How often do you write the sequels to your short stories?

gettingby · Mar 30, 2015

How often do you write the sequels to your short stories? Is this the best way to start a collection? I was told that linked short story collections are easier to sell. Not that anything is easy to sell.

Anyway, I've done a few sequels. The only thing is the sequel seems to turn out better than my original. Both are stand alone stories. I usually end up trunking the original after I've written the sequel. The sequels just seem to be better and feel like they are the real stories. Anyone else experience this?

I recently wrote a story then a sequel and then another sequel. I sent out all three versions to different literary journals. The first two versions got form rejections from everywhere I sent them. The third story got all personal rejections and one place still has it. This would indicate that the third is the better story. But it took a lot to get there. I'm wondering if this is just a process that I might need to go through to actually tell one good story or if I should be trying to build of stories in the hopes of a cohesive larger work. I guess I'm struggling with the idea that maybe stories that I spring off of to write sequels might just me drafts, but I'm hoping that's not the case.

I would love to hear from you guys about your experience writing sequels.

Maryn · Mar 30, 2015

It could just be me, but I've never felt any desire to create a sequel to a short story I was satisfied with.

If I were trying to generate a linked collection of my stories, I probably would not choose the same characters and setting in new situations. I'd probably go with a geographical link or perhaps a theme. But that's no doubt just me, too.

Maryn, strictly herself

Jamesaritchie · Mar 30, 2015

I think "sequels" is the wrong word here. I've never written a sequel to a short story, and can't think of any reason I would. Or even why I would want to. I have written short stories that used the same characters as other short stories, but this doesn't have anything to do with sequels.

Stories in a collection do not have to be linked in this way. As long as all the stories are the same genre, it's fine. There's no reason at all to link them in any stronger or more direct way. "Sequels" just isn't how it works.

I've probably read a thousand short story collections, and I can't recall one that was compiled in this way.

Friendly Frog · Mar 31, 2015

I've used the characters from one short story in another, sure. In one, two characters meet, in another they fight crime together, or in this specific case, murderous vegetables. But both stories exist on their own and don't need the other.

I did have a better handle on the characters after two stories, but I guess that much may be expected since I had double the experience with them. But I usually don't feel like scrapping the first one.

I seriously doubt this is a good way to build a collection, though. A group of short story-sequels can quickly feel like it's meant to be just one story that happens to be built out of seperate, not very well- connected parts. On the whole, I've only seen it done well in crime fiction.

SeaSerpent · Apr 1, 2015

I sometimes reuse characters, but often if a story warrants a sequel I find it probably wants to be turned into something longer.

Thunderclap Harrier · Apr 1, 2015

Develop an idea from the short story that wasn't a focal point.

Jamesaritchie · Apr 1, 2015

Thunderclap Harrier said:
Develop an idea from the short story that wasn't a focal point.

I have no idea what that means?

Thunderclap Harrier · Apr 1, 2015

For example, I mention that my antivaccination metaphor has a child that suffered after taking my setting's equivalent of a vaccine. The rest of the story is focused on this character's violent nature, his decision to act on his revenge fantasies instead of considering his child's best interests, and the inglorious end it brings him.

A sequel would be told from the POV of the diseased child that he keeps hidden away. Said child is usually trotted out in an emotional appeal to potential supporters of the antivaxx cause. It develops the child mentioned from the first short story, and lets the readers see the ripple effects of the father's actions.

dpaterso · Apr 1, 2015

gettingby said:
How often do you write the sequels to your short stories?

More often than not, probably. My WIPs tend to have recurring characters and refer back to what's gone before, so there's a continuation of an ongoing story thread. Maybe something didn't get resolved, or maybe something catches up with the MC. Once newer stories are finished I've gone back to the previous stories and tweaked them to match up with the later material. Adds to the fun.

-Derek

Jinsune · Apr 1, 2015

gettingby, when you say sequels, do you mean writing a series of short stories with the same reoccurring characters but different plots? If so, I think that would be more of an episodic novel than sequels.

I've never thought about doing this. I can imagine it might be difficult to pull off (I'm only assuming this because I haven't read too many episodic novels/short stories). The genre might also play a factor into this as well.

Jamesaritchie · Apr 1, 2015

A sequel is a continuation not only of character, but of story. Ray Bradbury's Marian Chronicles is probably the best know example.

Just using the same characters again does not make a story a sequel, it makes it a series. Same main character(s), but brand new story each time. There's nothing wrong with doing this, but in no way is it required for a collection, and it's not the norm anywhere, in any genre.

Trying to put together a collection of actual sequels would take a lot of doing. You would have to write several stories that held one big story, like The Martian Chronicles, and sell every one of them.

With series, you don't have to sell every story you write with a particular character, you just have to sell enough of them to put together a collection. But even this is pretty daunting. Depending on the length of each, you would have to sell from twelve to twenty short stories using the same character. That's pretty ambitious.

It's tough enough just to sell from twelve to twenty stories that aren't connected, except by genre, and it simply isn't required. All a publisher really expects is that all the stories be literary, or mystery, or SF, etc.

Of all teh collections I've read, at least a thousand, I doubt more than twenty or thirty used series, and no more than a dozen linked the stories like sequels.

