G: Terry Goodkind

My theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year is a mishmash of books, movies, writers and TV shows that have in one way or another taught me something about writing and helped me be a better writer. Some inspired my own stories and a few taught me what not to do. Each post is a one minute lesson on writing. Also stop by the IWSG blog for some April encouragement.

Terry Goodkind wrote and is still writing one of my favorite fantasy series. Picking up this book actually ignited my love of epic fantasy after I'd drifted away from the genre to read more romance and suspense novels. The first book in the series, Wizard's First Rule, introduced the two main protagonists. And woven into it was a dark history in the world Goodkind created as well as family secrets and hints at a history of war from centuries ago. It was epic. I couldn't wait to read the next one and then the next one and the next...  You get the picture. The series went on and on. One or two of the books after the first one were excellent but many of the others felt reworked. The male

protagonist discovers he's the most powerful wizard in thousands of years, yet too many times he couldn't use his magic for one reason or another. It got old. Most writers weave by accident or on purpose, some of their own moral and political beliefs into their books. A few books in this series shouted the moral beliefs behind the story at me. Even though I agreed with the viewpoint, I didn't want it so obvious in my fiction reading.

Lesson: If you write a series, don't drag it on and let your plots become redundant. I haven't written any series longer than four books. That's about the length I prefer for series I read also. Television series or movie sequels can outlive their uniqueness also. Don't use your novels to obviously preach. It can turn off your audience and make the book seem like a scripture parable.

Now that we're a week in to this month, here's a tidbit about April:
April come from the Latin, aperio, which means 'to open or bud' because plants begin to grow this month.

"You can use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." Maya Angelou

Have you read series that went on too long? Can you think of a TV show that went on too long or a movie series that shouldn't have made so many sequels? Have you read a book where the writer pushes a moral or ethical lesson down your throat?

T: Trilogy or More

T:  If you've visited me before, you know I write epic fantasy.  Epic fantasy and many other types of fantasy, usually means a multi-book series.  Science fiction often is delivered in a series of novels set in the same world and involving the same characters.  Mystery, romance, suspense and other genres tend to come in series also.  And why not?

If a reader falls in love with the world and the mythology created, they'll come back again and again to the adventures and intrigues the author composes. But how long will the reader return? At what point does the series drag on too long?  It depends.

The author must keep the storyline from getting repetitive. TV series face the same challenge. Is there a bad guy of the week or of the novel? Many mystery series are like that.  Is the new criminal, the new threat to world peace, interesting with new quirks and higher stakes? If there is a continuing story arc, does each novel move it forward? Are more and more questions asked and are some old mysteries solved and explained? Is the tension rising from novel to novel?

I used to think all fantasy series were best if kept to a trilogy.  Perhaps Tolkien taught me that.  Then I started reading authors like Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind who spin their epic fantasy out over more than a dozen books.  Some of the books in each series were better than others, but I intend to keep reading them as long as they keep going.  So three is no longer a magic number in my opinion.

Have you ever read a book series you thought went on too long? Do you enjoy reading series or do you prefer stand alone novels?

I'm Going As Fast As I Can

If you're a fan of books written in series, you know the frustration of waiting for the next book to be released.  I read many different genres and there are many authors I eagerly await their next work of fine prose.  In mystery and suspense, I love, Preston and Childs, John Sandford, Lee Child, Elizabeth George and James Rollins.  Most of these writers produce a book about once per year. I can live with that.

My first love is fantasy and perhaps in no other genre do authors torture readers with long waits between books.  Patrick Rothfuss made us wait four years between the first book in Kingkiller Chronicles, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fears.  I'm not sure how long I've waited for Terry Goodkind to come out with his next Sword of Truth book.  I couldn't even guess how long Brandon Sanderson will make us wait for the book following that ten-pounder, The Way of Kings.

I think a big question on fantasy readers' minds is how long it will take George Martin to write the next book in Fire and Ice series.  We waited six years for A Dance of Dragons.  The series if a very involved book with a huge world and a cast of thousands but six years?  I'm wondering if having his books made into an HBO series will inspire him to write faster.  Or, worse case scenario, might it slow him down? 

My fantasy books aren't as long as the big stars I mention as examples. Usually they're about 100,000 words rather than 2K.  It does take me about a year to complete one.  But I'm also working a full time job and raising a family.  Could I do better?  Probably if I let some things go, but as of right now, I'm working as fast as I can.

How long does it take you complete a book? What is the longest you've waited for the next book in a series? What book, besides your own, are you anticipating right now?

Perfect Series Length

I read and write fantasy.  Most of the early fantasy I read had been written in three book series.  Most epic fantasy followed the standard set by Tolkien.  After all if the master could create a story the scope of The Lord of the Rings, would would anyone need to drag the story out for more than three books.  But some could argue Tolkien's saga was actually four books if you include The Hobbit.  Then along came Robert Jordan and his Wheel of Time series and a new idea of how long epic really is and it's not done yet, outliving even its creator.  Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series came along to challenge Jordan's record and he's still going with it.

So what is the perfect length.  I don't mind reading ten or fifteen books set in a series unless I have to wait more than half a decade for the next book in a series and if the author keeps the story tight and moving ever deeper into intrigue with escalating tensions and the fate of the world at stake.  Some can do this and some can't though I won't mention names.  On the other hand I've read three or four book epic fantasy series where I didn't even care if I finished the final book. 

My first fantasy series is four books long.  I planned it for three but the complications took longer to bring to a head than I expected when I started it.  I'm currently a book and a half into my second fantasy series and expect it to also be four books long. 

How long do you like for your book series to be as a reader or a writer?  Have you fallen out of love with a series after you'd invested time reading the early books in it?

S: Series, Gotta Have Em

Fantasy lovers, readers and writers, expect series.  Between world building, invented civilizations, and the never ending battle between good and evil, fantasy stories have trouble staying between the covers of a four hundred page novel.  Fantasy fans want a story rambling and running through many books.  My first fantasy series, The Futhark Chronicles, is four books long.  I like a series of three or four books but I've enjoyed many that are ten or more books long.

Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series is still going strong after a dozen heavy tomes. The late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series is being finished by the super talented Brandon Sanderson.  I think that series is at number fifteen.  The final installment will hopefully be released at the end of this year.

Harry Potter is YA's answer to fantasy lovers.  I took my second son to at least six midnight release parties for those books.  He was old enough to drive to the last one by himself but I went along anyway.  Fantasy lovers can't wait for the next book in their beloved series to come out.

Romance readers also enjoy series but the stories are different.  Usually, but not always, romance series are stories set in the same place or world but with different protagonists in each book.  Often the couple in a second book is introduced as secondary characters in the previous book.  Couples sometimes make guest appearances in new books in the series, fulfilling a reader's believe in the happily ever after of favorite characters and their relationships.

Readers pick up a second book in a series because they trust the author to create an engaging tale based on the content of the first book.  The author has a responsibility to ramp up the intensity and preserve the integrity of the characters.  The author and publisher also must deliver the series in a timely fashion.  If the reader has to wait to long for the sequel, they can lose interest and find something else to read.

What is your favorite series?  Have you read a series that disappointed after the first few books?  How long have you waited for a sequel and how much time is too long?