Confused Newbie

[Epona]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking for a while & finally decided to go ahead and post something.

I was planning on writing a series for children, but I over planned the first book to the point that it seemed to kill all the inspiration I had to write it. I haven't gone back to look at it for a few months & didn't write for a while afterwards.

A few weeks a go I came up with an idea involving the same characters and settings. I planned it for about 2 weeks (just a basic outline and some notes on post-its) and have written about 2,500 words so far of my rough draft (lots of <insert description here> etc). It seems to be flowing along quite nicely, but I've realised I'm writing this as a sequel to the first (unwritten) book.

I'm not sure if I should finish the first book before I continue with this one, or just write this one then go back to the first. I feel as though I should write them in order, but I'm also worried about the first book killing off my inspiration again. I'm also torn as to whether I should just keep with the second book to see how it goes and perhaps then I'll have more reason to do the first book or at least know what to do with it?


Also the second book has a fantasy element to it, which was never planned into the first book, so I'm thinking the first one should too, otherwise it might come as a bit of a shock. Just to add a little bit more confusion to my poor brain!

If anyone has any advice on what to do it would be greatly appreciated.

P.S: Sorry if I've rambled on a bit!

[Green]

Welcome in My advice would be to write the one that you enjoy writing, and don't worry about anything else.

Does the second book stand on its own two feet without the first? If so, no worries. If not, worry about it later.

Writing is the most important part of writing. So even if you look back later on and think, "Hmm, that doesn't make any sense unless you've read the first (non-existent) book," at least you enjoyed writing it, and it will be a lot easier than you'd think to sort it out later on. Or just scrap it and rewrite it. You'll have gained a world of experience in the meantime.

[Nik]

IMHO, sometimes you must write the second one before you can write the first well...

[lin robinson]

I have found at times, especially with screenplays, that when I lost interest in a script and started another one I learned things from the second one that helped me finish the first and do a better job of it.

[littlemissattitude]

Originally Posted by Epona

A few weeks a go I came up with an idea involving the same characters and settings. I planned it for about 2 weeks (just a basic outline and some notes on post-its) and have written about 2,500 words so far of my rough draft (lots of <insert description here> etc). It seems to be flowing along quite nicely, but I've realised I'm writing this as a sequel to the first (unwritten) book.

I'm not sure if I should finish the first book before I continue with this one, or just write this one then go back to the first. I feel as though I should write them in order, but I'm also worried about the first book killing off my inspiration again. I'm also torn as to whether I should just keep with the second book to see how it goes and perhaps then I'll have more reason to do the first book or at least know what to do with it?

Just remember that Orson Scott Card has said somewhere that the only reason he wrote Ender's Game was so that he could write Speaker for the Dead and the books that come after it in that series. If you haven't read any of those books, the point is that Ender's Game is much, much different than the books that follow it, but it is probably necessary for it to be there to really get all there is to get out of the following books.

I don't know if that goes anywhere near answering your question(s), but it was the first thing I thought of when I read what you wrote.

Oh, and welcome to the boards, Epona.

[Teresa Edgerton]

If you are writing a sequel, I think it proves there is life in the material yet.

Sometimes, for me, when a project comes to a crashing halt it's because I've gone off on a wrong tangent or left something important out -- the subconscious mind knows this and puts on the brakes. Usually I have to go back to see what was wrong, but sometimes working out something much further ahead pulls me out of the slump, too.

As lin says, working on the second book may show you what was wrong with the first book, as well as how to fix it.

[Anne Lyle]

Originally Posted by Epona

I'm not sure if I should finish the first book before I continue with this one, or just write this one then go back to the first.

I would write book two now, since you're feeling motivated - if you've already outlined book one in enough detail to decide the current one is a sequel, that's all the preparation you need. And as others have said, finishing book two may give you the motivation to tackle book one again, especially if it requires substantial changes such as adding in more fantasy elements.

I used to avoid outlining, thinking I would lose interest if I knew what was going to happen. My first attempt at outlining was a dismal failure - I got about ten chapters in and stalled, because I seemed to be veering off-course and I panicked that my whole plot was wrong.

Then I signed up for NaNoWriMo last year and decided the only way I could get through it was not to have to think up a plot on the fly. So I did my outline - around 90 scenes with one or two sentences per scene - and finished the story, writing my 50k in just 26 days. The thing is, as I reached the ending I realised that I needed to change it, and so I did. An outline can be a suggested itinerary, not a rigid timetable

Anyway, for me the solution is:

1. Don't outline in too much detail. Give your characters room to breathe.

2. Find a motivation to just sit down and write the damned thing, even if you're sick of it.

Incidentally, the story is still changing a year later as I try to find out what my subconscious is trying to say, which is maybe why I still haven't lost interest. But I'm writing the sequel for NaNoWriMo next month, even though the first one's current incarnation is only about one-quarter finished, because I want to be sure that the two books fit together neatly.

[Epona]

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions & for the welcomes. Your replies have all really helped - it feels like a weight has been lifted and now I can crack on with book two without looking over my shoulder.