I wrote a post a while back reviewing the three major free erotic sites out there: literotica.com, eroticstories.com, and storiesonline.net. In it, I said that none of them are perfect. This short post is a reminder to myself how true this statement is (and primarily,…
Sorry, couldn’t help the pun (and worse, the pun hardly makes sense). Little Miss Calculation should post soon to Lit (edit: I’ve posted it on my site). If you haven’t read the first part of the “Little Miss” tales (Little Miss Communication), it’s basically a girl meets boy story, set primarily in a gym. Elaine is drawn to Hayden’s bad boy persona, but discovers there’s more to him than just that.
The sequel takes their relationship a step further, but I’ll let you discover that for yourself. For me, the sequel has taken my thoughts of Elaine and Hayden further, too. I’m intrigued by them and the possibilities of where their relationship could go. Once you finish Calculation, there’s a pretty obvious direction, and while I might write that one day, I’m curious to hear what others think or want to see in future installments. No promises that anything will get written, but my muse is always hungry for more ideas.
If you’re not comfortable posting below, send me an e-mail at kennywright.writer@gmail.com.
I wrote a blog entry a couple months ago refuting the idea that characters drive the stories, not the authors. Well, I’m willing to admit when I’ve misspoke, and in this situation, I did. A little, anyway. The take-away of that entry should have been…
Don’t you hate it when you think you’ve got a sure thing, only to realize that the people who matter don’t agree? Yeah, got my very first rejection in this wonderful world of publishing. I know, I know, get used to it. It’ll happen again…
I have the basic concept of Elaine’s next adventure worked out in my head (i.e. that thing she confesses to Hayden at the end of Little Miss Communication that the reader isn’t privy to), but when I went to execute said adventure, it fell flat. Not that the actual fantasy is at fault, but I think I tried to force it a bit too much. So it’s back to the drawing board with El and Hayden.
This kind of speaks to the difficulty of the sequel. If the story stood on its own, then it would have worked. But since I’m dealing with characters that already have their (recent) pasts written, there’s a bit more care needed. The expectations aren’t just for the reader or the writer. The characters themselves expect to be treated with respect.
There are two ways to read a sequel request:
(Well, and I suppose there’s some middle ground in there, too. Something about not all conflicts being resolved, loose ends to tie up, etc. I don’t include this because I think a good story leaves a little up to the imagination. Think of it as a snap shot of a person’s life; when is that snap shot ever complete?)
The stories that I write are, in my mind, complete. The arc that I wanted to tell has been told. The development that I wanted the characters to undergo has been undergone. We’ve made the journey from point A to point B. For this reason, I tend not to read sequel requests to be point 1 above.
As far as point 2 is concerned, it’s really flattering to get the request, but it’s also a pretty dangerous request. The story that I’d tell wouldn’t simply be an extended conclusion to the original. It would have to be a new story. Now we’re talking about managing expectations: you have one expectation in the sequel, I have another. It’s why so often, the originals are better than their sequels (Godfather and Terminator aside). We go into the first movie without any clue what to expect; we go into its sequel with a long list of preconceived notions.
This isn’t to say that I’m opposed to writing them. Just so you know, I’m currently working on one for Little Miss Communication (largely motivated by comments and requests). Rags to Reunions won’t get one (come on, you know what happens next…), but I am toying around with the idea of an Adele Blanchette spin-off.
The point is, I like the idea of sequels, too, and am very guilty of asking my favorite authors for them. There’s just a great deal of risk involved (for both reader and writer) in sequels. In the end, I have to be comfortable telling a story that feels strong and fresh on its own — not just more of them same.
