These are notes I took from a wonderful writing symposium called Life, the Universe and Everything. We have a lot of talented people in Utah and visitors with a great deal of knowledge. Any Misinformation is the fault of the note taker.

Q: two ways to do a series standalone individual story with connecting elements. Or each book is interrelated. Lord of the rings or the Dresden Files.
– Mysteries have a reoccurring story and it can be a bottomless well. Each novel is a new adventure.
– Serialized drama: late arrivals can be lost. Advantages are you leave the reader a bit unsatisfied> reader has to buy the next novel.
– There is a large adult audience for YA. 60-75 of the YA buying audience is adults.
– In children books series have to be fairly limited because your target audience is going to age out of your series. Except for the magic tree house they want to observe. Need a certain shelf space to be noticed. Magic tree the reader wants to catch all of them.
– Harry Potter: wanted kids to grow up with the reader. Maybe just have a trilogy
– Mostly series are different than YA.
– Companion novels are in the same universe but different characters.
Q: when doing a story that is interconnected, How to know when to end a novel?
– Each book is building to something.
– The two most difficult decisions are when to begin and when to end.
– Used to work with Wizards of the coast used to belong series.
– 7 yrs. of Buffy the vampire had one big arch. But each year had their own arc. And episodes have an arc.
– What does your character want in book one? Have some accomplishments in each book but the big goal is achieved only in the last book. Time to close is when the character has obtained what they want a macro objective.
– If you leave your reader unsatisfied, they will never forgive you.
– The macro objective for Hunger Games was not the revolution but the need for a revolution and overcome the citythal.
– The challenge of a series is to educating later books to educate them without the readers from the beginning are not bored.
– Choosing the scene for a new book, it is important and can catch the reader up.
Q: what about cliffhangers popular in series. How did right and wrong?
– If the next book never comes out a reader can be frustrated that they don’t have the answer to the next book.
– On t has to have a min cliff hanger at the end of each scene to motivate the TV viewer to come back. The TV show is battling with advertising, i.e. the viewer eating Doritos.
– Some authors lend in the middle of the scene. It takes a lot of experience in the craft to do that.
– Readers want to have some progress for the character.
– TV is different from novels. When reading a book t its release they will have to wait for a yr. to get the answer to a cliff hanger is not pop0ular. Just provide something that the reader wants to learn from the world, but the world is still broken.
– With a trilogy, how to avoid a sagging middle of book two?
– Give the character something they really want in book two
– Treat every book like you’re writing the last. When you think of a great idea don’t store them up. Use them fill your book with wonderful ideas.
– Introduce new characters that prove vital in your series.
– Be willing to abandon your outline. You created it you can throw it away.
– To avoid a sagging second book be willing to change when new ideas come.
– You need to always be willing to raise the stakes. They need to be up against a whole lot more in book two. Characters face deeper and great challenges as they evolve.
– Book: First Blood by David Morrell. Is the character of Rambo.
– Things that are published are history and are canon. Unpublished is not canon and can be changed.
– When you change an outline if you as a writer are excited about the new version it has the potential of being successful. How to keep characters growing but still keep the things we liked.
– Supernatural is a TV show that does a good job of this.tv show and storytelling that keeps going deeper and keeps raising the stakes but keeps heart is supernatural. (The relationship of the brothers)
– Characters do not always grow. Sometimes a character never grows he just survives.

Q: What is better stand-alone or series?
– The publisher decides on a series. Is influenced by the model of trade houses. They are trilogies. Children’s books are stand-alone. Maybe play in the same world but with different characters.
– We are in the middle of a paper crisis right now. Children’s books and 400 pgs. It is expensive for middle grade.
– If you are querying the first book. And an agent may ask, is there more of a story? Don’t write that second book and if a publisher wants the book then do a standalone. Do one book at a time.
– If a publisher is investing in a debut novel they are investing them in you. They are investing in you.

Do you have anything to add? If so, please leave your response in the comment section of this blog.