The Unique Challenge of Writing Sequels

Sequels are interesting because they are so constraining; it's like an advanced game designed to challenge the player with highly limiting rules. You have already laid out the continuity and established who the primary characters are and what the underlying source of conflict is. You're stuck with it. (Assuming, of course, that the first book is already published. Otherwise, all bets are off.)

You now must work within the universe you have created. In a way it's easier, because you know what you're dealing with. It's like driving a familiar road or cooking with ingredients you have used many times before. But you can't go back and re-write the previous book. Oh, you might be able to fix a couple of editorial or stylistic issues here and there, but you can't retroactively alter the premise. The context is fixed. In that sense, it's rather similar to one of those workshop exercises where the instructor gives you three or four prompts and assigns you to create a story that involves all of them. You have to work within a sharply pre-defined frame.

I mapped out the entire story arc for the three novels in the Victoria da Vinci series — Dicing Time for Gladness , Crass Casualty and Hate's Profiting — way in advance because, as I explained in this blog , the whole thing started out as a single short story. So it's not as hard as it would be if I had begun each new book with a fresh sheet of blank paper, trying to come up with a new story that somehow fits in with what's already out there.

Still, I find myself in awe of writers who produce one novel and then go back later to craft an unplanned follow-up. And as I discussed in this blog , one of the most important aspects of a good story is that it has to feel finished. A string of books must have a string of satisfying resolutions, with each installment ending in a fitting and meaningful way that resonates fractally with the larger plot. I can't imagine going back to a book that I had considered settled and done, resurrecting the story and finding a way to continue it. It almost feels like a betrayal of my original intentions.

As I approach the end of the process of writing the second book in this series, I find myself looking forward to being done with the whole trilogy (at the end of 2015, assuming I can stay on schedule). The idea of letting a project go appeals to me. I love these characters and I love the whole concept, but I'm glad to put it out there in the world and let it have a life of its own.