I have a confession to make: I have never deliberately written a trilogy before in my life.
Yes, I know, there are four Enchanted Forest books, and three Kate and Cecy books, and the Lyra series, and so on. But with all of those, I didn’t set out to write more than one book. I wrote a book, and then readers and editors asked for more.
This time, I signed on for three books right from the start. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and I don’t know that I can say I regret it, but it’s…different from the way I usually work. I have a notion of where the whole thing is going, rather like the notion I usually have of where and how I’m going to end a book, but it’s a lot more vague because it’s farther away.
And I’m having to be a lot more careful about things, because I know I’m not going to be able to go back and stick something into Book 1 if I happen to discover in Book 3 that I need it. Book 1 is in print; what’s there is there and I’m stuck with it. It’s kind of the extreme reverse of working without an outline (which I’ve done twice, and which always feels to me as if I’m doing a high-wire act without a net).
There’s another interesting thing, too: whenever I’ve written books before, I’ve had no idea at all what they’re really about until they’re finished (and usually not until someone else points it out to me). The few times I’ve tried to identify a theme or a “what it’s really about” before I finished a manuscript, it’s a) been totally wrong and b) made it more difficult to finish. I do much better, I’ve found, when I can just say “Yes, this plot/character/background bit will work, but I’m sorry, that one just won’t. No, I don’t know why; it just won’t.”
This time…well, Book 1 is finished and out, and while I still can’t actually say “what it’s really about,” I have a much shorter list of possibilities than I usually would at this point in a manuscript. That worries me, because I have two left to write (see “more difficult to finish,” above). On the other hand, it made it quite obvious that a particular plot-point I was considering was completely bogus and didn’t belong in this book at all, because it didn’t fit with any of the possibilities. So perhaps there’s more of an up side than I thought.
In short, the whole writing process is, as usual, not following any of its previous patterns. I’ve been doing this for thirty years; I’m supposed to know how to do this by now, right? But apparently my backbrain has other ideas. That’s all right, though; as a rule, it is much smarter than I am.
Oh my gosh! you don’t write trilogies on purpose?? I knew it all the time. I really did. because, well, your books are GOOD! i may be gushing, but in my opinion, that is one of the best ways to write trilogies! Look at normal trilogies: first one is good, second one usually is bad, and third one is usually a little bit better, but not as good as the first. or even 2-book series. (I think they’re called sequels) first, good, second, bad. even in movies (actually, mostly in movies) this happens. So when I ran across first you, then Diana Wynne Jones, I realized, oh my gosh, sequels can be GOOD! The thing about trinolgies is that they need to be related to one another, but be their own individual story. Diana Wynne Jones (and, as far as I can tell from your Enchanted forest series, you do too) makes her sequels and 3rds about someone else. The story becomes different, because not only is it different because it’s from a different perspective, but it’s also about a differenet person. In her Howl’s moving castle trilogy (which I doubt she planned for, either) the stories are about completely different people, so much so that the characters seen in previous books aren’t even featured until the 2nd half of the book (or, at least, discovered). each book ends up being it’s own, while still belonging to a group, and bringing back awesome characters.
sorry if that was a little long. hope it doesn’t take time off from writing. 🙂
That’s the thrill of writing, isn’t it: finding out in the middle of a new project that the rules you thought you were comfortable with from earlier books suddenly no longer apply? I’m running into the same thing with the YA thriller I’m working on now – it’s forcing me to rely more on instinct. Then, again, that’s the way I started writing, so perhaps things are actually coming full circle! Good luck discovering what this trilogy is really about when your backbrain is ready to let you in on the secret.
Does every book in a trilogy or series have to have the same theme? I know some do, like Prydaine Chronicles where each book shows a different facet of honor, but in other series the stories are more self-contained. If knowing your theme gives you a mental block, I’m glad you HAVEN’T figured it out.
I’ll be happy to see how everything finally work out for Eff and friends. I’m especially curious about what’s out in the Rockies that could scare a steam dragon. (Or shall that remain the eternal mystery?)
