Writing A Series

If you’re like me, then you spend an hour a day creeping on writing forums. Not too long ago, I stumbled upon a forum question asking how long it took to write a book. I was surprise to read that most people finished writing a book within a year, sometimes including editing.

Sometimes I feel that people think writing is a race, especially writing their first book. But it’s not. It shouldn’t be. People should take their time writing, and they definitely need to take their time when writing a series.

If you’re rushing a series, then you’ll miss and forget little details that make up all the books. Readers catch errors and inconsistencies. The best book series tie everything together from the first book to the last one. A good series will be consistent. Little details will add up over time. Characters grow and develop but will stay in character.

So if you want to write a series, I believe it’s best to hold off publishing the first book. You really, really need to know your series from start to end, and you’ll also be surprised how your ideas can change in a year and how new ones make their way into your head.

Take a look at some of these bestselling authors:

J.K. Rowling, the famous author of the Harry Potter series, spent five years planning and writing her series before the first book was published. Jeff Kinney, author of the Wimpy Kid series, spent six years planning and developing the storyline. C.S. Lewis didn’t finish writing the first book of the Narnia series until ten years after conceiving the idea. Last, J. R. R. Tolkien took twelve years to write the whole Lord of The Rings trilogy, and the novels weren’t published until five to six years later.