Series WritingOne of the great things about being a writer and having a wonderfully busy summer is coming away with a notebook full of new writing ideas. As I walked the beach each morning, a new character or setting or plot would float into my head and introduce themselves, leaving my brain racing with what to outline next. With one particular character, what kept coming up for me was the idea of writing a series. She's still just a glint in the eye, but it really did get me thinking of where and how to start. If you've ever wondered the same, this post is for you. Thinking of Writing Your First Series? If you're an emerging author dreaming of writing a series in women's fiction, you're in good company — most writers give it some real thought at some point, given the popularity of successful titles such as The Empyrean by Rebecca Yarros, Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, or the Chief Inspector Gamache series (adapted for TV as Three Pines) by Louise Penny. What each of these series has is what most writers want: famously devoted fans who can't wait to get their hands on the latest release. Building a series is different from writing a standalone novel. Here's what to keep in mind as you plan: Find a strong emotional or thematic throughline. Every genre has its own guidelines, but every series needs a solid throughline. Women's fiction thrives on character growth — relationships, identity, resilience, reinvention. Your series should have an overarching emotional arc that deepens book by book, even if each installment follows a different protagonist or story. Mystery must deliver a complete "whodunit" resolution — readers expect the mystery to be solved by the end. Romance must have a complete, satisfying romantic arc with a happy/hopeful ending — this is considered non-negotiable by most romance readers and industry definitions (per Romance Writers of America). An example: in The Empyrean, it's the journey from self-doubt to self-trust and power. Do you want a series of connected standalones or a continuous arc? Many successful series (think small-town sagas or multigenerational family stories) use a shared setting or family, with each book focusing on a different character. This gives readers a satisfying, complete story each time while building a larger world they can return to. In the Gamache series, it's the idyllic setting of Three Pines, a small village in Quebec that doesn't appear on any map (it does in one of the books, but I won't spoil it for you). To readers, visiting Three Pines is like visiting a favorite aunt's house — you know what to expect and you love it. Plant seeds — and Easter eggs — early. Introduce secondary characters, subplots, or unresolved threads in Book One that you can expand later, and sneak in some Easter eggs — a hidden message, joke, secret, or reference intentionally buried in the text — to give your loyal readers a chance to spot the connections across the series. In Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, it's a god-like turtle named Maturin. In Harry Potter, it's the vanishing cabinet. Consistency is everything. Keep a "series bible" — character details, timelines, town geography, family trees — so continuity errors don't pull readers out of the story. A series is a long-term relationship with your readers. Nurture it with heart, and they'll stay with you for the whole journey. Happy writing!
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