Jump the Shark!!

[CicadaGrrl]

Hey. So for the first time I've set a book up for a sequel. Probably a trilogy. The thing is, I didn't story board out three books. Just the one with obvious places that would be solved not in this book. Now it is coming to write the next book, and I really don't want to Jump the Shark, because I hate it when people do that. The thing is I'm not sure the best way not to do it. Esp. with the growth in people's characters. Any suggestions?

[Chilari]

Avoid characters who are sharks, and have a character grow a beard. Then, should you inadvertently shark jump, the growing of the beard cancels it out.

Seriously, though, I guess you just need to be careful that you keep the same overall tone as you have in the first book, stay true to the characters (which doesn't mean not developing them, just make sure any development is smooth and logical), and be rigourous in ensuring that you don't let silliness and gimmicks replace plot.

[BeigePalladin]

Esentially, use the same characters, with only a few minor changes if some time has passed (a character has become a little more cynical, for example, or someones in a relationship), and don't change the personalities. along the same line, try to keep things within the same levels of stuff as the first one.

lastly, always remeber your origings. a lot of sequals that do [air quotes] jump the shark [/air quotes] seem to forget what has happened before, to focus purely on this new plot. your readers, if they're reading a sequal, are reading because 1 was good/addictive - and they don't want it forgotten

[TWErvin2]

The structure for a trilogy is different than the structure for a sequel (or three books in a series).

You'd only be 'jumping the shark' if there really isn't any good stories to tell--no more adventures or decent conflicts for the protagonist(s) that don't feel contrived.

There is nothing wrong with character growth and development. Some characters in a series (such as James Bond) are essentially static and don't 'grow' a lot. Others, such as in the Vlad Taltos series (by Steven Brust) or the Corwin in Amber series (by Roger Zelazny) to change, grow and develop.

The trick for a series is that each novel should stand alone. This is very tricky. I wrote my first novel (Flank Hawk) with the intention of a series if I ever found a publisher for it. I am currently about 3/4 of the way through the sequel, but it took me a while to get started. Writing a sequel, like you're contemplating, that stands alone, yet compliments the first in the series has it's challenges. Jumping the shark, which is your concern, is one of them.

What I did was sit down and study how other authors did it successfully. I read and reread some books in their series. I watched how the character's changed not only within a novel, but in each novel and the progression. I also noted if/when/how previous events/characters were referred to in previous works. It takes time, but at least for me, I think I learned some good lessons. We'll see if it's true or not.

What I'd recommend is to study a few of your favorite authors who wrote sequels. See how they did it and modify what you learn to your story and your writing style.

Also, if you're unsure that the second novel will even go and the first is a perfectly find novel on it's own, why not work on another unrelated novel while you're seeking to find a publisher for the first book you wrote? It's usually a long process.

Keep moving forward whatever path you take!

[CicadaGrrl]

Good point. Have several other books to do, but I do feel a responsibility to these characters. Tho the first book could be left alone, I definitely have two more in my head. I feel like I owe it to the stories. The reading and studying trilogies is a sound idea. And I will have to scrounge my brain for it, but here's the only problem: I like stand-a-lones. I like reading them. I like writing them. This newest book was an experiment where when I got to the end I was like, well hell. I have more to do here. Sure, "let's go conquer the world together" works, but I can see the steps in my head for how to take these characters further.

I'm so paranoid since I am not much of a series girl. I almost have a boredom with them. But that could be a good thing, right? Because I would be fresh?? She pleaded childishly.

I could jump to another concept, but at this point, I am still with this crew and world. I still feel them. I don't hate them all like I usually do this far along in the process. Maybe I will multi-task for a while. Thanks everyone!!

[Caged Maiden]

Okay, so I have the same problem, and I really feel stuck too.
I have written the first half of my story, and already am half done with the next book (set 15 years later or so), but I am TOTALLY in a rut right now, afraid to proceed with the completion of this book. I feel disconnected from what I'm writing because I don't have the personal knowledge to carry on to the next scene (involves naval warfare, a foreign land, and eventually a final battle to resolve the main conflict).
I feel like I have always written from things I know, and that's a lot of weird stuff, let me be honest, but I am stuck, because WAR is something completely too big a concept to me. I have written conflicts, fights, and even a few battles, but I'm so afraid that my feelings on this will cause a shark jumping scenario, that I haven't written a thing in months.
How does one overcome such a situation? I've never run into this before, my ideas come to me sporadically (you know, while I'm cleaning the house or my friend is venting on the phone and I'm really thinking things in my head rather than listening), and I've never hit a block like this.
I've been asking myself what my problem is, like; do I just need to do some research, and maybe draw inspiration from something right out of history? It is more a fear thing, about jumping the shark.....
I have considered just writing through it, which seems the best option, but I can't help but wish that I knew someone who could really relate to this.