You're Done, Now What?

December 26, 2009

Evil has been vanquished once again. The small band of mercenaries miraculously defeated their enemies. The captain has saved her ship from certain doom with the aid of her skilled crew. So, what happens now? As an author you will often be forced to decide and frequently re decide where you want to go from here. Sometimes things change and the author has a change of heart. As an example, when Jack Chalker finished book five of the Well World series, he was soon asked when book six was going to appear. He had no plans to write any more, so he said as a joke, "Well, if I have an idea, and someone offers me (insert insane amount of money here), there might be another one.In the end, "You know when someone really does offer you that much, finding an idea gets a lot easier.”

There are many options you can take when you’ve finished your story. I will present six in the following article. Don't think these six are the only choices. Of course you do more than one at different times. You can always choose to do another one later, when you're more ready. And now, let us begin our tour of endings.

1) Just let it end. Many short story authors choose this. When the story is done, that's it. The story is complete and nothing else needs to be added. Then the author can move on to something else.

2) Add an epilogue when the main story is done. This happens a lot in long novels and in series of novels. Once the action is over, the author wants to let the reader know what happened next. The author can show the effects of the story on the various people and places involved. In The Return of the King the Hobbits return home and see what has happened in the Shire. (The details of the events are spoilers that I will not go into.) Then Frodo finishes writing his boo, and he and Bilbo end their stories together. Epilogues are also popular with David and Leigh Eddings.

3) Write a Sequel. This is also frequently chosen. For precision's sake, let's be clear what a sequel is. A sequel is a story set in the same world as a previous story, usually using the same characters or at least characters who are in some way connected to the characters of the previous story. A sequel must have a unique plot. The plot must stand on its own, although it can certainly relate back to the original. Sequels are new stories that build on the stories that come before them. As examples, the seven Harry Potter books are a single story, none of them are sequels of the others. The Lord of the Rings is also a single story, but it can be considered a sequel to The Hobbit. Then again, The Hobbit may be a prequel to The Lord of the Rings. It can get confusing. Michael Moorcock wrote many sequels to his stories. Most of his Elric novels are sequels. Corum and Hawkmoon both started with a three book series, and then continued in a three book sequel. Terry Brooks's Shanarra series consits of many sequels.

4) Write a Prequel. Where a sequel takes place after the first story, a prequel takes place before the original events. While there may some characters the two stories have in common, the prequel often introduces new characters. The prequel generally explains the events that lead up to the actual story, however if they are to be successful they must be written in such a way that, while the final result (the initial story) is known, the events of the prequel are still gripping and tense. The Simarillion covers the complete history of Middle Earth, and is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings. While it is history known to those who read the first book, it still has an orginal story and collection of interesting characters. The Belgariad has two prequels, Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress. The Rivan Codex would not be a prequel because it was an academically written history of the world of The Belgariad. It contains a story that was the seed of Belgarath the Sorcerer, and that part could be considered a prequel. First King of Shanarra is a prequel to The Sword of Shanarra. Then there are the Star Wars prequels, but don't let those turn you off.

5) Write new stories in the same setting. It should not be necessary for a reader to have read previous stories. It's probable that you're writing a sequel or prequel if that is not the case. The new stories can use some of the previous story's characters and settings, though, but the characters should be minor characters and not ones that drive the plot forward, unless they are doing so in a very different way than in the previous story. At times an author may want to chronicle things that happened in other areas of the world. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil focuses on relatively minor players in the War of the Rings.

6) Do something else. Some authors like to write multiple series. Jack Chalker had The Well World, the world of the Changewinds, the world of The Soul Rider and many more. Terry Brooks wrote stories set in the world of Shanarra, the modern day and in a parallel magical universe. The Belgariad and The Malorean take place in on world, The Elenium and The Tamuli in another, and The Redemption of Althalus is in a third. Just because you become famous for writing in one setting doesn't mean you can't branch out. You can always start writing under a pseudonym as many authors before have done.

So, that's a whirlwind tour of the choices you have when you finish your story. All are good, but only if the author likes them. The only one I would personally not recommend is the unwritten -1, stop writing altogether. This isn't an option for the serious author or story teller? You'd be doing yourself and your readers a great disservice.







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