Would writing a stand alone novel be good before writing a series?

[Cottencandytrill]

I'm a inexperienced writer who wants to start crafting my big idea into a fantasy series to publish but I'm having serious doubts in my writing abilities . I worry that my lacking experience in everything a bestselling novel needs to have will never give my story the chance it deserves for sucess . So as a way to combat this problem I decided to first before I write the big series write a stand alone novel that is completely seperate from the fantasy series.This will be my way of getting valuable experience and a breakthrough into the industry which will hopefully give my big series a much better chance for sucess. It's still a gamble though, the stand alone novel could end up never getting published or it could actually blacklist my name if that's a thing. So is my plan good or just stupid and aimless?

 

[Overread]

Just a thought but why publish your mistakes?

If you're already aware of your shortcomings why not join writers groups (like here ^) and write short stories and get critique and feedback on your writing style and method. Take time to practice and improve then consider writing or finishing/polishing your core work for publication. That way you're putting out a good quality solid publication rather than experimenting and simply earning a poor name for yourself (or if you use a pen-name having to use multiple different ones to avoid bad or negative early publicity*)


*And no matter how hard if you've got a handful of pen names people will catch on.

 

[Danny McG]

I use Biro as my pen name : D

 

[Brian G Turner]

I'm a inexperienced writer who wants to start crafting my big idea into a fantasy series to publish but I'm having serious doubts in my writing abilities . I worry that my lacking experience in everything a bestselling novel needs to have will never give my story the chance it deserves for sucess . So as a way to combat this problem I decided to first before I write the big series write a stand alone novel that is completely seperate from the fantasy series.This will be my way of getting valuable experience and a breakthrough into the industry which will hopefully give my big series a much better chance for sucess. It's still a gamble though, the stand alone novel could end up never getting published or it could actually blacklist my name if that's a thing. So is my plan good or just stupid and aimless?

Hi @Cottencandytrill, and welcome to the chrons forums!

Speaking from experience, I would definitely recommend start with a simple story first. That will at least allow you to develop your skills - not just writing, but ruthless editing - without worrying too much about series continuity.

However, rather than make it unrelated to your fantasy world, it may be worth considering doing something within it. That way, it could help you define your world-building and context much better for when you do write your magnum opus.

Hope that helps.

 

[Toby Frost]

I think Brian's got a good point. It could be not just a useful learning experience but a lead-in to the fantasy story, perhaps set in a time of legend that characters refer to in the longer work, or dealing with a character who will be secondary in subsequent books.

I think you're wise not to just leap in at the deep end and it's a good idea to get the hang of how to deal with the details of a smaller story before wading into a much larger one (which will still require you to get the details right).

I'm not really sure you can "blacklist" your name in the way your post suggests, at least not without being terrible to work with or guilty of sharp practice so that nobody would want to work with you. A second-rate manuscript won't do that even if it is rejected and, if it's good enough, may make agents or publishers more interested in your later work.

 

[Cathbad]

I have never understood the fascination with series.

Rather than have to wait on the next installment to see what happens next, I would much prefer to read "stand-alone" novels. If I like the first, I'd read more stand-alones from the same world.

Reading new stories about characters I've come to know and appreciate is rewarding (as a reader). Having to wait months to continue reading a story is frustrating.

I'd like to see far fewer series, and writers who stick to a single, well-developed world (per genre), with more and more good stories.

That said, Welcome, @Cottencandytrill ! And I look forward to seeing examples of your writing! [That's a hint to get you interested in our 75-, 100- and 300 word challenges! ]

-Cathbad

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I'll muddy the waters. Don't let the length be what chooses for you. Go with what you're passionate about. I started with a trilogy and never regretted it - athough the learning curve was steep!

 

[The Big Peat]

I completely sympathise and agree with the idea of putting off a beloved bigger project because of fear of breaking it, and starting with something smaller. Been there, done/doing that myself. Its not for everyone and I think you're going to have to have another project you love just as much to do instead but the logic is sound.

Don't be afraid to change your mind though, or write smaller stories using the same world like Brian suggests. There's no one right path here.

Depending on your level of writing experience though, I'd recommend considering starting with short stories, and maybe even submitting them to magazines to get some experience of the process. Not that I did that though - I don't love short stories.

I think that's how the writing process should go here -

1) Find something you love
2) Find a sensible way to share it with the world

 

[Dan Jones]

Well I'm going to suggest that you are being eminently sensible by selecting to begin with a stand alone novel.

I started writing my multi-book fantasy series about 4 years ago, and being rather inexperienced, made a total hash of book 1, which kind of out the dampener in the rest of the series. I made a ton of schoolboy errors and learned a lot.

After slogging away on that for the best part of 4 years I decided not to go down the series route, and instead concentrate on writing stand alone novels and novellas. Applying everything I learned by making those initial mistakes meant I was able to make the next novel a much stronger piece of work, and got a deal from it.

