Author: Rachel Grosvenor

So you want to write a trilogy. You’ve had a flash of inspiration for a story so vast, so packed full of adventure that it can’t possibly be contained in a single novel. Excellent. Then reality sets in…to tell your story you’re going to have to write not one but three books. Where do you even begin to plot? How are you going to wrangle enough subplots and character arcs and motifs to keep your readers engaged for such a sustained period of time?

Before you decide to consign your trilogy to the dusty graveyard of abandoned ideas in the back of your mind, I’ve got five tips to share that I’ve learned while plotting and writing my own contemporary fantasy trilogy.

1. Develop story arcs on both a book level and a series level:

I thought it was only fitting to start with advice Rachel gave me during The Writing Week Retreat. I wasn’t sure how best to tackle this when plotting my own trilogy – should I plan one act for each book or should each book have its own three-act structure? The answer? Both! You want to ensure your trilogy has an overarching three-act structure but each book should have its own ebbs and flows, with a satisfying ending for the reader.

2. Fall in love with your characters:

Whether your trilogy is plot-driven or character-driven, make sure you’re head over heels for your primary characters. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with them, after all! From compelling backstories to fun personality quirks that might never even make their way into the story itself, spending time getting to know your characters until they feel like old friends is a staple of any fiction project but it’s even more key when writing a series.

3. Give your characters room to grow over the trilogy:

Building on my second point, your readers also need to love your characters enough to follow them on a journey that will likely take place over a number of years. A great way to keep your characters engaging is to give them room to grow and evolve over the entire series, not just the first book.

This is a trap I definitely fell into when writing the first draft of my series – my two protagonists overcame all of their internal obstacles during the climax of book one, leaving them very few lessons to learn throughout the rest of the story. In reality, we never stop growing and learning so neither should our characters.

4. Find your plotting sweet spot:

The long-running debate between plotting and pantsing is never-ending but I think plantsing (the midpoint between the two) is the way to go when writing a trilogy. It’s imperative that you know where your story is going so you won’t run out of steam halfway through book two but I think it’s just as important to leave yourself space to explore new ideas as you write. Writing three books is no easy feat and plotting so intricately that there are no surprises to keep you entertained can make writing a trilogy feel like a slog.

5. Keep something back:

One of the joys of writing a trilogy is having the space to unfurl exciting twists and character developments that you’ve spent many a writing session dreaming up. There can be a real temptation to show your hand too early, pouring so much into book one that the final two books can be left a little dry in comparison. Keeping some cards close to your chest and spreading out those jaw-dropping moments throughout the three books will ensure your readers are entertained from the first page to the last.

I hope you found the above tips helpful and can apply some of what you’ve learned to your work in progress. You’ve got this! I want to give a huge thank you to Rachel for inviting me onto her blog and, if you want to keep up with my own trilogy writing journey, I blog over at www.carlybennettbooks.co.uk.

Whether you are a plotter (someone who preps their story ahead of time), a pantser (someone who writes as they create), or a plantser (a mix of the two!), there comes a time when the idea for a novel might pop into your head, and you wonder whether it has the legs to be something you want to write. Well, what do you do in that situation? I’ll tell you – you test your novel idea.

Your first question might not be ‘how’, but rather ‘who with?’ – that’s a great question, by the way. Who do you test your novel idea with? You could do this with yourself (Is this something you would read, is it something you really want to write, is it a novel that interests you further than the initial thought?), or with your ideal reader. If you need a hand working out who your ideal reader is, check out this blog post all about it: Your Ideal Reader

Once you have decided that you would like to test the idea with yourself or your friend who happens to love the genre of novel you’re thinking about, it’s time to think about three ways to test your idea:

1: Write your synopsis ahead of writing the novel. 

Writing a synopsis before writing a novel is a great way to test an idea. It means that you can share what looks like a finished product and really think about how you want it to be once completed. Not sure how to write a synopsis? Read on.

Writing a synopsis is a class that I teach in my Novel Writing Masterclass – It’s Time to Write Your Novel, but I wanted to give you a little freebie here because I know that other people struggle with this area too.

So – let’s break it down together. Here are the steps I recommend for writing a synopsis:

1) Write down plot points in the order of events.

2) Write the first paragraph – set up the premise and write a clear description of the world and scenario you have created.

3) Connect your plot points by describing your character’s growth.

4) Tell us the ending.

5) Re-read for editing.

Ideally, this should be no more than 1000 words.

Follow those steps, and you should find it much easier to write your synopsis!

2: Ask yourself some probing questions. 

Try asking yourself the following four questions if you’re looking for something less in-depth than writing a synopsis. These will help you visualise your plot, deliver it as a complete idea, and communicate what you want your novel to be.   

What is your main character’s problem, the conflict they are dealing with?

What is their drive to overcome this?

Who or what is standing in their way?

Why does it matter? 

3: Write an elevator pitch. 

So, how can you whittle down your novel idea to an elevator pitch? Keep it short, sweet, and understandable. For example:

I have written TITLE, a GENRE novel of WORD COUNT. PROTAGONIST lives in SETTING and faces CONFLICT. How the protagonist overcomes conflict, including the antagonist, but not usually tertiary characters.

Another fun way to challenge yourself is to develop a 140 character pitch as they did for Pitch Wars!

Here’s my 140 character pitch for The Birth of Ida:

?????? ???? ? ???????? ???? ???? ? ????????? ?????????, ??? ???? ???? ???????? ??? ? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ??????’? ?????.

So, there are three ways to test your novel idea before writing a word of it! Do you have any to add? Let me know how you get on and don’t forget to get in touch if you need a hand.

Are you looking for a similar read? Check out the following:

3 Things Needed for a Fantastic Book Proposal

5 Things to Avoid When Writing Dialogue