by Melodie Campbell
My friend and colleague John Floyd, on the blog Sleuthsayers, recently featured a fun post on movie sequels. (Are any sequels better than the original? Yes! We agreed that A Shot in the Dark is better than The Pink Panther, but I love both.) That got me thinking about writing series books, which is what I’m doing these days.
(BTW, Anne will have a post at Sleuthsayers on May 24th.)
The second book of the Merry Widow series, The Silent Film Star Murders came out recently in several countries. I’m pretty sure this book tried to kill me (some might say, rather appropriate for a crime series…)
It’s not as if I’m a virgin to series. (Probably, I should reword that; I am a happily married woman, after all.)
What I mean is, I’ve done this before. The Merry Widow is my 4th series. The first three didn’t kill me, so why should this darn book?
The trouble with second books is four-fold:
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The expectations are HUGE.
We all dread the following review: “It was okay, but not as good as the first book.”
Everyone — and I do mean everyone — expects the second book will be just as good or better than the first. In fact, they demand it. You’ve set their high hopes with the first book. If you didn’t, then they wouldn’t buy a second book in the first place. And if they don’t buy a second book, your publisher won’t want a third.
I was lucky with the Rowena Through the Wall series. The second book (Rowena and the Dark Lord) garnered better reviews than the first.
And I was even luckier with The Goddaughter’s Revenge. That novella (the second book of The Goddaughter series) won the Derringer Award and the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence. Several more followed.
But will that luck hold? I have no idea how The Silent Film Star Murders will do, compared to the first book, and the suspense may just kill me.
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You have to be a bit of a magician to write a series.
Meaning, you have to weave in enough backstory about the first book so that people who read this book without having read the first will not be lost. At the same time, you have to weave backstory in a way that is quick and lively, so as not to bore the people who read the first book.
It’s a learned skill you get better at with practice. I learned by studying how my favourite authors did it.
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You lose an important suspense element of stand-alone books.
The trouble with a crime series is your protagonist must survive to be in the next book. Whatever happens, your protagonist must live through it. And if your reader knows this is a series, they know about this part.
For some readers, it’s why they like series books. They WANT the reassurance that they are not reading for four hours, just to find out their beloved protagonist kicks the bucket in the end. I’m in that category. I don’t like books that end badly for the main character. (I feel like I’ve wasted my time, reading.)
BUT – it also means an important element of surprise has been eliminated from the story. In a stand-alone, when you start reading, you won’t know the reason it’s a stand-alone. Could be the main character didn’t survive to be in another story. That adds suspense.
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What about Character Arc?
If you study how to write a novel, you will probably come across the concept of Character Arc. Basically, it means that by the end of the book, your protagonist should be changed in some way by his experiences in the story.
A classic example would be: A woman is a very nice, kind, unassuming mother. But then her child is kidnapped and she becomes a fierce fighter in his recovery, finding violence in her that she didn’t know possible.
That’s an extreme example. You can probably remember a popular sci-fi movie with this theme.
Our problem with series books: some lit courses teach that every book should have a character arc.
Trouble is, if you have six book series, is your character going to change six times in six different ways? That becomes impossible, if not darn silly.
So in a series, I try to make my characters become even more what they are. As the series grows, they become even more determined in their goals, more devoted to their individual causes. My 1920s protagonist Lucy Revelstoke is dedicated to the cause of making things better for the lives of women. And in The Merry Widow Murders series, more determined to see justice done, whether inside or outside the law.
SO WHY DO WE DO IT?
By now, any reasonable person must be wondering why anyone would want to write a series, taking into the account above.
For that, I can come up with two reasons:
- We’re insane.
- We cannot leave our beloved characters behind.
I don’t know about the first, but the second is me. I’m a suck. I love my characters like wayward children. They stay in my mind for years and years, begging me to write more about them. I’ve had readers tell me that reading the next book in The Goddaughter series was like revisiting old friends.
So forgive me now if I leave this post. I’m just finishing up book 3, and my characters are calling.
by Melodie Campbell (@MelodieCampbell) May 18, 2025
What about you, scriveners? Have you had difficulty writing books in a series? What are your reasons for writing or reading books in a series?
About Melodie Campbell
About Melodie CampbellCalled the “Queen of Comedy” by The Toronto Sun, and compared to Agatha Christie by The Toronto Star, Melodie Campbell writes capers, heists and golden age mysteries. Winner of ten awards, including the Derringer and the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence, Melodie has 18 books and over 60 short stories, but she got her start writing stand-up. The Silent Film Star Murders has just been released from Cormorant Books.
Melodie hopes to survive book 3. In the meantime, you can see how she survived the above by ordering book 2, in the series The Silent Film Star Murders. Available at all the usual suspects (Barnes&Noble, Chapters/Indigo, Amazon, etc.)
THE SILENT FILM STAR MURDERS
1928, at Sea: Lady Lucy Revelstoke and her pickpocket-turned-maid Elf are once again embarking on a Transatlantic crossing. Also on board, are Renata Harwood, star of the silver screen, and her former understudy, Stella Burke. Roy Armitage may be Renata’s husband now, but he used to be Stella’s man. Everyone expects delicious drama at dinner, and they are not disappointed. But before long, Lucy and Elf are faced with another high society murder, featuring rival film stars, resentful ex-lovers, and renegade snakes!
