In this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss the craft of creating a long series, and how to innovate on your plot to keep readers engaged.
VIDEO
AUDIO
SHOW NOTES
How do you keep a story going over a long series without tiring out characters and readers? Is this limited to a single genre? What ways can you use innovation, and plot elements to keep the reader engaged?
What we talked about:
How do you keep a story going over a long series without tiring out characters and readers? (0:25)
Is this genre specific? (2:35)
The work of innovation. (3:29)
Draw in other, new, and bigger elements. (6:09)
Use personal moments. (9:08)
The idea of progressive complication. (11:25)
What if you don’t know how long your series is going to be? (14:50)
Remember that you can go internal, or turn a supporting character. (17:55)
What is your antagonist involved in? (20:30)
Change the kinds of conflict your protagonist faces. (24:25)
LINKS
Things we mentioned:
Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
Harry Potter by JK Rowling
Codex Alera by Jim Butcher
Story Grid by Shawn Coyne
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Star Wars A New Hope
