by Simon Wright

Created on: May 29, 2009

One of the challenges with writing follow up novels is the necessity to ensure that no inconsistencies creep in. It's very easy, when you are caught up in the minutiae of the writing, to overlook something that you've said in chapter twelve of your first novel that directly contradicts something that you've now said in chapter three of your second novel. You may not notice this jarring inconsistency but there's a very good chance that your readers will and, when this is the case, it diminishes your credibility as a serious writer in their eyes.

It's important, therefore, that writers do all they can to minimise the occurrences of inconsistencies, so let's explore some of the ways of doing this:

1.Re-read your preceding novel (or novels) before starting work on your next one:

It may have been months since you wrote the previous novel and events and character traits may not be at the forefront of your mind. It's very important, therefore, to refresh yourself with your preceding novel. Reading through it a couple of times should prove invaluable, both in terms of reducing inconsistencies and generating flashes of inspiration for the next novel.

2. Make and keep notes on key plotlines:

Before you start writing your follow up novel, you should (as a matter of course) create a novel plan. This is where you jot down the themes that you want to explore, an idea of the plot development and any important character development notes. You should also devote a section of your plan to summarising any key points or plotlines that you want to carry across from the preceding novel.

3. Keep notes on your main characters:

It's useful to keep a summary of your main characters' main characteristics. This may include things such as where they are from, when they were born, any distinguishing physical attributes or mannerisms, etc. The degree of detail that you go into will depend on what you are comfortable with but should, at least, cover the key elements that make that character who he or she is.

4. Ensure your style of writing is consistent:

There may be some exceptions where writers can successfully alter their style of writing between novels but they are few and far between. If you think of notable series of novels, such as the Harry Potter books or the Dark Materials trilogy, then they are all written in a consistent style and with consistent literary conventions. For example, readers would probably find it disconcerting it the debut novel was written from a third

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