It’s been a bit since I’ve shared something from the writing side of my weird little existence. I’m closing in on the end of Heart of Forever (Yay!) and it has been an experience. I’ve mentioned the weight of this book before: the pressure to deliver a satisfying ending while also making every story beat count.
Thankfully, series building has helped guide me through this, and that’s what I want to chat about this week.
Series Building – from the start.
Greystone has always been a worry for me because I didn’t build the series before diving in with Signs of Portents. Each book contained its own narrative that fed into the larger work, but there was no roadmap in the beginning.
That changed with the back half. From Alpha and Omega on, I knew every beat and why it was important to the larger narrative being told. This has been crucial to the success of this current draft.
Earning the payoff.
That’s the key. I remember during The Medusa Coin, there was an argument between Soriya and Loren. The back and forth led to some major changes in their relationship, and I kept going back to it, wondering if I had earned that change. Had I seeded enough information, brought enough tension to the forefront to make that moment hit with the maximum intensity it deserved?
Building up the back half of Greystone has helped ease those doubts. There are still moments when I realize I have to plant certain seeds earlier for the narrative to work to the best of its ability, but for the most part, everything is already established. My notes on these five novels could be a book unto itself, though you’d have to suffer through sooooo many typos as well as realize how little I actually knew at the start of my writing process. (Maybe it would be fun for you?)
An example of utilizing the seeds planted in earlier novels.
I recently drafted a chapter with Ruiz speaking to a woman before Loren shows up in the scene. This was scripted very generically, just to pass along some exposition prior to the action of the beat. But I never knew who the woman was or what her purpose in the story would be.
Having those earlier novels helped flesh out this beat. I found an obscure background character from Signs to use named Mrs. Arbogast (an Iron Man reference for those nerds out there…). Because of her previous appearances, there were distinct traits involved, including a love of cooking, though she’s terrible at it. That fit in perfectly with the scene and also provided some fun continuity for long-time readers. Another benefit was the built-in backstory, thanks to her presence in those early novels. It always helps to draw on what’s been established prior and makes the world feel more lived-in (IMO).
This is a tiny moment in the midst of this huge novel, but each one builds off the rest to create the tapestry of the narrative.
Greystone’s second cycle has become the template I’ve been using to build other series. Having that roadmap lends itself to a fuller experience, and I hope you’ll enjoy the many references and connections coming your way with these last two novels.
Challenges certainly remain, but with the work already put in, they become much more manageable.