On Writing a Sequel
On Writing a Sequel
(plus, a Special deal inside👀)
by Dina S.
I never intended to write a sequel to Nothing Special. My first book was a standalone novel. My characters were dead in my mind. Or, to paint a more pleasant picture, they lived on happily in the Disney Pink Void with the other princesses. However, along with my offer for publication, many moons ago, came an opportunity. Yes, we want your book, but we want three of them. I had to decide how badly I wanted my book published, and whether I was capable of creating a more expansive world.
That was my dilemma. I wrote a small, contrite, and vague world that allowed my reader to take from it what they wanted and imagine its horizons for themself. Does it take place in our world or in an unknown, unnamed fantasy land only accessible via StarGate? I still don’t know. In the process of developmental edits for Nothing Special, we did pick a real place to write about, but I still had no idea what the greater world looked like outside Paisley’s tiny perspective.
Writing a sequel requires one to push themselves more than they ever have before. When you write your first book you likely have the world painted in your mind, or if you’re a plotter, you likely have it written out in a fine-tuned outline that would put the Constitution to shame. There couldn’t possibly be more to go…until you have no choice but to add more. Create new characters, new problems to overcome, deeper character development and arcs.
How do you find a new story within the old one? Can it be done? For me, yes and no. I realized that I had effectively written entirely new characters and a completely separate world by the time I had finished writing my sequel, Something Special. It required an insane amount of dev edits and, thanks to my wonderful critique partner, bridges were built to connect these old characters to the new way I had written them. We essentially had to work backward, and I think it not only gave me a better understanding of the world, but also instilled within me a greater sense of awe for those who write a series, as a series, from the get-go.
That being said, if you’re interested in checking out my first book, Nothing Special, it is COMPLETELY FREE, today only, as part of the Stuff Your E-Reader event. There are 1,000 FREE romance books available on www.romancebookworms.com NOW!
