Writing a Continuity
24th May, 2010 - Posted by Carol Stephenson - 6 Comments
I’ve been lucky enough to work with fabulous groups of authors on two different continuities. Continuities present unique writing challenges for the author. First you’re presented with a ‘bible’ containing the overall story arc and plot lines as well as the hero and heroine for the individual books, not to mention all the ‘continuity’ elements and characters that need to appear in your story. These bibles can be quite complex.
Make no mistake. Every continuity story is a stand alone. A fan can read one and enjoy it. However, many readers enjoy following the appearances of characters throughout the series and getting to learn more about a couple after their ‘happily ever after’. They also get to follow the overall story arc to the grand finale.
The challenge for the author is taking the ‘blueprint’ and making the story her/his own. I found if I applied my ‘universal’ theme to the situation, then my hero and heroine would come to life, allowing the story to unfold.
For example, I landed a book where the setup was revenge, which is not my universal theme. I butted heads with the story for awhile before realizing what the problem was: I needed to change the situation to redemption or second chances. Once I did that, the story clicked and became mine.
My latest continuity is “Family Secrets”, a new Harlequin NASCAR series comprised of 16 novellas, two per book. The authors I got to work with blew my mind, such as Pamela Britton, Maggie Price and Jean Brashear to name only a few. This week the editors and authors are talking about the series and sharing NASCAR stories on the Harlequin Blog:
http://harlequinblog.com
Fans leaving comments will be in a drawing for a free book from the series.
My novella Chasing The Truth will be released August 2010 in the volume titled “What He Didn’t Say”. I hope everyone enjoys these romances set in the fast-paced world of NASCAR!
Carol Stephenson
http://www.carolstephenson.com
Tags: Harlequin, NASCAR, romance, series
Posted on: May 24, 2010
Filed under: Miscellaneous, Writing Craft
6 Comments
Allison Chase
May 25th, 2010 at 6:06 am
I can definitely see how being handed a theme could be a little daunting. I like how you tailored it to your personal style as a writer, and I’m really glad you did because I’m looking forward to this release!
Bonnie Vanak
May 25th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Great advice Carol, thanks for sharing! Looking forward to this one!
Kristin W.
May 27th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Good advice if I ever do one of these. But actually I like your “universal theme” concept in general. That can be applied to any project I’d think. Deciding what the universal theme for any book is key, be it revenge, redemption, forgiveness, etc.
Jan Washburn
June 1st, 2010 at 10:23 am
Carol – I marvel at your ability to write your own story within the restrictions of Harlequin’s bible. When I was writing young adults, a writer could apply to get the bibles for a Nancy Drew book or several other popular YA series. I chickened out. I didn’t think I could do it. Luckily I found the “Sweet Dreams” series where you could create your own characters, setting, plot, etc. I’m looking forward to your NASCAR story.
Harris Miller
July 7th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
Thanks for giving such a great advise. Your style of writing is appreciable.I have also joined a writing workshop to enhance my skills.I hope it will help me.
Carol Stephenson
July 8th, 2010 at 3:18 am
Harris,
You’re on the right path by going to workshops. I joined Florida Romance Writers when I first started my serious pursuit of writing and learned so much. Good luck on your endeavors!
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