Author Ruth Finnegan, who also writes as R. Kristi, on the many options available to us when it comes to writing sequels . . .
When I read a great book sometimes I just want to leave it at that. But other times I long to continue the story or search out what came before or what lies behind it. But how to do it? There are many different options to consider.
The obvious examples are when an author pens (or sings) a continuation of his or her own work.
Remember Homer. He/she composed first (probably) the Iliad, then the Odyssey – a sequel in that it continues the story in the same style (if with a slightly different feel and a happier ending) and that the hero is one of the characters in the first story. And then there are Greek tragedies like Aeschylus’ Oresteia and Sophocles’ Oedipus plays. They come in trilogies with the sequential plays between then extending the first story.
The same mode continues throughout the centuries, and into recent sequels. There are sequels, like Walter Scott’s Crusades novels, the Forsyte chronicles or Philippa Gregory’s Cousin’s wars, that follow the fortunes of a particular group or family over time. This is a favourite genre going back at least to classical times, well exemplified in Shakespeare’s historical plays. More recent examples are Dick Francis’ sequential novels about Sid Halley’s adventures, Ngaio Marsh’s engaging Detective Inspector Alleyn tales, and Dorothy Sayers’ eccentric Peter Wimsey collection. And then there are Agatha Christie’s fine series of sequels written by herself: great new plots each time, same style and structure, same detectives: bewhiskered Belgian or fluttery old lady.
You can do it too, you don’t have to be Aeschylus or Agatha!
The Kate-Pearl Epic Series
This was the mode I aimed for in my Kate-Pearl Epic Series. But I had the problem that my intended sequels weren’t so much additional plots as recycles of the same basic story: girl rejects lover then searches universe for him. So though, as with other sequels, mine had the same central protagonists, same genre and style, the following novels were more complements told by different narrators bringing out different aspects than sequels in the more straightforward sense.
You may encounter similar complications. So while it’s worth learning from established modes, don’t be afraid to adapt them to your own stories!
Another thing. Many nineteenth novels appeared first in short newspaper instalments only later circulated as complete works. This is nothing new. Homer’s epics were likely built from separate existing lays. Later works too, like, say, Virgil’s Aeneid, were performed initially in short sessions with friends, only later written down as longer works.
I had to choose between these alternatives when I was working, as Catherine Farrar, on a story about a nervous little angel sent to record the doings of three earthly girls. In the end I published it both as a book (The little angel and the three wisdoms, my first published novel) and as separate novellas. It’s good to bear these alternatives in mind. Further, don’t despair if your inspiration comes in small bits: capture them before they fly and pin them together when it feels right!
Sequels
Narrative non-fiction too can have sequels that follow the initial work by accounts of subsequent events. Analytic non-fiction is different. These sequels often deepen or expand on specific aspects within the opening book. Examples are Harari’s splendid, if controversial, Sapiens followed by his Homo deus, or my own, less lofty, Communicating, the multiple modes of human communication, followed by the strange tools of human communication: the voice, the pen and the lyre where I developed certain existing themes while deciding how much of the earlier book’s content I should replicate. If you write non-fiction, you will probably, like me, find it hard to let your book go but continue reconsidering and wanting to explain it in another book. Why not?
Different again is when the sequel is written by someone other than the original author (You? Your work is not “great” you say. But it’s a great thing that you’ve written it, so why not follow it up?). This normally means replicating the central characters and style of the original but introducing new twists. There are multiple Jane Austen sequels by other writers, for example accounts of what happened before and what happened after the events in Emma, or the housekeeper’s description of behind-the-scenes goings-on in Pride and Prejudice.
This was my strategy in my back story – female-narrated first-person present-tense – behind the wonderful Scarlet Pimpernel masterpiece, now growing into a series (as yet unpublished)) under my Rania Farah name. It’s great to get deeper into a book you adore by unpacking a character’s feelings behind the original narrative. It works best by far if it’s a book readers already know.
R. Kristi
You can also copy the model followed in sequels like Marple: Twelves New Stories, or Jill Paton Walsh’s Sayers-like Thrones, Dominations: new plot, same style, mostly same characters. I adopted this, as R. Kristi, in my “continuation novel” to Agatha Christie’s The Moving Finger, The Moving Finger Moves On. You need to take care not to copy the original wording too directly (copyright rules) and to decide how closely to parallel the original in, for example, chapter titles, overall structure, descriptions. In doing it I had to really immerse myself in the original.
Given all these options it might seem pretty easy to write an adequate sequel to another writer’s book, using the same characters, family or setting, or copying the style of some book you’ve taken a fancy to or believe to be currently in fashion.
But – first check that
1) you truly love the original
2) you’ve steeped yourself in its style and outlook so that writing like it has become natural and effortless.
That’s the essential start. But then add something – a new twist, another thought, an intriguing new side-character – to mark your book as itself an original not just a robotic copy (my Christie look-alike develops the central love affair further).
Good luck. You know your onions, so be confident!
(c) Ruth Finnegan
About The Moving Finger Moves On by Ruth Finnegan writing as R.Kristi:
Welcome to Lynnstock, a picturesque village where whispers cut sharper than the wind, and every shadow harbors a secret.
Jerry Burton and his fiancée, Megan, who have settled into the seemingly tranquil life of Lynnstock, find the countryside’s calm disrupted by a series of unsettling events. What appears as a peaceful retreat is quickly revealed to be a community seething with resentment, deceit, and hidden malice. Tragedy strikes during a local gathering, drawing the couple deeper into the sinister undercurrents of the village. Fortunately, the astute Miss Marple arrives in Lynnstock at just the right moment. Guided by her sharp insight, Jerry and Megan explore the dark secrets and twisted allegiances that lurk beneath the surface.
As Miss Marple skillfully untangles the web of deception, Jerry confronts disturbing truths about those he has grown to care for, including Megan. With each revelation, the stakes rise, threatening to consume them all.
Can Jerry and Megan help Miss Marple expose the killer before the village’s shadows claim another victim? Or will the deadly secrets of Lynnstock prove too overwhelming?
Order your copy online here.
And see here for more Writing.ie articles on writing sequels.
