On the Difficulties of Writing a Series

  

It starts innocently enough with one book. I know very few authors who knew right away that they wanted to write a series with the same characters. It just worked out that way. The plot was great, the characters were fleshed out, the setting broad enough to allow for more stories. Why not write another one?

A series offers the opportunity to develop characters, to reveal more details, to give them more depth. The characters become a family in which the author enjoys being a guest. The main characters make new friends or enemies, suffer bad times and enjoy good ones, meet a partner for life, get married, and have children.

The difficulty, however, is to keep coming up with new and good plots that will keep readers entertained and engaged enough to want to read more adventures. It's not enough to create lovable characters and follow them through their lives. At the same time, each plot must be a reason in itself for the reader to want to read the book. Therefore, the author must know when it is better to end the series.

Unfortunately, I have read some book series that should have ended after the fifth book, not the tenth. It's a shame when even successful authors fall into this trap of writing boring, uninspired texts just because the publisher demands it or there is a contract for more books. On the other hand, there are series that I devoured simply because each new book brought new developments and was simply well written.

One last note: I've gotten into the habit of keeping a file in which I write down all the details for every character that appears in the books. This applies to physical appearance as well as to all experiences, preferences, and even fears the character suffers throughout the story. It helps if the character is portrayed as being afraid of water in book one, but has to save a drowning man from a lake in book five. The character shouldn't be too enthusiastic about it...

 

Here’s an excerpt from Clandestine Dealings (book #8 in the series with Nick & Jacklyn).

The two main characters in a dispute about how to spend the Fourth of July…

 

Jacklyn could always tell Nicolas’s mood when he entered their home. The way he dropped his badge and gun on the shelf, the way he took off his jacket and shoes, and the way he looked at her. This evening, he was tired but also grumpy.

She flashed a smile, smacked a kiss on his lips, and asked how his day had been.

“Tiresome.” He went to the bedroom to take off his clothes. “Too many cases, no leads, nothing to go on. It feels like walking through molasses. Frustrating.”

From behind, she put her hands on his shoulders. “We have a day off tomorrow. You can relax.”

“Is that so? Just speaking of frustrating—this reaches a higher level.” He turned around. “Do we have to leave at all?” He kissed her chastely. “Wouldn’t it be nice to stay here and do nothing?”

She had heard the plea before. “We agreed on participating—”

“You told me we would spend the holiday with your parents at their home. You didn’t ask for my agreement.”

Jacklyn let go, shrugging. “My parents want to spend time with us. That’s okay, I think. Not that unusual.”

“Your mom doesn’t want to meet with me. She wants to see her daughter, and you made it clear she can’t have you without having me. That’s different.” He turned to the drawer for fresh underwear.

Jacklyn tried for a soothing tone, even though she was annoyed that they led the conversation in a loop every year. “It’s not that she doesn’t like you.”

“She accepted her daughter’s decision to live with a loser instead of a rich banker.”

“You forgot to mention he should be old and ugly.” Her smile, meant to calm his mood, was wasted.

“She made it very clear she wanted a better match for her daughter, and I’m a walking disappointment she can’t get rid of. There’s more acceptance in a shark that he can’t catch every prey.” He went to the bathroom. “Every time I’m at your parent’s home, she shows off with what they have and what you will inherit—always accompanied by a look that says that I shouldn’t be the man to share that wealth with you.” He dropped his underwear and switched on the shower. “She’s probably happy we don’t intend to get married.”

Jacklyn took off her pants and shirt and joined him under the spray of water. She wouldn’t follow the way the conversation was turning. “Don’t be glum. Please, don’t be angry about my mom. It’s not worth it.”

Nicolas turned to her, hanging his head. “Why can’t we spend the Fourth of July here? Why the hassle? Isn’t there any other time you can visit your parents? Without me?”

She cupped his cheeks and looked him deep in the eyes. “I’m proud of you, Nick. I’m proud that you are a successful agent, that you work hard and do a dangerous job. You risk your life every day.”

“In your mom’s eyes—”

“My mom’s opinion means shit to me.” She kissed him. “You should know that by now.” When he still didn’t look convinced, she added, “We’ll make a deal. If my mom behaves badly again, we spend the next holiday here. Just the two of us.”

“The next holidays I want you for myself and not to pay attention to your parents’ interests, which are far away from the real world.”

“That’s not true. My father—”

Nicolas put a finger on her lips. “Deal.” He pulled her under the warm water to kiss and embrace her.

Jacklyn melted in his arms, happy to have turned the mood around. The night was looking up.

* * *

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