For the last eight or nine months, I’ve been working on book 2 of the Weight of the World series, and the follow-up to last year’s Reality Check. You’ll get more news on this soon, but I wanted to take a look back on how we got here, and some of the challenges of writing the second book of a series.
No, not just a second book – a good second book.
Remember, this is the first time I’ve written not only a book two, but a sequel to a novel. Believe it or not, Reality Check wasn’t the first novel I’d written despite being the first one I published. I definitely learned lessons that help with writing the opening book of my sci-fi series, but I still learned a lot along the way.
Writing the book
While I had finished writing Reality Check years before, book 2 was written during my travels in Australia (which you can learn about on my other site, Innate Wanderings). I would write on an evening when I wasn’t exploring, during my time completing regional work and later on while I was settled into a normal work pattern.
That much, at least, was pretty normal for me. It was writing in between doing other things – and while I’d love to get to the stage where writing these stories is what I do for a living, it was a good change of pace in between the adventures I was on.
What I didn’t want to happen, though, was for book 2 to be a filler story, taking place between books 1 and 3 and just getting the reader to the big finish that’s planned. That’d be boring for me to write and unfulfilling for the reader.
I already knew what part of Ryan’s story I wanted to tell, but could I do it well enough that it would stand up as its own story? In essence, all three books in this series are telling their own stories, and while they follow on from each other, and I want you to move on to the next book, there should be some kind of resolution in each to keep you happy until the next comes.
Revising the story
So, once I had that plot in place, it was time to refine it through the editing and redrafting stages that a lot of writers go through. I knew from the beginning that, as good a story as Reality Check is, book 2 was going to be much better. The themes being explored were deeper, and there was more meaning to the actions happening.
This isn’t to say Reality Check isn’t important to the overall story – it is! Without that first book, and without setting up the characters and relationships, I wouldn’t be able to explore the themes and plot points I am. The beauty is, they make things in book 3 more poignant, as while some things from Reality Check will return and be resolved, so will parts of book 2. I’m hoping this offers a much more complete ending that everyone can enjoy.
Working with Rachel Rowlands again has been fantastic. The developmental manuscript assessment showed me where the story could be improved. It took a bit of work to solve, but it meant very little changing to the overall plot – just a better flow and journey from start to finish, while really taking the opportunity to deliver some really tough and poignant moments.
More than a bridge, but not an ending
I’m not sure if other writers have the same problem as me, in making book 2 – or any number of books between the first and last of a series – more than a bridge. I’ve heard some stories from friends and Rachel that it can be a tough one to nail down, and my own experiences would support it.
Perhaps because I originally planned for Reality Check to be its own story, with the potential for sequels later on. Despite this, I knew by the time I finished the first draft the story had to go on – and I knew what I wanted to do with the Weight of the World books. That let me make the necessary changes to make sure readers would move onto book 2 when it arrived.
I encountered a few bumps along the way. Some characters that I loved in Reality Check faded away in book 2, while others that I didn’t expect to come alive as much as they did has really taken over the show in many respects. It’s still Ryan’s story, but each character has their own arc – some of which won’t be resolved until book 3!
If you want to see how everything ties up, you’re going to have to stick with me until well into 2023. I’m getting into a good routine, so unless something drastic happens, that’s a good timeline for you to keep in mind.
Getting ready for book 2 to release
As I said earlier, more information on book 2 is going to come in the next few weeks, and I’m really excited to release it mid-2022.
One thing I’ve learned about self-publishing is that it can be hard to convince people to try a new author with just one book. Whether it’s because readers want to binge or they just want to know the series will be finished, I’m not sure – probably a bit of both.
I won’t lie and say I’m not disappointed to have not sold thousands of copies of Reality Check so far, but I’m hoping that book 2 will convince people on the fence to take a chance, as there’s more to read. It’s just another step on my journey as a writer.
So, make sure you get your copy of Reality Check now, so you’re ready for book 2 later this year. There’s also Introductions: Volume One, which has a few extra short stories leading into Reality Check, too. You can buy that ebook on Amazon and other platforms or grab a copy for free by signing up to my newsletter.