As a natural trilogist, I sympathize. And I’ve come to the conclusion that my writing process does not allow to have the first book set in stone before writing subsequent ones. Good thing I’m not published, then…
One of the great things about a series (planned or not) is how much characters develop across several books. Not just because you spend more time with them, but also because you discover more of their past and their world. Example: Marelon’s mother, in Magician’s Ward. Her attitudes go a long way toward explaining Marelon’s own eccentric nature. Plus, she’s just fun.
Sorry. I meant to say `MEETING Marelon’s mother in Magician’s Ward.’
I never set out to write quartets, either. I eventually figured out that for years it took me about 800 pages to tell one character’s story, and in the days of 200 page manuscripts, that meant four books. I’d skull out some kind of story arc per book, but the first thing was the overall arc for the quartet. Life got a lot easier once they let me off the page limit leash. Now I can write a trilogy! (But just one, just to try it.)
>>I’ve had no idea at all what they’re really about until they’re finished <<
To me it’s like excavating a dinosaur. You’ve got a lump of bone, a dental pick, and a brush. You start digging out the dirt with the pick and brushing it away, expanding around your lump of bone. By the time you’re done and you get a good look at what you’ve been working on for months, you’ve uncovered a seismosaur.
Then you get to rewrite. ::rolls eyes::
For me, it’s more as if I’m building a house, and spending all this time making sure the walls stand up and the doors and windows are in the right places. And then when I’m all finished, someone comes along and says “What a lovely log cabin!” or “What a fine Victorian style house!” or “What a nice rambler!” and I go “Huh? Whut?”
Theme isn’t something I ever think about, and story arcs for more than one book…well, the only one of those I’ve ever really done was the Enchanted Forest books, and that was only because the “first” three were actually prequels, so I was pretty much stuck with the overall plotline. Doing it in order is different. Yeah, different, that’s a good word for it.
I have loved reading all of your books, but my favorite characters are Kim and Mairelon. Is there any hope for a trilogy there? I know several other people who would race out to buy a third book in that series. I have always wondered what happened between Mairelon the Magician and The Magician’s Ward and what happened after the second book ended. Of course a little romance is always good for spurring curiosity and Magician’s Ward ended just as the romance began. So how did that come about? Will it work out? What other adventures will Kim and Mairelon have? If you ever run out of other projects, I fully support a return to this series.
Thank you. I’m not really planning on doing a third book in that series; at this time, I’m not really looking any further than the next two books of the “Frontier Magic” trilogy that I’ve promised to finish. After that, who knows. I have more ideas right now than I have time to write in the rest of my life, so I’m going to have to be a little picky.
I think that stories are like children. You know the foundations and principles behind what your bringing up, but as the story grows it gains more depth and complexity. Of course looking back you can see how all of those pieces go together to create the finished product, but along the way it is hard to tell where you are going. On the upside, if you don’t have a “theme,” you are less likely to be boring because you are more open to change and growth.
Katy–That’s a good metaphor for a lot of writers, I think. For me, it fits better with plotting than with theme. Even in retrospect, I can’t always tell where I went with a story until someone points it out to me, but when it comes to plot, being open to changing alternatives and not knowing exactly where I’m going sound awfully familiar!
I read all my children’s books before they do. I just finished Thirteenth Child last night. I read it straight through because I couldn’t put it down. Then as I was falling asleep I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters… everything that had happened and what is in store for them next… Will Eff’s father notice her talent, What will happen between Eff and William, Why are all these new magical creatures appearing, What scares a steam dragon, Is Lan going to remain a “good” magician (I sure hope so). This morning when I woke up I decided I would go to the bookstore to get the second book so I could get some answers. But as I googled to find out the title of the next book was, I found out I would have to wait a bit to get my answers. I think a book is really good when you can’t stop thinking and wondering about it afterwards. Thirteenth Child is one of those books for me. I am really looking forward to the next book!