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K.C. Tansley | Four Secrets to Writing a Good Sequel
GIVEAWAY: Win a $25 iTunes card PLUS book and other goodies!
October 19, 2017
Now that I’ve written two sequels in two different series, The Six Train to Wisconsin
series (adult paranormal suspense) and The Unbelievables series
(YA time-travel mystery), I’ve discovered there are a few secrets to writing a
good sequel.
- Go Deeper, Not Bigger
One of the biggest mistakes an author can make is assuming they have to go
bigger in each book. If book 1 was hero vs. villain, book 2 is now a team of
heroes vs. team of villains. If there were 6-8 characters in book 1, now there
are twice as many in book 2. If they time traveled once in book 1, they have to
time travel 3 times in book 2. If the stakes were life or death in book 1, now
it’s end of the world in book 2.
But bigger isn’t always better.
The first book introduces your story world and your characters. What readers
really want in a sequel is to go deeper into that world you created. They want
to learn more about how it works and why it works. They want you to explore the
rules of your world and give them greater insight into the inner workings. They
want to get to know the characters better and see the characters that they have
come to care about grow and change. Going deeper means making the readers care
more about the story world, the characters, and giving the readers a greater
stake in the story.
- Keep Your Story Promise
Your back cover is a promise to readers about what they are getting into in
terms of the main plot thread and the genre. Make sure you deliver on it in book 2.
The first chapter is a promise on style and tone to readers. Reinforce the back
cover’s promise and then go further. Your writing style should fit what the
story needs. Don’t shift genre or style throughout the book. Deliver a
consistently told story that fits together tightly.
- Follow Your Own Rules
Book 1 is the bedrock for your series and begins your world building. You need
to have book 1 fresh in your mind when you write book 2. Everything in book 1 is
set in stone for readers, so if you contradict what you wrote in book 1, you
better have a good reason and it should be a conscious choice, not a mistake.
Sometimes the world building isn’t explicit but things are inferred from what
you wrote on the page. Make sure you don’t violate any of the written or
unwritten rules of your world. Check and double check things with the original
text. Have early readers poke holes in your world building. Make sure it stands
up to what came before and even strengthens it.
- Lay the Groundwork for Book 3
A great sequel builds on book 1 and also introduces the threads that tie
together in book 3. Foreshadow some of what is coming. Even as you tie up the
plot arc of book 2, make sure you raise some questions about what comes next in
book 3.
When your reader gets to book 3, you want them to have an aha moment where they
realize how well you laid out the story and how something minor in book 2
ripples through the plot of book 3. Your story will be richer for it and your
readers will thank you.
The Unbelievables
#2
She tried to ignore them. Now she might risk everything to save them.
After a summer spent in a haunted castle—a summer in which she traveled through
time to solve a murder mystery—Kat is looking forward to a totally normal senior
year at McTernan Academy. Then the ghost of a little girl appears and begs Kat
for help, and more unquiet apparitions follow. All of them are terrified by the
Dark One, and it soon becomes clear that that this evil force wants Kat dead. Searching for help, Kat leaves school for the ancestral home she’s only just
discovered. Her friend Evan, whose family is joined to her own by an arcane
history, accompanies her. With the assistance of her eccentric great aunts and a
loyal family ghost, Kat soon learns that she and Evan can only fix the present
by traveling into the past. As Kat and Evan make their way through nineteenth-century Vienna, the Dark One
stalks them, and Kat must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to save a
ghost.
Young Adult
Paranormal [Beckett Publishing Group, On Sale:
October 17, 2017, e-Book, ISBN: 2940154417829 / eISBN: 9781943024056]
K.C. Tansley lives with her warrior lapdog, Emerson, and two quirky golden
retrievers on a hill somewhere in Connecticut. She tends to believe in the
unbelievables—spells, ghosts, time travel—and writes about them. Never one to say no to a road trip, she’s climbed the Great Wall twice, hopped
on the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, and danced the night away in the dunes
of Cape Hatteras. She loves the ocean and hates the sun, which makes for
interesting beach days. The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts is her
award-winning and bestselling first novel in The Unbelievables series. As Kourtney Heintz, she also writes award winning cross-genre fiction for
adults. You can find out more about her at: http://kctansley.com
What do you think about sequels? Tell us below and you'll be entered to win a signed copy of THE GIRL WHO SAVED GHOSTS with some author swag (pen, temporary tattoo, sticker, bookmark, wristband, and keylight) and a $25 iTunes giftcard.