What I would say is that most writers who've had a modicum of success do seem to have gone down that trajectory of having written a failed novel first up. Which makes sense, as it teaches them how to write a better novel. So, as others have said, think about what you really want to write about, but I'd add that you should be prepared to drop it if it's not working. I had my heart set on that epic fantasy series of mine (in my weaker moments I still dream of fixing it, but my rational self always knows better), but in the end I ditched it, and I'm much much happier with where I am as a writer as a result.

On a broader note, I do think there is more of an obsession with multi-book series in SFF than other genres, with the reason that perhaps there is "more world" to show, which doesn't always equate to "more story". Writing a standalone is an art in itself, and an exercise in restraint, and one worth pursuing. Good luck.

And welcome to Chrons

 

[Dennis E. Taylor]

I've written 5 novels now, and I can very, very clearly see the difference in quality between the first one and the latest one. That'll be true of most people. If you have a magnum opus inside you, waiting to get out, definitely make sure you're up to speed before releasing it.

 

[The Ace]

It worked for Susan Cooper.

She wrote, "Over Sea, Under Stone," as a stand-alone, but it evolved about 10 years later into the brilliant, "The Dark is Rising," sequence - that's why, "The Dark is Rising," (ignore the dreadful film) is the second book, and not the first as you would imagine.

 

[Toby Frost]

This is completely irrelevant, but Over Sea, Under Stone was the class reading book when I was 10. I remember it as really sinister. The teacher obviously realised he was on to a good thing, because later we read The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner. I remember him saying "I can't guarantee that they work, but these are real spells."

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Start small, then grow.
It's nature's way.

 

[Martin Gill]

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner

Wow. I loved that book. I'd totally forgotten about it

On a more practical note... speaking as a not published author but I have now written 2 whole novels, I wrote my first as maybe part one of a trilogy, but to be stand alone as well. The plot finishes but leaves a hook. I wrote it, subbed it a few times, got no where, wrote some short stories then wrote a second novel which honestly is head and shoulders above the first in terms of voice, pacing, plot and such. Even if I do say so myself I learned so much on the first one, and if I'm honest, my success criteria for novel one wasn't to get published (yes it would be nice), it was to create an apprentice piece to see if I could carry a story over 100k words.

The short stories I wrote in between were instrumental in moving my voice and style forwards. I don't think my first piece is badly written, but I didn't push my own boundaries. I learned to do that later.

Now... I've got a second novel that's out for comments an I have a lot more confidence in than the first.

 

[Lex E. Darion]

Don't they say that you need to write a million words before we get any good? I have written one novel and now, two years later, can I see where I went wrong and what I need to do to make it better. I did send it off to agents at the time but got no response, having left it for so long I can see why. I think of it as a 'practice' book. Not many people write a best seller on their first attempt, and if they do it's likely because they write with their jobs so had experience in a sidewards motion.

I'm expecting to have to write several 'practice' novels before I get anywhere near good. I have a great (IMO) concept that I REALLY want to write about but think I need to get better before I attempt it - just like you

As for stand-alones vs series' I have heard that agents/publishers prefer series as once they've got an audience, they're more likely to sell. I suppose writing stand-alones within the same world, a la Terry Pratchett, is the way to go as mentioned above.

 

[Dan Jones]

As for stand-alones vs series' I have heard that agents/publishers prefer series as once they've got an audience, they're more likely to sell.

At present, from my own contacts within the industry, it seems as though publishers, and therefore agents, are more interested in standalone books because of the volatility of the market. The really big selling series (GRRM, Jordan, Tolkien, Donaldson, Rowling) skew perceptions because they are so huge, but when you think about it, they're very much in a very small minority. Series are a big risk for publishers to take when handling debut writers.

On the other hand, Ed McDonald got snapped up by Gollancz this year for a trilogy, and he's an unknown debut author; and 12 years ago so did Mark Lawrence, and Joe Abercrombie, so it can happen, but it's rare.

 

[Lex E. Darion]

At present, from my own contacts within the industry, it seems as though publishers, and therefore agents, are more interested in standalone books because of the volatility of the market.

Interesting! Is this a recent shift, do you know? I'm sure when I was researching trad publishing (or maybe dreaming would be a better word), I read that series were preferable but I can't find any articles now! This was a couple of years ago so things may have changed. Or, I may have imagined it! It's always possible

 

[Dan Jones]

This is just going by the word of mouth of a handful of people I know, but one or two of whom have a reasonable amount of clout and influence within the industry, so I'm inclined to listen to their opinions.

But like I said, there are always exceptions, and there may be agents or publishers who specialise in series (like the aforementioned Gollancz, for example)!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

To confirm what Dan says - approaching an agent or publisher with a series is a harder sell. (Approaching them with a standalone with series potential is fine however). Standalones from debuts are an easier sell

 

[Bagpuss]

I remember him saying "I can't guarantee that they work, but these are real spells."

In the postscript to the book Garner actually says that the spells are real spells taken from Druidic texts but that they are incomplete "just in case".