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To Be Continued
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Part of the problem is that sequels face the fate of competing with the first. A good sequel needs to go in new directions. Add depth to characters. And also achieve their own level of charm and intrigue.
I LOVED The Dark Knight. The Joker outdid Batman in amazing character depth, drawing attention during screen time, and making me forget about reality while I watched every second. The 3rd installment not do much.
I think doing a series is indeed tricky, because one of the sequels won't be as strong as the original book that pulled the reader in. I've only written book 1 of the Brides of Brevalia Series. It came out in May and I've already had a few emails asking when #2 will be out. I am working on #2 now, but the pressure is on because it is also competing with #1 in a way, as far as keeping the reader's interest.
Though I always liked The Hunger Games as a stand-alone book, I really liked Catching Fire and thought it did a good job following up on the first book, making the struggle Katniss Everdeen faces more personal as she learns more about how that, despite winning the Games, she is far from able to live her life as she sees fit.I agree that doing a sequel can be tough -- in most instances, a sequel doesn't really improve on the first but tends to fall into the trap of falling back on what made the first in the series work so well. That's something I've had to be careful about when I've written my own series.
Greg wrote: "Part of the problem is that sequels face the fate of competing with the first. A good sequel needs to go in new directions. Add depth to characters. And also achieve their own level of charm and ..."
I agree. I was tempted to use The Dark Knight as my example, because it was such a major success at delivering deeper characters. I say characters, because even though Joker did steal the show, I think Batman's character got a better treatment as well. They really made a strong case justifying his moniker as the "dark knight".
Bob wrote: "Though I always liked The Hunger Games as a stand-alone book, I really liked Catching Fire and thought it did a good job following up on the first book..."
I also have to agree. Catching Fire took book one's hints at the psychological and social issues that were part of Panem and the games and developed them for us. I think it is kind of dangerous to try to give more of the same too. There's also a kind of threshold there, I think, for giving the readers something familiar but also making it more than what the first installment was.
Melody wrote: "I think doing a series is indeed tricky, because one of the sequels won't be as strong as the original book that pulled the reader in..."
I totally empathize. I think it makes it even harder if you start reading reviews of the first book, like I have for Tomorrow's Edge Trilogy. I find myself somewhat paranoid about not doing the things that some readers didn't like about the first. I'm not sure if that's beneficial or not though, because it seems really disruptive to the creative process in general.
What are you thoughts?
I am going to ignore comments from just one reader and focus on my brand. A male reader spoke to me personally. He said he wanted to make my MC seem prettier because that's the only way a prince would be interested in her. LOL! While my MC wasn't meant to be plain, she is not known for her beauty but for her strength of character. That's one of the main points of the story and one of the main things my female readers mentioned and connected with. If I allow myself to be guided by this one reader, then I stray away from who I am as a writer and as a person with as certain belief and value system. My female readers 'get it' and that is the main audience I am writing for anyway, to they'll have their way in my next stories also. So, to answer your question, I think you've got to be true to yourself, but also remember who your 'main' audience is. Personally, I am going to write what I write. Whoever 'gets it' great. Whoever doesn't.... ;) No one can please everyone.
Wow, maybe he's a Shallow Hal (movie with Gwenyth Paltrow and Jack Black), who needs to learn his lesson.Sue
To start off I'll name a personal favorite and say The Two Towers. For me, The Fellowship of the Ring was a great journey story, but it felt like the characters were swept away in the plot and bounced around in unexpected ways, which I'm sure was intentional. The Two Towers felt like the characters come into their own and I see that as how a story has to progress. At some point, the characters have stand up and begin shaping the plot in kind, because who readers take the journey through the plot with is as important as the events themselves.