Comments
24 comments posted.
Re: K.C. Tansley | Four Secrets to Writing a Good Sequel
I like sequels especially when the author sticks to your
rules up there. However, I get a little crazy when it is
pretty much the exact plot as book 1 with different
characters. Then it's like they are writing their own fan
fiction in my opinion. Congratulations on the New release!
(Tanya Guthrie 4:10pm October 19, 2017)
I think that sequels are great, especially if they follow
your rules! However, I feel that a lot of times the girl
gets the guy in the first book and after that I become bored
with their relationship, so I like it when the author moves
onto two different characters.
(Lindsey Postula 9:06pm October 19, 2017)
Tanya, thanks--I feel the same way. I don't like reboots. Of course there are
certain conventions to each genre but I want to be surprised and not know what's
coming next too! Thank you so much!
(Kourtney Heintz 11:50pm October 19, 2017)
Thanks, Lyndsey. Especially in a romance, I think it's hard to keep that kind of
tension and excitement going when a couple is together.
(Kourtney Heintz 11:52pm October 19, 2017)
I definitely enjoy series so sequels are great, tho I do like
the main points closed out for each book.
(Susan Voss 11:22am October 21, 2017)
I enjoy sequels, I am invested in the characters from the
first book and enjoy seeing them again.
(G. Bisbjerg 11:46am October 21, 2017)
Susan, I agree. Each book has to answer the main question raised in that book, but
also raise new questions that are answered in the next book.
(Kourtney Heintz 6:34pm October 21, 2017)
G., I am a huge fan of sequels. I have only written series so far. I am not sure I
could let my characters go after one book. Possibly a future challenge?
(Kourtney Heintz 6:35pm October 21, 2017)
I love paranormal, time-travel, science fiction and fantasy. Your book is right up my alley. Glad to meet you!
(Sarah Edwards 11:26pm October 21, 2017)
I love sequels.I like to know a
characters life in depth.
(Debby Creager 9:53am October 22, 2017)
I love sequels! When I get to know the characters, I always want to know
what happens next. I do like it better when each book completes one story
though.
(Jenny Solis 1:17pm October 22, 2017)
I generally like sequels especially if I really liked the
original and want to find out more about the characters.
(Glenda Martillotti 11:00pm October 22, 2017)
Sarah, those are my favorite things too! Nice to meet you! :)
(Kourtney Heintz 11:37pm October 22, 2017)
Debby, that's a fabulous reason! I agree--it's so nice to come back to a character.
(Kourtney Heintz 11:38pm October 22, 2017)
Jenny, that's an important point about series. Each book has to be able to stand on
its own as a completed story. When I'm writing, I always feel like my characters
have so much more to reveal in the next book!
(Kourtney Heintz 11:40pm October 22, 2017)
Glenda, you're right--characters are what keep readers coming back!
(Kourtney Heintz 11:40pm October 22, 2017)
I do enjoy sequels as long as like you said everything
follows along and isn't the same thing over again
(Linda Moffitt 1:05am October 24, 2017)
Yes, I enjoy series because it gives me a chance to find out more about characters introduced in the previous book. Also, it gives me a peek into what is happening in the lives of main characters previously introduced. The difficult part is having to wait for the next book.
(Anna Speed 7:05am October 24, 2017)
Linda, I love sequels. But you're right I really don't like when it feels like a reboot of
Book 1. Thanks for stopping by!
(Kourtney Heintz 11:12am October 24, 2017)
Anna, I love going deeper into the characters. The wait is tough. I try to give my
fans a one page synopsis of the previous book before the new one releases, just
to refresh their memories.
(Kourtney Heintz 11:13am October 24, 2017)
I enjoy reading sequels to revisit the main characters and follow the plot development.
(Bonnie H 11:21am October 24, 2017)
I love sequels as long as they follow your rules
(Jean Benedict 2:00pm October 24, 2017)
Bonnie, great reasons! :) I like seeing what happens next after I've emotionally
invested in the characters.
(Kourtney Heintz 11:59pm October 24, 2017)
Jean, thanks! :)
(Kourtney Heintz 11:59pm October 24, 2017)
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