Sequels

[lstout]

Hi everyone

Comments

[rubel]

I am working on my second book right now, and I had to do a lot of outlining and thinking to get this thing moving in a direction I like. I find it works better if I know the direction before I start, or I build too much structure that just goes the wrong way

[lstout]

Hi Rubel! thanks for the reply! I can really agree about the plot arc, I think that's probably what draws me into a series or makes it abandon it. I guess part of the problem is my characterization in the first book took second place to the immediate plot. I had a sense that if I continued I would be writing into a rut and just rehashing the same stuff with the main character which made me think I should maybe use a different character perspective but that doesn't work with my main plot ideas...It's frustrating because I really feel that there is lots of space to expand from the first book, but if I write it now it won't be any good so I have decided to write a different book which has been bugging my subconscious as a sort of break in the hope that when I revisit the first series afterwards it will be with renewed inspiration! Does your second book feel like its as good or better than the first?

[rubel]

Well, it's too early to tell really. It felt easier to write the first one, but I'm just hitting my rhythm with the second one, I think. I feel like I may end up making more changes (mostly adding character work) to this one than I did on the last one. I do tend to favor plot a little bit over characters, and I need to make sure my characters feel satisfying.

So what are you writing now? I have another unrelated book I want to write after this one too. I feel like I may get that one traditionally published. My current one is an eBook.

[captlychee]

One of the best sequels ever done, IMHO, is Larry Niven's Ringworld Engineers, the sequel to Ringworld and, as I say, IMHO a much better book.

He waited until he had enough feedback on the first book to write a good sequel to it. Now, he didn't intend to write a sequel, so it took ten years of feedback to et him started, but since you intend to write one, and are doing it, you will have to wait less time for feedback about the first book.

Which thus entails we feedbacking 'loftites' finding out what it is :)

[lstout]

I don't think I know the series. I will have to check them out! Ten years sounds like a long time to wait, still, it's reassuring to think that a series won't necessarily flop just because you take a hiatus between each book! thanks for the response, it can be intimidating thinking you should be writing something when the inspiration isn't fresh!

[captlychee]

It's hard SF, so not really your cup of tea judging by your LJ profile. The whole series is four books now, too, written over 33 years or so.

Larry Niven did do a lot of other books in between, and it wasn't that he was gestating away the sequel and doing nothing else. the main point is that he waited for geedback on the first book to see what needed to be done in the sequel (which hehad not planned to write). the third and fourth books were inspired by discussions about the statements made in the first two.

Feedback isn't vital or necessary but it is handy. Accordingly I just bought Shadowbound for the Kindle and, if you're amenable, I'll get back to you with some feedback.

Oh, and I noticed you've only joined LJ recently, so welcome! There are some good people here. I may be one of them :)

[lstout]

It's true I never really read SF the way I do fantasy...I know a couple of books, Dune and the Player of Games mostly and enjoyed them but on the whole the genre always intimidated me! His book must have gone down well to generate enough discussion for two others! Also wow! thanks so much for buying - I adore feedback, particularly as this is my first book and I am attempting to hone my craft! So far I am very much enjoying livejournal :)