by Elton Gahr

Created on: June 21, 2009

Having written a novel that you truly love, you sit down to consider writing a sequel, but as you begin to put down the plot you begin to recognize some problems. Things changed for your characters in the first novel. They are no longer the flawed characters that you created but have changed into better people. In addition to this the plot that you originally created has dealt with their biggest problems. Moreover, all the details in that first novel must remain consistent with the story you have just written.

Characters are most important in a follow up novel. One of the main reasons that a reader sticks with the series is because they like the characters. This is especially problematic in series where character growth is one of the major plot points. How do you keep a character consistent when they are changing?

First, remember that just because they have improved doesn't mean their problems don't still haunt them. The man with a fear of commitment who gets married at the end of the book is still going to struggle with that fear and while making that the central theme of a new book can feel like going backwards having a subplot dealing with it keeps the feeling of consistency.

There is no rule that says that you have to have the same protagonist. Perhaps the characters that grew and improved in the last book are supporting characters in your new story. They could be major players allowing the reader to spend considerable time with them while remaining secondary characters.

The second issue that often comes up is that the most important problems have already been solved. The antagonist is gone or dealt with, but that doesn't mean that everything he has done is gone. Look at your story and imagine what would happen with the antagonist gone. In a work environment a boss is often seen as horrible until the new boss takes over and everyone sees how good he was. This can be the same with your book. Power vacuums are almost always filled.

Finally, you must assume that anyone who is reading your follow up book knows the details of your first work well. A small change will be noticed. So the first thing you need to do is sit down and reread your book. Notes from the first can be useful, reminding yourself of the names of minor characters, the places that they went, the color of the drapes in his mother's home. You may even want to use bookmarks in your word processor so that you can easily go back and check for facts.

Going back to a world that you have already visited can be like spending time with an old friend. Just as you often find that your old friends aren't quite as you remember them your old stories aren't either, so reacquaint yourself before you make too many decisions and you should be able to write a story that pleases both yourself and the picky reader.

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