Would ever make a sequel to your own story?

Lets say you have a successful story and it has a lot fans but the fans who love it want more or how about this, you finished your story and it is complete in that you closed up any possible plot holes yet you still feel that you can do more. Should start creating a sequel to that story or should you just leave it as is?

Only if there's another story that can be told in that 'verse or with those characters.

Even if things are resolved in the first story, the 'verse goes on and, providing it wasn't a Downer Ending or a Shoot the Shaggy Dog (which mine never are) so do the character's lives.

There may be other stories that can be told - not always for the same characters and not always the same sort of story.

Or there may not. I wouldn't screw up the fundamentals of the 'verse or the characters' lives just to wring another story out of it - I've seen that done too often.

One of my Wi P is a Post-Cyberpunk story revolving around a group of Personal Protection Specialists (a.k,a. "Bodyguards") who are in a Fish out of Water situation. If that turned out to be a raging success, there is plenty of scope in the 'verse and in the various character's lives to tell other stories without having to resort to "undoing" the events of the previous story.

The sequel could focus on some other major, but unrelated, event that the characters get caught up in.

Another of my Wi P focuses on a group of people who have been abducted and are trying to find out why/how and wtf is going on. I find it hard to see what sort of sequel that could have, but I can't rule out the possibility that they or others in their 'verse may have "novel-worthy" adventures.

edited 12th Aug '13 2:46:27 PM by Wolf1066

I have multiple plots that take place in the same world. They may intersect and/or take place before, during, or after other stories, but they won't be direct sequels/prequels.

I plan sequels ahead of time. If I don't want one or can't conceive of one happening it won't happen.

I doubt it.

I mean, under some circumstances, I'd make it clear that multiple stories are happening in the same general world—sort of like the Stephen King novels or Tarantino films, only with more terrible—but reusing heroes or settings? I'm not good enough to do that. I'd probably fail to do justice to my characters or retcon their happy endings (Hello, Orson Scott Card!), and I don't know if I could reuse an old setting without either confusing the new readers or boring the old ones by having to explain everything again.

Maybe if I improve or intentionally leave room for further development as I'm writing the original, but I know my limits when it comes to this sort of thing.

I'm actually working on a sequel right now.

The book is going to have some more sequels. (Probably four or five books).

I never say never, but it would be very unlikely for me to do a direct sequel that I had no prior plans for. "Spin-offs" and other works in the same universe are more likely.

I won't make any sequels with the same characters and/or settings in my story in fear of Sequelitis and/or Seasonal Rot .

Like what you said, I'm more focusing on other events (which opened the possibility to try/practice different genres) that takes place in the same 'verse which could be considered as a standalone story of its own. Some Early-Bird Cameo and Call-Forward might occur though.

edited 12th Aug '13 5:39:20 PM by Bleedingbreath

Probably, but only in the sense that they'd be different installments of a larger story. Now if that story was ever wrapped up and finished I'd try to keep it that way.

That said, non-sequel stories set in the same setting: for sure. If, as you say, I felt that there was more to write, I'd try to explore it with new folks.

There will not be a sequel to In The Service.

Well, that's kind of my plan. My first story will give the protagonist a resolution, just in case this writing thing doesn't work out, but it'll leave a lot of threads hanging for future expansion. (What will it take to overthrow Amu? What's up with the Terrans?) Big world, lots of tales, and a dictator who won't go down easy... and will hopefully get a story of his own.

I would have to have an ulterior motive to write a previously-unplanned sequel, beyond merely appeasing fans.

edited 12th Aug '13 8:22:00 PM by Noaqiyeum

If we're talking specifics, there will not be a direct sequel to - and most likely will not be any other work set in the setting of - my current project. That project, however, is itself a spinoff (albeit one that treats the original in Broad Strokes) of another story that will probably never be published in any form.

Depends on how much money I could expect from writing the sequel. Artistic integrity is nice, but it doesn't put food on the table.

I always plan out my sequels. If I ever write more about my story, it'll be probably be in the form of a spin-off.

I sure have.

I want to write some standalone, but some of my bigger story ideas are either open for a sequel, or have one planned.

Only if there's room for it. I have some ideas for standalone stories that wouldn't take sequels very well, and other ideas for whole universes that could support more stories than I'll ever have the time to write.

Of course, it's probably common practice among writers these days to deliberately leave room for sequels, just in case. I might be inclined to do this too if I didn't think it would damage the story.

At any rate, I'm a pretty sucky writer and I probably won't be writing anything that will gather many fans for a long time yet.

All of my stories are part of the same 'verse, despite their wildly different genres (Urban Fantasy, Spy Drama, Superhero, and whatever else I feel like writing), thus making every story a prequel or sequel to every other story in some sense. Of course, I avoid making things too confusing by restricting certain characters to certain storylines within a particular series, though cameos (including myself) or mentioning of the characters or events of another series/story are not out of the question.

In short: for the most part, I try to plan all my sequels rather than cater to the hypothetical demand of fandom for more.

edited 14th Aug '13 1:56:25 AM by shrikecatcher

For the 4-abductees Wi P, I can imagine them beyond the current adventure - what they'd be doing, how they'd be living etc - but I'd be hard pressed to think of a story-worthy conflict to explore in a sequel.

That said, perhaps by the time I finish it (providing I do finish it, that's one of my biggest failings), I'll have an idea for one. Perhaps a possibility will grow out of what develops during the first story - while I know where they are and what they face and how it's going to be resolved, there's still ample possibility for my mind to throw up some random detail/idea while I'm writing it that will make me think "Hmmm, I could explore that further at a later date."

A rather unusual gang that I came up with in my Post-Cyberpunk Wi P gave me a couple of ideas for possible sequels - and they just started out as "some one interesting for the protagonists to encounter".

If enough people ask for it, it doesn't hurt to at least give it a shot. Maybe look back through the original and see where you still may be able to take it next. In fact, you may end up realizing that there really is another story in there that you want to tell!

Yep I totally would. Working on it right now, in fact.

I would, and have, but only because I had another story that could be done with the same universe and characters (well, mostly). I can also say that one of those I definitely should not have, but that's my earlier work and I don't admit to it anymore.

I guess I could figure something out with time, although it would be really difficult considering the fates of most characters and the lack of antagonists left.

Absolutely! The thing I'm working on right now is actually meant to set up a larger setting.