To be continued: The art of the sequel

Like movie producers, writers often want to build in a ready audience for their next work. They end the story in the middle of the action or without resolving important questions in an effort to compel readers to buy the next installment or the next chapter or the next book. Although not always used as a cliffhanger ending, this legitimate literary practice has been around for thousands of years.

This age of quick and easy self-publishing has given rise to myriad new authors who take advantage of serials. Unfortunately, many do not understand the difference between a series and a serial.

The best example of a serial is the soap opera. Plots continue from one episode to the next, nothing truly getting resolved at the end of an episode. No single episode stands on its own: one must watch (or read) earlier episodes to understand what's going on in the current one. Each episode ends with crucial questions left unanswered, adding to the mystery of what will happen next. In a serial, major plot lines finally conclude in the final installment. None of the installments stands on its own as a story in itself. The romance genre houses many serials.

A serial also consists of multiple volumes running along the same major plot; however, the separate volumes stand as complete stories in and of themselves. The stories are connected via an overarching plot threading them together or via a collection of characters. Genre fiction lends itself well to serials, from the Joe Leaphorn mysteries by Tony Hillerman and Robert B. Parker's Spenser series to Julia Quinn's delightful Regency romances centered upon the Bridgerton siblings and Susan Stoker's SEAL of Protection series of military romances to fantasy's now-iconic Shannara series by Terry Brooks and Belgariad by David Eddings.

(I'll admit that fantasy tends to blur the lines between serial and series. Don't believe me? Check out Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. I never managed to read the entire thing, growing disgusted with the story around the fourth of fifth volume.)

But I digress.

The purpose of writing a serial or series is to compel readers to read the sequel to whatever it is they're reading. Cliffhanger endings serve that purpose well, because the reader must pick up the next book to find out what happens next. Many readers--including me--detest cliffhangers, if only because too many writers use them as money grabs. Disgruntled reviewers often ask why cannot the author write a complete book.

Taking greater skill than merely cutting off the story in the middle of a crucial scene is the series that draws the reader from book to book because the reader wants to continue the relationship. The reader wants to learn more about the other characters and, if the story is a continuing plot, how that plot evolves. For instance, in Nora Roberts' many trilogies, each book stands on its own with a satisfactory conclusion of each book's central romance; however, the overarching plot continues. Readers know the ultimate conclusion: that good will triumph over evil, that love will triumph over all other obstacles. Despite that foregone conclusion, they want to experience the journey with the characters.

A successful series depends upon characters who engage readers. Such characters must have flaws: few people can relate to perfection. Such characters must experience some sort of hardship to which readers can relate, such as emotional loss or financial difficulty or victimization of some sort. Such characters must grow, perhaps from fearfulness to courage or rudeness to empathy. Once type of literary device in romance concerns the "bad boy" hero, the male protagonist who considers women disposable. The growth that happens centers upon his attachment to a specific woman and learning to care for her more than anything or anyone else. A popular saying in Regency romances echoing the same sentiment is that reformed rakes make the best husbands.

Inspiring the reader's desire to continue the journey after the first book takes talent and skill. I hope readers feel that desire after beginning any of my series.

Every word counts.

#henhousepublishing #hollybargobooks #fictionwriting