Spoilers Abound And I'm Not Even Sorry.

I've never written a sequel before, and I had no idea that the biggest trial of writing a sequel was not randomly shouting spoilers to anyone who has read the first one. Especially since right now I'm so giddy about a few particular spoilers my head might explode, (and that would be bad because I just fixed my hair.) Whenever anyone asks, I just look at people with my eyes open wide and my hands out to the side, and say between clenched teeth, "It's really good."

I can't write anything on my author page, or my facebook page, or any of it either, in fact, I can barely write anything on here. I started writing a post about writing a male POV and how that translates into my feminist head, and didn't get a paragraph into it before realizing that, nope can't say any of this. Even the word misogynistic is a spoiler. I started writing a different post about the very first story I ever fell for, and a paragraph into it, I was so bored I deleted the whole thing. It's the whole first love verses the current love thing. Whatchagonnatodo. I can't hardly read anything else either. I look at books and don't move. And my poor house. You can bet if I'm not motivated enough to read that I'm not motivated enough to clean.

All I can do is freaking write this book.

Hopefully that comes across in the text, and it makes everyone obsess the way it has us, but right now I'm like spoilers abound in everything I say.

But right now all I can say is... Holy crap, people. It's really good.

There's a chance I'm in First Draft Blindness stage. Anyone else suffer from this affliction? But I don't think so. (because Delusions of Awesomeness is the first sign of First Draft Blindness) 

And the cure to First Draft Blindness is a few awesome beta readers, (Shout out to the betas.) a clear headed second draft revision, and reaching the words... The End. Those beautiful/sad/heartbreaking words that I can't wait to reach so I can communicate with the real world and not have any spoilers I can't accidentally spill in casual conversation.

Also, hey look at the blog. It turned pretty.

But here are some spoilers that I'll share because you seem very interested. No. Just randomly surfing the internet? I don't care. Get interested. It's that awesome.

um...

Nope can share any of that. 

All I can really share is this. 

It's not enough, but it's also way too much.

~Sheena

Start the obsession. Alchemy (book one in the Prophecy Breakers series) is out now and only .99 cents.

Sequel update!

You know how, when you're so involved in a particular writing project, it takes over your mind to such an extent that you can't think of anything else? Yeah, that's me and the sequel to Alchemy right now. On the way to work today, I kept trying to think of a blog post idea, but my mind kept drifting back to the next chapter I was supposed to be writing. So I talked to Sheena and Melanie, and they graciously said I could talk about what's happening with Pyromancy in my blog, as long as I didn't give away any spoilers.*

So! The sequel. In a way, it's been easier to write, because we all know our characters so well by now. But it's also harder, because there are so many opportunities and storylines to explore, and so many possible character interactions. We won't talk about how many words we're at right now, when we're - hopefully - at the halfway point of the novel. And none of us have been committed to an insane asylum yet, so that's a plus.

The really strange thing has been to have the book set in Carlsbad, California. The selection of the location was actually a random pick by Melanie, and so I got to say, "You know I work in Carlsbad, right?" I suppose that in my head, I consider fantasy books to be set in magic, romantic places.... not the annoying suburb-choked city that I associate with too-early mornings and endless fog. But hey, sometimes fantasy is about finding magic in the most ordinary of things.

Here are some exciting things that the sequel currently contains:

-magic, army style

-surfing

-fabulous hairstyles

-an international criminal consortium

-sledding

-spies

-awesome jazz

-pelicans

-eggs

-more angst than you can shake a stick at

-exploding jello

And, of course, some of this:

Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons. Taken by John McColgan, employed as a fire behavior analyst at the Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

We can't wait to share it with you. 

*Soylent green is PEOPLE!!!!

S is for Sequels

I'm in knee deep plotting for the sequel to FTCM, and in my research I've come across a couple of cool trends when it comes to plotting out a sequel. Please use, abuse, or avoid these trends in your own sequel making.

Trend One, Book 2 Means Love Triangle. 

You've spent all of book 1 falling in love with a couple being together, so then for book 2, Character A and B needs be separated ... for... like... a reason. (insert here) and then some other hot/powerful "friend" gets in the way of A and B's happy ever after.

Why this works: 

Angst! Drama! Heartbreak! Also, often times the beginning of a love story is the fun part, so add a love lambda, and you get to do the fun part all over again. MaryAnn wrote a bril post about love triangles, which I suggest you  consult before attempting one of your own, but there are a lot of reasons to go there. The main one, in Sheena Speak, is you get to scatter the ducks. If Character A and B are in love heading for a happy ever after, then the story is over, and if the story is over, then there is NO room for a sequel. Scatter the ducks!

