route to go. The repetition of a familiar plot line gives the reader what he/she enjoyed in the first book. The change to the obstacles, enemies, and consequences gives the readers something new to tickle their brains. 



I'll be back with more updates as things go along. Everyone take care of each other.

Peace,

-Troy

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