I am contemplating writing a trilogy. Okay, my muse is contemplating it. My brain is saying this is just silly. My muse wants not just three books set in the same world, as most of my work is, but three books that build on each other with an overarching story.
But I am hesitant.
I hate it when authors don’t wrap up a story in a single book. I want a beginning, middle, and end. Not that each book I’m planning wouldn’t be stand alone, but there would be something bigger than wouldn’t be resolved until the end of the three stories.
More than that, though, this is a much larger and more ambitious project than any single book. It means crafting six characters, three romances, and having it all work together in a cohesive whole.
It means stretching myself to something I might not be able to do well.
The doubt isn’t helping the creative process.
Every time I throw these characters into the sandbox of my imagination, they fizzle. While the romances have been working out well, the plot feels weak. The characters roll their eyes at their author-god.
I am in the middle of revising two other novels, so my brain is very much in analytical mode. That doesn’t help, either.
Perhaps I am trying too hard on this. Maybe there is a way to write their stories without so much complication.
Or maybe I should stop worrying, write the series, and let myself fail. Give myself permission to create something terrible, then give myself permission to try to make it better later.
You summarize my own dilemmas and conundrums. But then I roll into it a few days later, make changes, and it feels like magic again. Good luck. Keep writing. Cheers
Thank you. I hate to admit it, but it’s nice to know I am note alone. That these are issues others face, too. Sometimes…well, writing is so solitary. Sometimes it feels like it’s all me. I’m not good enough, etc. Logically, I know it’s the doubt demon. But emotionally? Another story!
If the characters and romances work, go for it 🙂 Plot can always be fixed later, and so long as each book stands alone I’ve often overlooked a less than perfect plot if I love the characters anyway 🙂
Thanks! I think I am going to try it! The first draft will suck, but revisions will help. And I do like how the characters are taking shape. They are rather oval at the moment, tasing while I am driving, showering, trying to sleep…