Hi all,
This week I'm writing about something that I've seen has been talked about a lot in the writing world. Are standalone books easier to write than those in a series?
As a writer who has written standalone books and several series, I thought I'd wade in on the subject.
I find standalone books easier to plot as its just one book so I don't need to worry about as many subplots or characters. Whenever I've written a series, I usually move onto a standalone book next to clear my mind. In a standalone book you are only writing one story for one book. While with a series you need to worry about weaving several stories across several books.
But, I have found that I'm more satisfied after writing a series. Seeing the series done is an amazing feeling and I get so excited to read the books again when I'm editing them. I also love seeing the characters grow across each book and how they deal with all the problems they face.
To me, I find standalone books easier to write. This is because once I get to the end of the story, that's it. I can always edit it later and change bits that I'm not happy about. But with a series I find myself getting drained from writing in the same universe over and over. It's one of the reasons why I write a standalone or two after finishing a series.
The Original Elementals series is supposed to have ten books in it with seven currently written. I haven't written any Original Elementals books this year because I've become a bit burned out by it. Next year I'm hoping to pick the series up again and finish it so I can start publishing it.
In November for NaNoWriMo I'm more than likely going to write another standalone book. It also clears a bit of my book ideas folder as the series don't tend to sit there very long!
In conclusion, I personally find a standalone book easier to write as it gives me more time to jump between book to book, genre to genre. This might not be the same for everyone, but it works for me.
That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed reading, see you next Sunday.
