Her newest novel, Soaring Through Stars, is the final installment of her trilogy and has met with wonderful remarks such as "a beautiful whirlwind plot", "heart soaring", "compelling" and "hopeful". One reviewer said it is "a perfect conclusion".
What a wonderful delight then to have Raj with us to talk about writing that tricky trilogy - especially the kind which involves the same characters.
Welcome, Raj!
I recently attended a panel discussion by authors who wrote
Young Adult series. A few had written a sequel to their first book and the rest
had written a series. One particular author claimed that the trilogy was the
perfect formula for a successful teen story. Her break down summed up like
this: Book One – The problem, Book Two – Lead characters make out, and Book
Three – Good triumphs evil and good wins.
Although humorous, I found her understanding of the trilogy
rather simple and limiting. In fact I can think of many reasons why an author
should avoid writing a trilogy. Here are my Top Five reasons to STOP yourself
before you commit.
1.
Why say
in three what you could have said it in one? Don’t drag the story on just
to fill pages. If the story can be finished, don’t test your readers’ attention
span and force them to walk down random alleys (YES-That was an intentional
shout-out to the Alley Cats! J
) and side streets to get to the ending.
2.
The love
story can taper off and become repetitive once the main characters have hit
it off. How many more romantic scenes can you write in there that don’t repeat
the same kinds of lines and try to evoke the same emotion from your readers
from that first scene. Three books later and it is no easy task to keep the
romance fresh and memorable.
3.
The
villain must continue to be a threat, and unless we’re talking the kind of
character whose name shall not be said that tends to disappear and resurrect
every book, we’re likely to run out of ways to invite the antagonist to
continue to evoke the suspense and setbacks of the first book.
4.
The cliffhanger
ending of each book in a series is a tough one to swallow when your readers
start giving you feedback and reviews. Accusations of “unfair” and “too many
unanswered questions” follow you until the next book comes out. Questions are
good. But every question an author lays down must be followed by an answer or a
very good reason for not answering it.
5.
The third
book let down. Sometimes, that third book just ends and there’s little
sense of satisfaction and a feeling of betrayal, because the build-up of books
one and two fills a reader with expectations of a grand finale. And when that
doesn’t happen, you feel like the characters forgot who they were. The author
rushed and had to turn the book in. Or, someone else wrote it. Not good.
BUT sometimes you MUST
write on. A sequel. And the trilogy. Sometimes there’s room for more and here
are several reasons an author should write on.
1.
The story
demands more. There were questions in Book one too vast to answer in one
book. The answers were too long to squeeze into a quick ending or epilogue.
2.
The
characters’ voices needed to be heard. Sometimes a POV needs to change so
readers can get to know the other key players in the story better. Sometimes
that calls for another book.
3.
New
characters and new settings are introduced. But not too new and no one that
wasn’t sort of hinted at along the way, else chance falling into that side
streets-distractions category. New members of the story create new interactions
with the original team and lots of exciting things can happen.
4.
Character
growth happens in stages and just because your lead character tackles and
overcomes one challenge that helps him or her become more brave or more kind or
more honest, there are still other areas he or she can grow in. This can lead
to depth and complexity. And readers draw closer to the characters as they
change, falter, grow and blossom.
5.
Readers
will ask. Bear in mind: the answer isn’t always supposed to be yes. But if
it is, send your characters to places that stretch them, push them to new
limits, and find that most amazing journey that leads them to a place where you
can walk away as a writer like a parent sending off her kids to college. Not
that fictional characters can write their own happy endings [Did you catch that Regina? #OUAT,] but
if we leave them in a place where readers can walk away with the words “Wow,
just wow” on their lips—mission accomplished.
As an author of her first trilogy, I can honestly say that I
never intended for Talia and Jesse’s story to turn into three books. BUT, I am
so glad they hung around a little longer for me to find their journey of
courage and hope. I never want to be that author who ties up every loose end
and leaves a book with a bow neatly wrapped around it at the end. I also never
want to be that writer who writes the story readers are expecting. Because life
is full of the unexpected! And complex characters get permission to be larger
than life when they walk through the door marked Fiction.
So go forth. Write on. Write well. And may the power of
great stories be ever with you. J
****************************************************************************
Rajdeep Paulus, Award-Winning
author of Swimming Through Clouds, Seeing Through
Stones, and Soaring Through Stars, is mommy to four princesses, wife of
Sunshine, a coffee-addict and a chocoholic. As of this June 2013, she’s a Tough
Mudder. To find out more, visit her website or connect with her via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.
