Yes people, it's the first Wednesday of the month! You know what that means... (if not, it's IWSG day, started by the awesome Alex J. Cavanaugh :)
So let's see. What am I insecure about?
I could talk to you about querying, because I am terrible at writing query letters. Then again, I've already sorta written two posts about that.
What else?
My sequel.
Yeah, sure I already finished The Inferiors (book 2 of my trilogy), but I just started editing it. And by the stars*, I've got a ton of work to do. There's so much I need to add.
And, I have no idea how to go about this.
The Inferiors could go one of two ways. Either my characters will go rescue (person you can't know about yet) or they can go find more about the (thing you'd only know about if you've read it) . Currently, I have them rescuing (person you can't know about yet) , but by that time, will the reader be fed up about not knowing about the (thing you'd only know about if you've read it) ?
It's good to keep the reader wanting more, but will I have them wanting so much they decide to give up on me?
I'm in a big mess.
Luckily, I get out of school on Friday, so I'll have an entire summer to figure this problem out.
So... what are you're insecurities? Have you guys had the same issue I've had with my sequel?
Happy Wednesday :)
--Jess
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*That's an expression my characters use... lol.
10 comments:
My experience is similar, though not quite the same. I have three books planned for my WIP (and a possible fourth), so there are things about the characters that I'm waiting to reveal until books 2 and 3. But I got feedback from my beta readers asking about some of those specific things. I'm not sure how to give the readers enough that they'll feel like they know the characters without giving away too much that I want to share later.
For The Inferiors, is there a way you can combine the person we can't know about and the thing we'd only know about if we'd read it? Or maybe they go rescue the person, but occasionally things happen that let them find out a little more about the thing, even if they still don't know everything at the end? Just enough that the reader doesn't feel like you've forgotten about it. Obviously, without knowing the details, these are just abstract questions. Good luck with it!
I see what you mean, even though I haven't written a sequel yet. As far as whether or not readers will keep reading without knowing such-and-such, then you might not know that until people read it. It's hard to tell.
Jess, I feel for you. I'm actually good with queried letters. What I'm dreading is writing a study guide for my YA, Fireseed One. I have a real block against it. Can we trade jobs? Just kidding :) Good luck with that query. It may not seem like it, but you have a start on it already!
Catherine Stine’s Idea City
My next task is to start the sequel to one of my books. I've never written a sequel and I've never really like sequels, but I am excited to write this one. Just take it one day at a time. If a writer likes the first book, I think they will read the second as long as you don't drop them off any cliffs in the sequel. :)
Good for you for attacking a sequel. I've written five manuscripts, four of which should have sequels and more but I haven't written them yet because I haven't sold the first but I'm not sure that's smart. Good luck with your writing!!!
I totally live for interlocking series books and long, sweeping family/town sagas. Good for you for going that route. Sometimes things fall together in ways you didn't imagine as you're writing a sequel or other books in a series. That's happened to me many times.
My trilogy is one story chopped up into three segments so I think its easier to write this way. Good luck with the sequel and enjoy the summer!
Picking the right direction can be intimidating. Is there a way you could combine the two? Rescue the person and find out more about the thing? Maybe you could connect them in some way.
Sorry if that advice is horrible. I don't have much context.
Wow, you're working on a Trilogy? That's amazing! I met a girl in an online writing class that attempted a trilogy, but she never followed through. I don't blame her; it's a very ambitious project! But you're an ice skater, yes? That tells me you've got drive and discipline in your DNA.
I'm nowhere near finished with my work-in-progress, but I can offer two small pieces of advice: Give your readers a little taste of what you're working on, enough to keep them invested in your project without giving too much away. Who those readers are/should be... is the subject of my IWSG post (http://pedestrianwriter.blogspot.com/ -- shameless plug)
Second: "if you've come to a fork in the road, take it." How does that apply to your plot problem? Like this: Consider every possibility, no matter how absurd it might sound at first. Can you combine both options? Can you discard both and find something else? Let your mind wander far off the beaten path and see where it takes you. That's how I came up with a few breakthroughs I never would have considered.
Good luck, enjoy your summer, and keep writing!
I made an attempt at trying to plot out my WIP in detail, could not get past the beginning where there were too many paths. Do whats comfortable and makes sense with the story, the characters will know what to do :)
visiting from IWSG
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