My hubby and I went to see The Avengers. We have been following all the previous movies the past few years, waiting for this one. From a writer’s view point the movie The Avengers illustrates series books.
Each Prequel lays the ground work for the next
The original movie Ironman sets the scene for the heroes to follow. The Hulk gave us glimpses of Captain American frozen in ice and the introduction of General Fury. Ironman II had one of Captain America’s shield subtly displayed in his laboratory, introduced the Black Widow and had Thor’s hammer at the end.. Thor introduces the possibility of aliens as well as a brief appearance of Hawkeye. Captain America reveals the power source that is the basis for Ironman’s power and the chemical that Dr Banner was trying to recreate. The dangers of both the super-soldier chemical and the alien power source are clearly defined.
Familiar characters draw us in
By the time The Avengers come to the big screen, we are familiar with all our characters’ back stories and the essential ingredients of our plot. This allows the plot to drive the movie rather than the characters. We get the jokes because we know our superhero’s personalities. Our heart’s race as we anticipate how each may respond as the action progresses.
Books in a Series should do the same
Novels in a series have the same building blocks. The first book gives us a feel for place and builds community. The secondary characters have just enough depth to build them into main characters in later installments. Main characters in previous books become secondary characters in later books as we continue to explore the world the author has created.
We want our readers to continue to come back just like movie goers did for The Avengers. The viewers have embraced the characters, anxious to see what their beloved heroes will accomplish as a team. Waiting spellbound until the end.
Don’t forget the tickler
All the pre Avenger movies had additional scenes at the end after the credits. We sat in the theater waiting to see what the teaser would be. likewise, a wise author will add a scene from the sequel at the end of the story to entice the reader to go on to the next book.
What do you see as the key to creating a good book series?
