Sequels—then and now

[pjthompson]

In case any of you missed this over on editorial_ass, it's some fine advice on whether to write the whole series/trilogy now or wait until you've sold the first book. Her advice matches up with what my instincts have always told me: don't write the sequel unless and until you've sold the first novel, because...well, read what she says.

I am definitely planning out subsequent novels in my trilogy—a sensible precaution, I believe, when one is going to shop the first book in a proposed series and quite separate from the writing thereof. I've also been occupying myself with inventing a language, or rather reinventing. I'd used some fake language bits in the first draft confident I'd remember what the words meant, but by the second draft, I had only the vaguest clue. By the third, I was utterly lost.

So I decided to start from scratch and formally structure this language. The lovely and talented mnfaure mentioned a similar obsession for one of her works and recommended Holly Lisle's language clinic, so that's what I'm using.

In my spare time. :-) It satisfies my inner obsessive-compulsive nicley, I must say. I can wile away the hours...

And it's also helped with some of the worldbuilding. Coming up with grammar rules and distinctive sounds, et al., has already got me thinking things like, "How would that sound coming out of the mouth of a nonhuman?" All good questions to ask oneself when layering the worldbuilding.

If I should happen to write that sequel.

Comments

[jenstclair.livejournal.com]

I both agree and disagree. Since I have more than one series going at any given time, I don't necessarily have to write the second book in the series right after the first one, but sometimes that's the way my mind wants to go.

If I don't keep the sequel in my mind, I run the risk of not wanting to ever finish the trilogy/series/whatever. If that makes sense.

And personally, if editorial changes made my book 1 not match up with the already written book 2 (this is as far as I've ever gone before selling book 1) then it's really a lot easier to just rewrite book 2 than not write it at all yet in the first place. If that makes sense.

But I've met no one else who writes like me, and I figure everyone else has their own way that works for them, so all is well. :)

[pjthompson]

Oh, I agree it's easier to change an already written draft then start from scratch. And yes, it would be nice to write the second book when it's nagging to be written. But I find myself not wanting to put the time and emotional commitment into writing a book unless I know it's not a "lost cause."

I put that in quotes because I don't really think that any writing venture is ever a lost cause, not completely. If nothing else, you learn so much along the way. On a more practical note, if something doesn't sell, you can always cannibalize parts of it for something else. But I do have other things I want to write and I'd like to give those ideas their shot, too.

Like you say, it's all individual and the way each writer does their writing. Everyone's mileage varies.

[jmeadows.livejournal.com]

It has happened many times that I've written the next book in the series, and realized I should change ten hundred things in the book before. SoV changed a bunch because of sequels (one which is trunked and dead and never going to come out again, and the other is fine and will eventually be The sequel, along with one other unwritten book). Toil changed a lot when I wrote Chaff.

But I do agree, mostly. I write unnaturally quickly, so I can get away with writing a sequel because I want to. The reasons she described are good reasons.

[pjthompson]

I actually think it would be strange if the second book didn't change the way one views the first book. That's kind of how my drafts evolve. Each chapter teaches me something about what's gone before, sometimes to the extent that I have to do a lot of cleaning up afterwards.

I wish I wrote faster. I would kind of like to write one of these sequels, any I may one of these days, especially if Angels2 keeps tickling.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Thanks for linking to that. It'll be something to consider after I have the first draft of this monster trilogy down. I don't know why, but in my mind, I always kind of planned on picking up another project before starting on book two.

Glad you are finding Lisle's clinic useful.

It satisfies my inner obsessive-compulsive nicley, I must say.

ooooooooooh yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. :P