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.
To create a successful book series, it is important to escalate conflict and stakes with each installment, immersing readers in a growing narrative world.
Establishing a clear genre framework and thematic focus for each book in a series helps maintain coherence and guides plot and character development effectively.
Deep dives
Identifying the Theme of Your Series and Each Book
When planning a dynamic book series, it is crucial to start by identifying the central theme of your series and each individual book. The theme serves as a unifying element that ties the narrative together, providing a clear focus for plot and character development. By aligning the themes of your series with specific genre conventions, you can streamline the storytelling process and ensure coherence across your books. For instance, a romance series may explore themes of love and relationships, guiding the plot and character arcs in a cohesive direction.
Determining the Genre and Structure of Your Series
In crafting a book series, it is essential to establish the genre framework for the entire series and each individual book. By determining the genre mix early on, you can map out the progression of your series more effectively, guiding key plot points and character developments. Mixing genres within a single book series is discouraged as it may confuse readers and detract from the overall coherence of the storytelling. Keeping the genre consistent throughout the series enhances reader engagement and helps maintain a coherent narrative flow.
Mapping Character Arcs Across the Series
A critical step in planning a dynamic book series involves mapping out the character arcs that unfold across multiple books. Understanding how your characters evolve and respond to external conflicts is key to creating engaging and relatable storylines. By charting the starting points and endpoints of character development, authors can ensure a satisfying progression that resonates with readers. Each character's journey should align with the overarching theme of the series, reflecting growth, challenges, and transformative experiences.
Brainstorming Antagonists Across the Series
Brainstorming the role of antagonists and their impact on the narrative arc is essential for developing a compelling book series. Antagonists provide the central conflicts that challenge protagonists and drive the story forward, creating tension and drama. Planning a hierarchy of antagonists throughout the series helps maintain narrative coherence and ensures a progressive escalation of stakes and challenges. Understanding the motivations and goals of antagonists enhances character dynamics and enriches the storytelling with complex conflicts and confrontations.
“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!