Why this is Lame: 

One, it's a cliche because it's SO easy to do everybody does it. Sometimes well, sometimes...not. Two, it weakens the power of the love story in book 1. And Three, that second guy has an uphill battle as far as the reader is concerned. He may always seem lame, no matter how chiseled his abs are.

Also, what are we teaching our readers, if we tell them that the only good part about falling in love is the beginning? Happy characters in love can still save the world.

How to make it work: 

Photo from movies.mmgm.com

Don't make the secondary love interest this guy----->

Secondary love interests should be indispensable to the plot. If you could take the character out, and not change the story, then you're doing it wrong.

Switch it up! Make it be the girl who goes away, and then make a love triangle between likable guy and two great girls. Try making the secondary love interest the villain.  Don't make the secondary love interest stupid. Try to do the love triangle in a NEW way.

Or not.

There's always an audience for angst.

Trend Two, Fight a Brand NEW Enemy. 

 All of book 1 they were fighting BAD GUY. And then... like, they beat BAD GUY. But then you want to write a sequel... so INSERT NEW BAD GUY ( or GIRL).

Why it works:

 Harry Potter did it. 

When you have a new enemy every book, then a reader can come to any book in the series, and feel a complete story. Good guys beats bad guy, day is saved.*

*Wow, that felt like a complete story.

Characters can grow, with the over-arching villain battle still to come. Good times had by all.

How this can get stupid quickly:

How many bad guys are there? It can quickly become a comic book if your constantly finding new bad guys lurking around every corner. Yes, I'm talking to you, REVOLUTION.

This can make the sequel feel episodic, or unnecessary.

Not good.

How to make this work:

photo from movies.mmgm.com

Make an awesome bad guy.

Heath Ledger's Joker was phenomenal. Look at the pain and the crazy in that character's eyes. Beautiful.

It works, because Batman, (do I need to say the hero) was changed forever in dealing with him.

Every story should CHANGE the hero, and nothing changes a hero quicker, than an awesome bad guy.

Let your crazy out, and make someone so evil they have to be stopped. Explore something new that the Book 1 didn't. Make Book 2 count!

Trend Three, Embrace What Made Book 1 Awesome, and Forget About Writing a New Story.

Anchorman 2, Shrek 2, anything by Adam Sandler.

Why this works: 

People want sequels for a couple of reasons. First, to tie up loose ends, and second, to live in the world of the story again. If all ends are tied, but you want to go back and live in your own personal Narnia for a little while, then I advise you go through book 1, and clearly remember what makes your world so darn interesting, and put all that good stuff in the sequel.

Why this can be lame: 

Have you ever read or watched a sequel and thought, "I think this has been done before?"

For example, did they really need a Taken 2? How dumb are these terrorists?

How to make it work:

 Sometimes you want to live in the same story over and over again.

Mario indeed saves the princess, no matter what galaxy, castle, or paper he lives in.  Bowser will never be killed, and he will never get the point.

Still a fun game.

Now, personally preference, I like a character to change and grow. But there are some characters that are SO awesome, that to change them should be a felony.

Die Hard, for example will always have the same plot. James Bond will always be driving an awesome car beating another INSERT HERE villain.

Make it slightly different, or don't. Just make it AWESOME!

Trend Four, Empire Strikes Back It.

 There's a reason why stories are so often trilogies. Awesome beginning in book 1, bad guy gets even in book 2, and then book 3 bad guy is defeated. Sequels are often MIDDLES where the bad guy gets...ahem, badder.

Why this works: 

Strengthening the existing villain, in theory anyway, strengthens the need to kick her hiney. You get to live in the world you dig, live in a hero's head for a while, and get the privilege of shelling out more money when the third and final book/ movie finally comes.

Why this can be lame: 

Am I the only one who sometimes reads a sequel and then thinks "How much crap are they going to put us through?" Good stories have a beginning, middle, and end. But in general, middles can suck. Why would I be happy with a story that is ALL middle?

How to make it not suck: 

Empire Strikes Back it.

Yes, the main plot of Empire strikes back is the...um... Empire striking back, but that is not the entirety of the story. There's also a love triangle ( It's okay character A, Character B is actually your sister, and also you're on Hoth the whole time anyway), new information, and exciting battles. .

But most importantly, even as the villain is strengthened, the hero is trained. Use book 2 to make the hero kick-butt-awesomer. Don't lose HOPE!

Strengthen the bad dude, and you strengthen the power of your over-arching story.

Also, then you get to write a trilogy*!


~Sheena



* rolling in pretend money.*


* Buy my book, Funny-Tragic-Crazy-Magic, and together we can make this pretend money I'm rolling in .35 cents. :)