*Magnify*
SPONSORED LINKS
Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/11825-One-Shot-Standalone-vs-Series.html
Fantasy: February 22, 2023 Issue [#11825]




 This week: One Shot (Standalone) vs Series
  Edited by: Dawn Embers
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Fantasy Newsletter by Dawn

This month we consider the option of needing to divide a really long story into separate ones, also known as a series. A look at the differences between stand alone and series in speculative fiction.


Word from our sponsor

ASIN: B07K6Z2ZBF
Amazon's Price: $ 4.99


Letter from the editor

Let's start this month's newsletter with a little story. One year, several years ago, I worked on a fantasy story for NaNoWriMo that included a mage character who struggled with remembering spells. That year was a good year writing wise because for that story, I managed to write 160,000 words in November. The first draft ended at about 180,000 words total. That is a very long story. Even not counting the not answered questions in the world, looking just at that first section, I have come to understand that the story is too long for a non-published author as a single book, especially since my rewrites usually make my stories longer. Next comes figuring out how to divide the story so each section (book) stands well on its own.

It's not just newbies, however, that have to worry about a story becoming too long to stand alone. Many years ago, when I attended a writing conference in Denver, Colorado, I was lucky enough to see Connie Willis speak. At the time she had the duology (2 book) series coming out for All Clear. It was initially a single story but even as an established author, she had to divide the story into two books. According to Goodreads, the first book called Blackout is 491 pages and the sequel, All Clear, is 656 pages. For reference, she has a single book Doomsday that is 578 but an older published book that I've read, Bellwether is only 248 pages.

So, that brings us to the topic of the newsletter. When is a story too long? Well, there isn't an exact answer for that question. Instead, let's consider what aspects to think about when deciding to stick to the single story or when to go with the different versions of a series. Speculative fiction is known in particular for the series but there are plenty of single books and flash fiction or short stories.

There are many options to consider. First is how long it will take to show the story. There is the standalone, also known as a one shot in manga or graphic novels. Then there are different numbers of series.

Series quantities include:
Duology = 2 books
Trilogy = 3 books
Tetralogy = 4 books
Pentalogy = 5 books
etc
15+ = Robert Jordan or George RR Martin

Market and genre are something to consider when it comes to making this decision. On the plus side, fantasy and sci-fi are known for a series, even if it's not the easiest to sell as a newer author. It's common stage for stories to take a little longer or to have more pages/words compared to others. Since we already have the genre, consider some other elements when deciding to split a story.

Age Range (middle grade - young adult - adult)
How long a single story/book can be varies a little on the general age range of the audience. Assuming new author status in the publish world, the length for a middle grade story is going to be somewhat shorter than something for teenagers or adults. That doesn't mean it has to be super short. Brandom Mull is a middle grade fantasy author who has a few series published. His earlier published series was on the shorter side with book 1 in his Fablehaven series is 351 pages (number of words per page is a little less compared to adult novels). Book 1 in Beyonders is 457 and each book in that series is long and very epic in scope. Young adult novels can also be single books or multi-book series, depending on the story.

Word Count
This one you probably expect. There are some general guidelines for novel length that are often recommended to consider but they aren't an exact must follow rule. Thanks to NaNoWriMo, it's known that a short novel can be 50,000 words. For the speculative fiction genres, we tend to get a little more leeway for the longer side. It's not unusual to see novel lengths in standard listings to range from 80,000 to 120,000. And there are authors who even for their first novel when they get published who make it with longer stories. However, the exceptions aren't going to be a guarantee either. It still might be really hard to sell a single story that is 500 pages long though not completely impossible.

Plot
Story is important for anything and it's something to consider when thinking about the overall length. This will also be a key element when dividing the story if you go that route. You have to consider if it's a story that needs to be long. Will something get lost if you need to divide the story into multiple sections? Are there plot elements that will be strong as a focus for each section/book? You have to take the plot into consideration when trying to decide whether the story is a standalone or belongs as a series.


That is a good starting point. So, take some of these aspects into consideration if you find a story starting to get rather long. Next time, we'll discuss what to do once you've made the decision to divide into more than one book. Also, don't worry about this at all if you're in first draft land. This is more of a topic for rewrites and maybe the very beginning of edit stage. Write first, make these decisions later.



Editor's Picks

 
FORUM
The Bard Says contest  (ASR)
Mumsy's 16th WDC Anniversary Contest
#2291002 by Merry Mumsy


 
SURVEY
Quotation Inspiration: Official Contest  (ASR)
Use the quote provided to write a story and win big prizes!
#1207944 by Writing.Com Support


FORUM
Horror Writing Contest? No! Activity!   (13+)
A contest involving writing a horror story. Simple, really.
#2273172 by s


FORUM
The Lodestar Contest  (13+)
Looking for a guiding light. Next round is in May of 2024.
#2130938 by Satuawany


FORUM
Sharmelle'sRecipeKitchenContest ~ Closed  (E)
Welcome to Sharmelle's Recipe Kitchen Contest
#2268006 by Hippity Hoppity Sharmy


FORUM
Dystopian Scrawlings  (ASR)
A new contest over old ideas...and my first WdC Contest! Come enter for a chance to win!
#2261107 by LorenIsOneOfMyNames


FORUM
The Science Fiction Short Story Contest  (18+)
A contest inspired by the serious need for more good sci-fi
#2140378 by BlackAdder


 Fae By Moonlight  (E)
chapter 1 -
#2290697 by Kayla Gee


 Menever  (13+)
Godhood. In the past, reduced between belief and myth. Not anymore.
#2290628 by WriterDudette


STATIC
The Harmony of Silence  (13+)
The silent ones come to raid the orchard.
#2290623 by J.B. Ezar


 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
         https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Don't forget to support our sponsor!

ASIN: B083RZ2C5F
Amazon's Price: $ 19.99
Not currently available.


Ask & Answer

Is your story a single one (stand alone) or are you writing a series? How do you divide a story?

Authors I recommend checking out this week: Brandon Mull and Connie Willis



*Cat*

*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

This form allows you to submit an item on Writing.Com and feedback, comments or questions to the Writing.Com Newsletter Editors. In some cases, due to the volume of submissions we receive, please understand that all feedback and submissions may not be responded to or listed in a newsletter. Thank you, in advance, for any feedback you can provide!
Writing.Com Item ID To Highlight (Optional):

Send a comment or question to the editor!
Limited to 2,500 characters.
Word from our sponsor
ASIN: B07NPKP5BF
Product Type: Toys & Games
Amazon's Price: Price N/A

Removal Instructions

To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.


Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/11825-One-Shot-Standalone-vs-Series.html