Writing entire books is not for the faint of heart. You have a whole world in your mind you need to keep track of and it's full of characters, politics, and so many other things that you can't physically see or visit in order to keep your story straight. The chances of getting names, settings, or rules mixed up or entirely forgetting your plans for the next seven chapters are very high. Do yourself a favor to avoid the chaos and frustration that you don't need; Start taking notes! One of the first things I do when I have a book idea is set up a notebook. I absolutely have to have my notes written out for me physically on paper. That way I can have them right next to me without pulling away from my word processing window. If you're a writer who is easily distracted or happens to have a lot on their plate, you'll know how dangerous it is to remind yourself that your computer screen can show you a lot more than just your work. I do everything I can to avo...
There's been a lot going on for me the past couple of weeks, and I thought a fun post about books would be the perfect thing to help me enjoy my work and also engage with all of you! What better way to do that than answering a 20 Questions tag? 1) How many books are too many for a series? The answer to this is anything that goes beyond the logical natural progression. Some stories are going to call for more books. For example, if you're following your characters from eighth grade through their senior year like in the Vladimir Tod series, it makes sense for there to be a book for each year. If your series is a retelling of the legends surrounding Greek gods, it's a good idea to make a book for each of them. In situations where there are no limits set, I would say four books is the sweet spot. You want to allow your story to reach resolution and leave the reader wishing there was more, but feeling good about how things ended. It's easy to o...