“The high society flair of Death on the Nile meets a 1920s ocean liner in this sensational cozy mystery from Melodie Campbell.” Open Book.
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Featured image: The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893)
I can resonate with this, especially leaving characters behind.
But I definitely have problems with the character arc throughout a series. I’m writing one at the moment. I’m up to Book 4, which is almost ready to be sent to my publisher. I wouldn’t say I’m completely stuck about Book 5, but it’s clearly problematic.
As the author of a series, yes, I agree there is so much pressure with the second book. And with the next one! They have to get better each time.
As for movies, I personally think Aliens outshone Alien. (And then the series went downhill from there.)
Agree on both counts, Alex! Thanks for commenting.
Melodie, thanks for these insights. Yes, the pressure increases with each new book in a series. I always want the newest one to be the best. Then the bar goes higher for the next book.
Character arc shows up b/c of the different problems my hero has to face, as well as the life stages she’s going through. In the first book she’s a 50-year-old recent widow. By the end of book 2, she’s in a new relationship that’s stormier than her marriage had been. In 3, she deals with her lover’s troubled kids from his first marriage. In 4, he’s pressuring her to marry him but she’s not sure. Etc. Her basic character doesn’t change but she grows with each new challenge she must overcome.
Sorta like real life, huh?
I can relate, VM! Readers tell me they don’t care much about character arc in series books – they are reading them because they already fell in love with the characters and see them as friends! I’m grateful for that.
I really like your last line, Debbie! Yes, I guess new challenges come from the personal lives of our protagonists in series books. They change, as we do, by our experiences in real life. Thanks for commenting!
Great insight, Melodie. When my first novel was accepted well and earned a few awards, I thought I knew how to construct a really good story. Then I started the second book in the series and right away started to doubt myself. I think it has to do with the author’s expectations. They go up with each succeeding book, and the fear of failure goes up too.
Oddly enough, my first middle grade book was released recently, and the second book in the series is due out in the fall. Book #2 was a lot of fun and easier to write. Maybe writing for children is a different challenge.
That is interesting to hear, Kay! I’ve written one YA, and have to say the pressure didn’t seem as great. Perhaps it is because with adult series, we’re appealing to our peers? And there is greater pressure because of that? Thanks for commenting!
I’ve made two attempts at writing a series, one not successful, one very much so. The first one attempted eventually fell flat on the ground due to the usual reasons that you can think of, and then some (mostly not willing to do the work needed to make it a success).
The second one was successful and culminated into being a five volume series (note: I only have draft 1a completed. There’s at least two years (or more) before I can even think about publishing it. I think the main reason why this one was successful, was due to the fact that I changed my approach to writing it, which is why it took me almost 3 1/2 years to write.
Growth as a writer, coupled with taking advice from those who have been successful for a longer period of time, helped me bring this series to a success conclusion.
I haven’t attempted writing a series, but it seems like a massive challenge. Hopefully, one I’ll tackle one day!
As to character arcs, one of my writing teachers suggests that in a series, the part of the arc that remains unresolved from book to book is their inner demon. This is certainly true in The Murderbot Diaries, and probably lots of other books. I’m curious if you do this as well?
Now, isn’t that an interesting take, Yvonne! It would probably be true for The Goddaughter series (my 3rd series) in that Gina Gallo is a mob goddaughter who doesn’t want to be one, but keeps getting dragged back in to bail out her inept family. That’s the demon that keeps following her throughout the series. Thanks for that comment and insight!
I’m so glad to have read this post. I’ve just begun writing my first series and am looking forward to continuing the story with characters I love. I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye. And that arc? I think it’s going to be a slow-burn throughout the series.
After two stand-alone fantasy novels, I decided to write a fantasy trilogy. The first book went well, I thought. The first 20,000 words of the second went well. Then I hit a wall and have no idea how to climb over, go around, or drill through. I have not yet discovered how to get to the next story point in an interesting way. I’ve been pounding on that wall for over a year now, and my fists are bruised and ragged.
Any suggestions?
Hey Anne & Melodie,
Though they never found publishing homes, I’ve written two series. One was a YA fantasy trilogy. The other was a ridiculous 5-book picture book for older reader series. The reason I expanded the first YA fantasy book into a trilogy was that I got interested in the back story, so the 2nd & 3rd books happened a few generations before the initial book & a few generations before that. The ridiculous 5-book picture book for older reader series was a matter of falling in love with the characters & just wanting to spend more time with them in their tweaked & unlikely world. Thanks for asking.
I’ve never actually started a series knowing it would be series, GB! Usually, my publisher waits to see sales of the first book to decide whether to contract more. So I admire you, GB!
Wishing you all good things with that first series, Alexa! Thanks for commenting.
Fred, I work to three act structure (three acts and a finale.) I never start to write until I know the three plot points (usually three murders) and the end. I outline loosely after that. But I’ve hit that wall before too, when I didn’t have a plan. I’d suggest you start over, with a new plot idea for book two. It hurts to start over, I know. But you can always come back to the stalled work later. Just don’t stop writing!
It sounds to me like your 5-book picture book series has your heart, CS! Have you thought about making that into middle-grade or YA? It could have a new life!