Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Another Trilogy Done in DRaft

This morning I just finished the first draft of a trilogy. (My third trilogy, if you like numbers.)

The first two volumes of this epic have made it through editing and now I’m just waiting for the publishing schedules. I promised to have the final volume done in draft by the end of August. Looks like I will have time to give it a polishing run-through before sending it in to my editor and then sitting on pins and needles to see if she approves.

The trouble with telling a story in three parts is you have to keep each volume interesting so you don’t lose the audience, while still leaving something for the end. Then the question arises, do you wrap up every last detail, or leave something hanging? I tend to leave a bit for the reader’s imagination to fill in, even in the final volume.

What I find I have to avoid is leaving all the excitement to the end of the third book. The reader has to be encouraged to find their way through volumes one and two. You usually have multiple plot lines. By the end of the trilogy most should be neatly tied up. Of course, those loose ends could provide you with more plots in the future, perhaps following the adventures of some of the minor players in the first books. When I finished the Dark Lady Trilogy I had enough interesting characters still running loose in that fantasy world to keep me busy for the next ten years, if I wanted to follow them.

Do readers prefer stand-alone novels or multiple tales like the trilogy or series format? I suspect they may be becoming more popular. The problem for the author is to find enough interesting plot material to sustain the pace through more than one volume.

I know I have read some books in a series where you suspect the author has finally run out of ideas. I hope someone will take the time to warn me if I ever do.

R.J.Hore
www.ronaldhore.com
www.facebook.com/RonaldJHore

The Dark Lady Trilogy (Volume 1,2,3)
The Queen’s Pawn (Volume 1,2,3)
The Housetrap Chronicles (Volume 1 to 7)
Alex in Wanderland,
Knight’s Bridge
We’re Not in Kansas

Coming events later in 2016/17: Toltec Dawn (Book 1 of 3)