In a post on the Pub Rants blog, professional development editor Angie Hodapp says your story needs to start as soon as possible, not on page 10 or 50, and certainly not in Book 2.
In her work, Hodapp reads a lot of proposed novels that don’t start soon enough, but lately she’s encountered writers who pinky swear that they will resolve plot issues and answer questions in the sequel. That raises some problems.
“First, we have to sell book one before book two,” Hodapp says. “The likelihood that we’ll sell book one if, on its own, it doesn’t tell a satisfying story from beginning to middle to end is pretty low.” Unless you’re self-publishing – and even then – you should treat every book as a stand-alone novel. “Make it as self-contained, complete, and satisfying as you can, even if—especially if—it’s part of a planned series,” Hodapp advises.
Second, a novel that leaves too many open questions makes it look like you don’t know how to structure your novel or revise. “Maybe they really do intend to resolve all the unanswered story questions in a sequel, and maybe they know exactly how,” Hodapp says. Once again, that first book isn’t likely to sell unless it’s satisfying on its own. Hodapp suggests you examine your novel for issues with word economy, pacing, plot, and structure. You should also be honest with yourself about your openness and ability with revision.
Third, too many mysteries suggests the writer doesn’t know how the story ends. Again, Hodapp advises you to find an editor or critique group. Work with them to develop a satisfying ending and then work backwards to see what revisions can help your novel get there.
But what if you really are writing a series? Don’t you need to hook your reader into buying the next one? Fair point. Hodapp suggests two things to consider if you’re proposing a series:
- Take an episodic approach. “Wrap up each book, making sure all the story questions are answered, and then at the very end—like, seriously, the last page or two—tease a new story question for the next book,” Hodapp suggests.
- Create a series arc. Write each book with its own narrative arc, but also create an arc for your series, including an open-ended story question that will not be answered until the last pages of the last book in the series. As an example, Hodapp notes that the TV detective Monk solved a crime each episode, while leaving open the question of who killed his wife. That question is finally resolved in the series finale.
