On Writing SFR Series, Sagas, and Arcs
My muse only thinks in series. Even if I'm thinking I'm writing a quick, standalone novella, my busy little muse is behind the scenes, secretly plotting the exciting story arc—surprise!—for the rest of the series. I blame it on having devoured Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books, and the fact that I was permanently warped by...uh, introduced to science fiction sagas when I was nine years old, and never looked back.
There are tricks to writing a series with a Big Damn Story Arc like mine. Some are critical, like keeping the timeline straight. Some are obvious, like staying consistent with locations and names, such as the headquarters for the Citizen Protection Service is on a different planet than where the High Council manages the Central Galactic Concordance government. Some are more subtle, such as shared cultural experiences, common slang terms, or the way a given character reacts in social settings. Or the technologies that people take for granted, like the way I get in my car and drive it, without thinking about how a combustion engine works and how it's different from an electric vehicle, unless I'm feeling smug about my EV purchase.
I believe most series authors will tell you they know more about the world(s) they've created than has ever ended up in any book. The most organized of us have multiple, tab-sectioned notebooks filled with information on technology, culture, customs, government, etc., along with maps, illustrations, inspiring pictures, and articles. The least organized authors get several books into a series and realize they need to re-read their own books to create a reference for themselves, or pay someone else to do it. I fall somewhere in the middle, with a collection of virtual notes for the world-building data and a spreadsheet for the timeline. And yes, I know more than has appeared on the page, because some is intended for flavor and color, and some is biding its time, waiting for the right moment in the right book. My series has 4½ books, and I have 4½ more to write, at least according to my muse today. It may be biding its time, too, waiting for the right moment to spring more on me, because that's how my muse rolls.
In celebration of the fact that I think I'm halfway through my series, I've created The Central Galactic Concordance Collection of the first three books, Overload Flux, Minder Rising, and Pico's Crush. The collection is available for an introductory price of $5.99, which is 40% off the cover price. The price will go up to regular price soon, so if you're planning a vacation, you could buy it now and save it for the long plane ride or road trip to someplace fun.
About the Book
The Central Galactic Concordance Collection, Books 1-3
Come along, a millennium into the future…. if you dare.
The Central Galactic Concordance government boasts 500 member planets and 200 years of prosperity, thanks to the sprawling Citizen Protection Service. The agency uses any means necessary to keep the peace, from allying with giant pharma corporations and political maneuvering, to secret black-box projects with darker purposes.
The CPS also employs minders--people with telepathic and telekinetic talents--for service and security, and covert operations.
Being a minder isn't easy--they are followed by fear and prejudice. But being a "person of interest," or of use to the CPS is even worse. Throw in corruption, hidden agendas, planet-sized secrets, and space battles…
Your only hope for survival is to know who your friends are… and keep them close.
Jump on board for the interstellar ride of a lifetime—read the first three books of this award-winning series today.
The Central Galactic Concordance Collection includes three full-length novels of space opera, adventure, mystery, and romance:
· Overload Flux - Two loners fighting to stay alive discover they must now save the galaxy.
· Minder Rising - A covert agent asked to train a prodigy telepath discovers he must first keep the boy and his mother alive in a gleaming city full of danger.
· Pico's Crush - Trouble comes to paradise when a serial killer chooses a galaxy-famous college campus for his hunting ground.
Book link: http://Author.CarolVanNatta.com/CGC1-3
Facebook page: https://facebook.com/CarolVanNattaAuthor
Newsletter signup: http://bit.ly/CVN-news
No comments:
Post a Comment
All spammers will be shot with a plasma gun.