By: K.M. Weiland
We live in a world of sequels. In large part, the sequel is a rather modern invention. Jane Austen wrote no sequels to her beloved Pride & Prejudice (we had to wait until 1949’sPemberley Shades for that). Dickens wrote no sequels, although his chronic serialization was, in its way, a precursor. And it took To Kill a Mockingbird fifty-five years to get its sequel.
Nowadays,
however, we have sequels coming out of our ears. Better than that, we have prequels,
interquels , midquels , sidequels , parallel stories, spiritual successors,
companion pieces, reboots, and remakes. We love sequels. We love series . As readers, we love the opportunity to
revisit familiar worlds and characters. We love getting to re-experience the
same thrill an original great story gave us. As writers, we love all those
same things–plus the commercial marketing opportunities that series
undeniably offer.
The world of the
sequel is something I’m only just recently exploring for myself. Unlike about
90% of the writing populace out there, I’ve yet to write a sequel. But that’s
about to change. I’m
embarking on the new adventure of writing a totally unforeseen sequel to
my portal fantasy Dreamlander.
It’s fantasy,
right? So why wasn’t I thinking of a series right from the minute I typed “The
End” on the first one? I’ve always wanted to do a sequel for
it. I’ve played around with sidequel and prequel ideas, since I was stumped for
a good old-fashioned sequel after tying off the loose ends on the first one
(how can you top stakes that threaten to utterly destroy two worlds?
how can you send your hero back to a place he left only to prevent worlds-ending
catastrophes?).
I’ve been
waiting all this time for the idea that would allow me to move forward. Now
that it’s here, I’m going to share some of the questions I’ve been asking
myself to help ensure I write a sequel that’s not only as good as the
first book, but–I hope–better.
Can You Outdo Yourself? (And What That
Really Means)
. . .
To read the rest
of the post, click here:
~*~
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AdviceToWriters - Advice to Writers - The Writer Must Be A Psychologist http://ow.ly/RDFrd- Yet
Another Reason To Hug Your Notebook Today - The Writer
UndergroundThe Writer Underground http://ow.ly/RDFz7 - The Importance of Making Peace With Your Past http://ow.ly/RDFSM
- 10 Rules of Writing a Novel | WritersDigest.com http://ow.ly/RDFZK
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- How to Write a Good Outline for Your Articles http://ow.ly/RDHXD
- Why You Should Quit the Toxic People in Your Life, Pronto - Cordelia Calls It Quits http://ow.ly/RDIfA
- How to Write a Sequel That's BETTER Than the First Book - Helping Writers Become Authors http://ow.ly/RDIry
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Smell Your Rookie Moves, New Writers «
terribleminds : chuckwendig http://ow.ly/RDIDA - Quick Guide: How to Choose a Name for Your New Blog http://ow.ly/RDINo
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