Learn about the 5 essential steps to plan your book series, the different categories of book series, analyzing character journeys in popular series like Hunger Games, exploring the strategic implications of a villain's plot, a helpful exercise for generating plot ideas, and tips for enhancing worldbuilding. Planning a book series is a complex process that requires time and dedication, but these insights will help you get started on the right track.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Identify Series and Book Themes
Identify your series' central theme and each book's sub-theme early on.
This will guide your plot and character development cohesively throughout the series.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Keep Genres Consistent
Determine your series' genre and maintain it across books for consistency.
Avoid changing genres between books to keep reader trust and engagement.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Plan Character Arcs Across Series
Map your protagonist's character arc from start to finish of the series.
Have your character start believing the opposite of your series' theme and evolve to embody it.
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“The key to making books within a series work is to grow, escalate, and complicate the conflict and stakes from book to book.” - Savannah Gilbo
A good book series allows readers to immerse themselves in a world and stay there. But how do you write a series that works? To start, here are 5 steps to help you start planning your book series.
[14:50] Unpacking Voldemort's grand plot objective versus the specific goals within each book—and the strategic implications.
[21:35] A useful exercise to stimulate plot ideas for your series.
[29:03] A bonus tip for enriching the worldbuilding/setting of your book series.
[32:45] As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into planning a book series. Don’t expect to have everything figured out in one or two sittings. This is something you’ll need to start and add to over time, so please know that going into this process!
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