There’s no doubt about it, sequels are hard, aren’t they? I’m only just discovering this about writing novels, as I’m working on my first ever sequel (to my novel, The Typewriterists). For the purposes of a blog post, I’ve been trying to list out the pros and cons, or in other words, what’s making it easier or harder than it was the write the original. Here are some thoughts to consider (no spoilers, I promise):
Let’s start with the ‘Easier’ column:
- One book down, I know my characters better. At least half the cast is already established; I’ve been living with them for several years. I understand how they work!
- I’ve already done most of the world building. I don’t have to create/ imagine everything from scratch. Like a set on the backlot of Paramount Studios, I have most of the scenery ready to go.
- Readers will come to the story knowing the previous background, so I don’t need to write all that exposition and backstory stuff all over again. I can just get on with it, right?
But then, there’s the harsh reality of the ‘Harder’ column:
- Some of the readers won’t have read the previous book, so I have to offer enough exposition to get them up to speed without boring the pants off the veterans who, like me, are raring to get into the action. That’s a tricky balance.
- Writing the original, I used to have a ‘Get Out Of Jail’ card when I got stuck: I could go back and change the history I’d already written. Now, the historical facts – the backstory – has APPEARED IN PRINT. Even if some details now seem wrong, large chunks of the past in this supposedly fictional world are now enshrined as ‘facts’. (It’s almost as if it’s all actually happened!)
- The now-familiar characters have got uppity, and just won’t do what they’re told when I decide they need to. They keep messing up my new plot by asking questions like ‘What’s my motivation in this scene?’ and other inane questions that actors ask of authors. They say, “But I know my [name of character] and they wouldn’t say this,” and I find myself yelling, “Yes, they would. Look, they say it right here on the page I’ve just written.” I never seem to win the argument.
That’s all I have for now. But if you’d like to see the problem I’ve created by past publication, please do check out The Typewriterists, the novel for which I am trying to create a follow up.
And by the way, make sure you don’t miss the next event at the club, when Marc Gascoigne comes to talk on 13th February 2025.
Contributed by: Dave Martin
leicesterwritersclub.com 