Writing a series, part 3: the problems

When you write a series, each book must fit into the series as a whole and yet exist on its own merits. I would say that is the greatest challenge.

How to be original and yet maintain a connection? When I write, I'm tempted to fall back on the same phrases I used before. But this won't work--at leaet not if I'm writing for a different character. Each character must have his or her own voice.

Another challenge is to be consistent. In Echoes Joshua said he liked animals--blaming his mother for the fact that he never had a pet. In Rebounding, I made sure he had a pet. More than one pet, actually.

I write clues in one book which lead into the next book. But I don't know if the readers like this. Or would they rather have all questions answered in the current book?

The last book will be the hardest. For one thing, I have to decide how to say goodbye to my characters. And by the last book I have so many secondary characters that it would be hard fo rsomeone who hasn't read the ifrst four books to keep them straight. I'm working on it.