Comicality Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 Have you ever seen a story that a writer has already written from beginning to end, that's already complete and tells a great story...but then suddenly gets a 'sequel' much later on? Like maybe there's just a bit more story to tell? Maybe the characters were so well loved by their readers, that the author decided to bring them back and continue on. It could pick up right where the last one left off...or maybe there's been a big lapse since the final chapter of the original. Like from high school stories to...'the college years', or something similar. Whatever the reason, sometimes an author can go back and add on to a story that has already been finished. Almost as another bookend to an already completed work. What do you guys think about this? Should these stories be given a sequel? I know some people who actually avoid sequels like the plague, and for good reason after so many bad experiences with them. Is it possible that it might ruin a story that was fine like it was? Or can a skilled writer actually add to an original piece and make the sequel just as good, if not better, than the first one? Would you, personally, ever think of going back to an earlier story to make a brand new series of additions? Just as an update on the lives of the characters you loved so much before. Let us know what you think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Arbour Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 I think it's a good idea, but then again, I seem to write sagas. That being said... If the author wrote a good story, then wrote a sequel, it would probably nudge some people to re-read the original story and appreciate it all over again. I think that's a good thing. (While we're on this subject, I'd just like to say two things to Dom: Desert Dropping and The Other Us.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephylim Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 It depends whether the characters came back and spoke to me again. I would never write a sequel just for the sake of it. I only write what comes to me. In fact I have written two sequels to one particular story but I won't be posting them because they are 'straight'. I know that I have had a request to write a sequel to one of my anthology stories but I don't know if that will every happen. It depends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comicality Posted January 27, 2010 Author Share Posted January 27, 2010 Yes!!! Awesome point Mark! ((hugz)) I think 'sagas' is the word of the day! Hehehe! I've always been fascinated by that idea, ever since I was little. That a character could be so significant, that he could have a story of his own and coninue on beyond the short piece of life that you get to see in just that one story or series. Examples? Harry Potter, Indiana Jones James Bond, Batman, Blade, Jack Bauer ("24"), and a number of others. It's just the idea that you can take this main chaacter (or any of the other main characters), put them in a completely different situation if you wanted to, and sill tell a good story with all the character traits in tact. Imagine how many 'Star Wars' stories you could tell? Or the Matrix mythology? those stories and characters can live on FOREVER if done right. Something about that really appeals to me. When I finish writing a story, I kinda want people to think about what might happen 'next' for these people. Or what happened before this story happened? What about a story just about 'Trevor' in "GFD", or a story about 'Tyler's' past in "New Kid"? What about 'Cyrus' beginning before "Savage Moon"? The story should stretch beyond the plot in the reader's minds. I love that. It's like...it stays with you longer. My first experience with that was actually 'Star Wars'. Because there are HUE gaps in the story between movies. So I always wanted to know...what the hell happened between...say...'Luke getting his hand cut off'...and him becoming this great Jedi warrior? There's a BILLION stories in there. I'm intrigued by that. So I've always wanted to write like that myself. By the way, .just wondering, Neph...you're not worrying about lack of interest just because your stories have a hetero flavor to them, are you? I mean...movie and story wise...I've been subjected to heterosexual stories all my life. I doubt yours would have any less impact if you posted them. You shuld try it out. You might be surprised at the response. Might as well take a chance, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephylim Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 Well... I have never been averse to taking chances Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Administrator Graeme Posted January 28, 2010 Site Administrator Share Posted January 28, 2010 I see no problem with another story using the same characters, but I wouldn't necessarily call that a sequel. Using your examples, Ian Fleming's James Bond stories are not sequels -- they are a set of stories that happen to have characters in common. The Harry Potter stories, however, are sequels, because, while each story can be read standalone, they work together to produce a much bigger story that spans the individual novels. I have thought about writing a sequel a few times, but my biggest concern has always been that I think a sequel should be at least as good as the original. Otherwise I think it pulls down the original story (I can think of lots of movie sequels that have done this in my opinion). Yes, I've got characters that I would like to use again in another story, or to continue their existing story, but I won't do it unless I can see a decent plot, with an appropriate ending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesSavik Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Successful sequels require strong characters and a significant change in setting & plot to differentiate the sequel from the original. This is a necessity because the new story must stand on its own. This is where Hollywood falls on its face with sequels. Prime example: Heinlein's Starship Troopers is a favorite science fiction novel and was made into a feature film in 1997. As a film, it was very successful and made quite a lot of scratch. Since Hollywood bought the rights, they decided to cash in on the franchise. They hired some writers and a whole new cast and did Starship Troopers II: Hero of the Federation which sucked raw balls. Not to be outdone they did Starship Troopers III: Marauder which still sucked balls but was not quite as bad as SST II. Heinlein only wrote the original story. Everything else was ripped off from his original ideas and regurgitated (as cheaply as possible) to cash in on the rights. The point is that simply because you CAN do a sequel doesn't mean that you should. Ask yourself: Is it contrived? Does the story flow naturally or is it a reach? [this is where Hollywood falls on its ass] Are you trying to clone a hit? Ask Hollywood- it can only rarely be done and usually fails. Did you plan a series or sequel to start with? Did you leave room and open questions from the first story? Are the characters and setting strong enough to support a continuing story line? Often Hollywood does low-budget sequels with a new cast and invariably screws up any possibility of the sequel succeeding. Can you be consistent in the new storyline? If the original story was a coming of age story, is the character a young adult in the sequel? Does he/she use the lessons learned in the first story line? Did they grow? Is that growth consistent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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