5 TIPS FOR WRITING A COMPELLING SERIES

When I started writing fiction I had no idea it would turn into a series. I just wrote a story that compelled me to do my best and as it turned out it was significantly longer than one book. It has been twelve years since I began my journey as an author and I’ve just released the second book in the Stealing Time Series. Through that journey I’m half way through a four-book series and I’d like to share my best tips for writing a compelling series.

Develop complex characters – One of the first tasks I took on as a new author was to get to know my characters. Following the advice of Evan Marshall, in The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing, I developed a bio on each character, delving into all parts of their world. I cut out pictures of them in various poses (from a JC Penny catalog) and imagined the details of their life, physical characteristics, flaws, even their parent’s jobs. As inpatient as I was to get started I think this step allowed me to feel their motivations and add layers as I moved thought their story arcs. As I have written their dialog, and mapped out their journeys they have taken over my subconscious and now after the second book they’re so much a part of me I don’t need to refer back to these notes anymore. They move through my subconscious and often dictate their path whether I like it or not.
Add layers that build towards the next book – When I wrote the first draft the basic story came together nicely. The editing process brought about number of layers that added a richness to my work that I believe keep the readers coming back for more. Let me share an example of this. In the first book, my main character Ronnie Andrews mentions that her father died five years in the past. As I was writing the second book, an idea developed that created an entire backstory for the father and will be in integral part of the fourth book in the series. It started as a tiny kernel of an idea but as I kept exploring the possibilities a passing detail from Ronnie’s bio became an entire underlying plot driver for a future novel. Knowing this as I wrote the second book, it was easy to drop bread crumbs about this character that revealed a huge bombshell for the reader. It is one of the lingering questions at the end of book two that will bring my readers back to find out where this story thread leads.
Develop the larger plot for the entire series – Before I started writing the second book in the series, Shattering Time, I loosely plotted the remaining books in the series. There will be story elements that develop as I write, like the father’s backstory, but knowing where the future books will go gives me the freedom to maneuver in those parameters, add clues about what will come, and prevent me getting caught up in a plot hole in the future. This is another key strategy that allows those delicious layers to form, and provides opportunities to build towards a deeper plot line than if I only worked on one storyline at a time. It is similar to watching a well written TV series, they dive into the episodic plot, but they also weave in bigger story elements that carry through the series to add cohesion and build character depth as they move along.
Introduce new characters in each book – To add freshness you need to keep the readers on their toes by adding fresh new blood to the story. In Shattering Time, I introduce two important new characters — Mike Walsh, Ronnie’s hot boss, and Steph’s little brother, Ian McKay. Both serve a purpose in future books, and add an anchor point from this book to the next in the series. Mike offers Ronnie a better alternative than her current boyfriend, who Ronnie finally seeing what her best friends Steph has been saying all along – that Jeffrey is not who she thinks he is. Ian adds comic relief to a very stressful plot and will bring an important skill set to book three.
Change the scene for each book in the series – Another way to add newness for the reader is to keep a distinct setting for each story. In the first book, Stealing Time, the story is split between her friend Stephanie McKay during Hurricane Charlie and Ronnie’s journey back in time to 1752 London. In the next book, Ronnie and Steph are together during Hurricane Frances, until Ronnie is sent back in time to multiple locations. Still a split story but none of the same locations as the first book. In the third book, everything changes when Ronnie and Mike head to Puerto Rico on a business trip and encounter Hurricane Jeanne. The unifying elements through the entire series is the hurricane and the promise of time travel, but I’ve changed locations to add new challenges and situations to keep it fresh for the reader.

I’d love to know what you’d add to this list to write compelling fiction. I invite you to check out my Stealing Time Series so you can experience the power of the storm and see how I used these five tips here: http://geni.us/guestblogseries. Here is one recent review: Shattering Time is a page turner, and for that reason is a quick read. I definitely recommend it, even to those who never thought they would enjoy time travel fiction. Oddly enough, I only recognized the complexity of the characters after I completed the book and let it all sink in.

Please check out my short story, Blow, as my free gift July 10 – 14 on Amazon here: http://geni.us/guestblog. It has 4.9 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Here is one short review: Action packed short story about the intensity of Hurricane Ivan. I was so immersed in the tale, I had to look up to check that my roof was still there once I had finished. Waters is a great story teller!

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KJ Waters is the author of the #1 best-seller Stealing Time and the short-story Blow. The second book in the series, Shattering Time, was just published on June 27, 2017 and the next day reached #6 on the UK Amazon site, and was #2 as a hot new release for one category, seating neatly after Michael Crichton’s Dragon Teeth.

In addition to her writing, she is the CEO of Blondie’s Custom Book Covers (Blondiebooks.com) and the co-host of the popular podcast Blondie and the Brit (www.blondieandbrit.com.)

She has a Master’s in Business and over 15 years of experience in the marketing field. Before quitting her job to raise a family and work on writing she was the Director of Marketing and communications for a national behavioral healthcare company.

Where to find KJ Online: