In August I wrote a post about the trials of beginning my journey into serialised fiction. I learned a lot from the process, and the result of those lessons meant I had a few decisions to make about the future of the Collective.
In short, I had to rethink my whole plan. I still believe it will make a good serial, it just needs a stronger foundation before the group can come together and share their adventures. I’m sure readers will appreciate the time to familiarise themselves with the characters – all thirteen of them.
It’s for that reason I’ve decided to give each character their own novel. Yes, that’s thirteen books (at least) before the collective can be formed. By that time, readers will know the history, will be familiar with the world itself, and regular episodes will complement the series as a whole.
So, since the first novel won’t be ready until February 2017, and I promised a release this month, I wrote a novella – Badge of Honour – featuring Maddison Wood from the Fractured series. I will be releasing that Christmas week, and I’m excited about it.
I’m also excited about the fact that I have a new image of Maddy to share with you. I’ve been working with Magical Designs to create covers for The Collective, and The Fractured. Bekah Reece sketched Maddy for me, and I’ll be using her for future covers because she looks fantastic.
Yes, I messed up my timing when it comes to the serial and the planners among you are probably shaking your head, but there’s a silver lining. So, here she is, my feisty witch with hair that will tie you up in knots…I give you Maddy…
I will be providing a sneak peak of Badge of Honour, and of course there will be a cover reveal coming soon.
Thanks for stopping by.
Mel
Melissa Barker-Simpson 
21 responses to “Writing a Serial – The Saga Continues”
Awesome! Maddy looks amazing, and I can’t wait to see the first of the new covers. Sounds like you’ve got a lot of work but a lot of exciting times ahead 🙂
Thanks, Callum. I’m really pleased with her. The hardest part will be stepping away from one team and joining another…I had another Morgan and Fairchild planned for next year! 🙂
It must be quite the balancing act keeping all those characters in your head! 🙂
My weakness is the new ones, especially if they have a strong voice, because I’m so easily distracted 😉 I’d rather have a head full of unruly characters though, than none at all!
I quite agree!
Sounds like a great plan. Will the books have to be read in a specific order since each one has a different hero?
Not necessarily, but they will read better in order because that way a reader will get a feel for why the group eventually come together, and how their stories weave together. That said, they each have their own tale to tell, so by the time I get to a stage where the group are sharing their adventures, the familiarity will work whichever order they’re read in (I hope!) 🙂
Cool. Still not entirely sure how a serial works. Though it sounds more like a collection of novellas than full novels. At least that’s what I think of after reading the plan.
I guess it’s more like an ordinary series until the characters are more established. Not everyone would do it that way, and a writer skilled in creating serials (or a better writer 😉 wouldn’t need to. It just makes sense to me. The serial will come into play when I can write weekly episodes featuring the entire team and readers won’t get confused by so many people they don’t know! It’s like fans of your series – if you started doing a weekly serial of the gangs’ current adventures – a weekly fix for those who don’t want to wait for a novel – then readers will find it easy to follow along and get caught up in storylines that are bite-sized in nature.
What I should have done is started small! If I had the time I’d write a serial about a detective and give him a weekly case to solve!
I think I get it. You have the big book series and then a serial when they’ve been established. This kind of reminds me of a fantasy series from way back called ‘The Harpers’. Based on Dungeons & Dragons, this dealt with a group of heroes and their associates that tried to maintain peace in the kingdoms. Every book focused on a different hero, team up, or threat. So it was a full novel with only the organization, world, and a few cameos that carried over.
Ooh, that sounds fantastic! I must go on the hunt for that! 🙂
Love the image, Mel. What a character! And I can’t believe how much your original plan ballooned. That’s how it goes, though, innit. My original [still unpublished] novel of early man is now about 6 books, following man’s evolution to where we are today. It’s fun.
Wow! I imagine you didn’t expect that. But it does sound fun. What a topic to get your teeth into 🙂
Maddy is perfect, Mel! I love her. Looking forward to your new creation. How exciting. I’ll be happy to help you review! 😘❤️
Aw, thanks so much, Colleen. You’re awesome ❤
We all have to help each other spread the word. I’m excited to read more of Maddy’s adventures. ❤
I’m excited to share them ❤ ❤
I love the Maddy image. And I hope to work with you again soon. You’re a quality writer and person. 🙂
That’s so lovely. Thanks, Dave. You’re an awesome editor. I’ll look forward to when we next work together 🙂
It is an ambitious project, no wonder you need time to organise it.
Good luck with it.
And great image for Maddy 😉
Thank you 🙂 I’m really pleased with how it turned out.