One Too Many

We have all been there before. You had those cookies for dessert, but you felt "just one more" would be fine...

and then it wasn't.

Maybe some of you over the weekend went to a New Year's Eve party and had "just one more" and that would be fine...

and then it wasn't.

The list goes on and on, and I am sure all of you can add in your favorite example. Today, however, I want to talk about the issue with writing novels, specifically, when you are thinking about writing a series. 

First of all, let me dispel the belief that all of your books need to be a series because "Hey, I heard that editors want to have a series." That is not true! Would editors like to buy books in a bundle (2 and 3 book deals for example)? Yes! This is purely from a financial perspective. If your first book sells AMAZINGLY WELL! Then if they had to buy a second book from you, there would be an expectation that the second book would receive a higher advance. Get three books and those later two could be at a discount rate for the publisher. 

What those publishers would like are books that are similar. Potentially a similar theme or a similar time period. If it is a series, then go for it. 

But what does this have to do with the idea of "one too many?"

Over Christmas, I was given a copy of a follow up book to one I had read and sort of liked. As I started into it, I realized the author should have stopped while they were ahead. The second book was repetitive, forced and simply trying too hard to be like the first book. 

I see the same thing when authors want to write about characters in a family, or a small town, or the more stereotypical, ranch setting. They start out writing about the 3 brothers (I know cliche, but it works), but then they move on to a daughter of the first brother who got married, then to the cousin who moves on the ranch, then then best friend of the cousin twice removed. Arrrrrgggghhhh!!!!! You have to stop.

There are multiple problems here. At some point, your readers will get lost. They will have no idea who those other characters are that you keep mentioning. NOTE: We are facing this right now with the latest Disney Plus release about Boba Fett. Our entire family is lost except for my son who kept up on the entire first 6 movies, the add on movies, the extensions and so forth. The rest of us sat there and thought, huh?????

The other issue with doing too many books around the same town or family is that we really don't learn much more. We had it all covered in those first couple of books. What more is there to learn? 

Look, if you like to write about small towns, move to a different small town for that next series. Disassociate yourself from that first town. Secondly, limit yourself. When you decide to write the series, pick those three characters, and tell their story. Once you are done with them, move to a new town or a new family. 

You will find that the stories work much better, the editors are going to like you more, and your readers will not end up like me saying, "Come on, this was too much!"