Edward Larel's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
Cake and Writing Sequels
So far in my quest to live up to the title "author" I've written two books and eleven short stories. I'm also working on my third novel, which will actually be split between two separate books so I can give each group of characters equal time in the spotlight.
Though I don't yet believe I have much experience in doing this compared to authors like Martin, Tolkien, or Rowling, I will say this for sequels: I absolutely love them.
Writing a sequel, to me, is like adding another tier to a cake (parfait anybody?). If done right, you can never have too many tiers on a cake. If suddenly you decide to add kiwi to your chocolate cake, people are going to wonder what happened to it when they get to that point, but if you added toffee bits (one of my favorite ingredients), most of the people who already liked your cake will enjoy it that much more.
I especially like finding creative ways to tie characters into sequels. Of all the short stories I've written so far, only three of those characters will likely not appear in the Zen Chronicles, and that's because their stories take place at a different time in the history. It doesn't mean they're not still important, because they are. You'll hear them referenced in the books in some way, you just may not meet them without reading their personal tale.
To further my simile, secondary characters are like the tasty additions to cake, like frosting, sprinkles or fondant. Alone, they're just toppings and adornments, but a cake isn't a cake without something cool to top it off.
In closing, check out our previews on Facebook as we wrap the first drafts of Born of the Elements and The Highborn King. When the books come out, you'll be able to have your cake and eat it too. Just don't forget the toffee bits.
Though I don't yet believe I have much experience in doing this compared to authors like Martin, Tolkien, or Rowling, I will say this for sequels: I absolutely love them.
Writing a sequel, to me, is like adding another tier to a cake (parfait anybody?). If done right, you can never have too many tiers on a cake. If suddenly you decide to add kiwi to your chocolate cake, people are going to wonder what happened to it when they get to that point, but if you added toffee bits (one of my favorite ingredients), most of the people who already liked your cake will enjoy it that much more.
I especially like finding creative ways to tie characters into sequels. Of all the short stories I've written so far, only three of those characters will likely not appear in the Zen Chronicles, and that's because their stories take place at a different time in the history. It doesn't mean they're not still important, because they are. You'll hear them referenced in the books in some way, you just may not meet them without reading their personal tale.
To further my simile, secondary characters are like the tasty additions to cake, like frosting, sprinkles or fondant. Alone, they're just toppings and adornments, but a cake isn't a cake without something cool to top it off.
In closing, check out our previews on Facebook as we wrap the first drafts of Born of the Elements and The Highborn King. When the books come out, you'll be able to have your cake and eat it too. Just don't forget the toffee bits.