It would be great, if you can do it, but it means one failed story kills everything. If teh first doesn't sell, teh rest are meaningless. Even with a series character, sell that many stories using the same character can take a long, long time, if you can do it at all.

gettingby · Apr 2, 2015

Jinsune said:
gettingby, when you say sequels, do you mean writing a series of short stories with the same reoccurring characters but different plots? If so, I think that would be more of an episodic novel than sequels.

I've never thought about doing this. I can imagine it might be difficult to pull off (I'm only assuming this because I haven't read too many episodic novels/short stories). The genre might also play a factor into this as well.

I was talking about actual sequels. I write literary fiction, but I'm not sure that makes a difference. This might be just something weird that I sometimes do. It's starting to feel like my way of writing a novel without the weight that comes with admitting or acknowledging I'm writing a novel. Because I feel that I'm not quite ready to do that right now. Or it could just be that I needed to write a sequel to a story for it to be the actual story.

I will say that I have had fun with it even if nothing comes of this practice. I am usually pretty happy with the way I end short stories, but I do find myself sometimes wondering about what would happen next, after the story ends. And then I play the what-if game -- what if after the story ends this happens... And a new story starts.

gettingby · Apr 2, 2015

Jamesaritchie said:
A sequel is a continuation not only of character, but of story. Ray Bradbury's Marian Chronicles is probably the best know example.

Just using the same characters again does not make a story a sequel, it makes it a series. Same main character(s), but brand new story each time. There's nothing wrong with doing this, but in no way is it required for a collection, and it's not the norm anywhere, in any genre.

Trying to put together a collection of actual sequels would take a lot of doing. You would have to write several stories that held one big story, like The Martian Chronicles, and sell every one of them.

With series, you don't have to sell every story you write with a particular character, you just have to sell enough of them to put together a collection. But even this is pretty daunting. Depending on the length of each, you would have to sell from twelve to twenty short stories using the same character. That's pretty ambitious.

It's tough enough just to sell from twelve to twenty stories that aren't connected, except by genre, and it simply isn't required. All a publisher really expects is that all the stories be literary, or mystery, or SF, etc.

Of all teh collections I've read, at least a thousand, I doubt more than twenty or thirty used series, and no more than a dozen linked the stories like sequels.

It would be great, if you can do it, but it means one failed story kills everything. If teh first doesn't sell, teh rest are meaningless. Even with a series character, sell that many stories using the same character can take a long, long time, if you can do it at all.

I will definitely check out the example you gave. Thanks for that. But why would you have to sell every story in a collection linked as sequels and not in a collection linked another way? Are you talking about selling short stories first to other places or do you mean selling them all together to a publisher? If it's the latter, I know what you mean. If it's the first, I'm not so sure.

I'm thinking about my collection for my thesis, but I do hope that it is something that I can publish in the future. I have such a great opportunity to work with writers I admire (who are my professors and thesis readers) on this. I want to really make it count. My thesis is going to me around 150 pages, which I know is on the short end for any collection, but I want those 150 pages to really be my best work and my best chance for publishing.

Myrealana · Apr 2, 2015

I've never written nor even considered a sequel to any of my short stories. To me, the whole point of a short story is that it is self-contained. Writing a sequel seems to defeat that entire idea.

I have reused settings and characters to tell a different story.

Jamesaritchie · Apr 2, 2015

gettingby said:
I will definitely check out the example you gave. Thanks for that. But why would you have to sell every story in a collection linked as sequels and not in a collection linked another way? Are you talking about selling short stories first to other places or do you mean selling them all together to a publisher? If it's the latter, I know what you mean. If it's the first, I'm not so sure.

I'm thinking about my collection for my thesis, but I do hope that it is something that I can publish in the future. I have such a great opportunity to work with writers I admire (who are my professors and thesis readers) on this. I want to really make it count. My thesis is going to me around 150 pages, which I know is on the short end for any collection, but I want those 150 pages to really be my best work and my best chance for publishing.

Unless you;re self-publishing, mot publishers want stories that have been previously sold to magazines, though sometimes with one or two brand new stories. This is pretty much the norm.

But the only link needed is genre. You certainly don't need sequels, or anything like that.

A collection as a thesis is something I'm familiar with only marginally. It's been far too many years, and not something I've done with a collection, so I have no idea how the publishing process would work there.

gettingby · Apr 2, 2015

Jamesaritchie said:
Unless you;re self-publishing, mot publishers want stories that have been previously sold to magazines, though sometimes with one or two brand new stories. This is pretty much the norm.

But the only link needed is genre. You certainly don't need sequels, or anything like that.

A collection as a thesis is something I'm familiar with only marginally. It's been far too many years, and not something I've done with a collection, so I have no idea how the publishing process would work there.

I'm not planning to self publish. I am planning to sell stories, a plan I have been working hard on without much success, but I plan to keep trying.

I'm probably overthinking the connection stories need in a collection because of the thesis. I need more than genre as a link to write me thesis proposal which is due pretty soon.

Still, I'm going to check out the example you mentioned. A million years ago I wrote a novel of sorts that sort of followed this model. But maybe this idea is not the best for my thesis.

gettingby · Apr 2, 2015

Thanks for all the posts. It seems like this is an unusual practice, but it has resulted in some of my best stories, which were sequels and not the originals. I will probably keep it up because it does seem to help me, but I'm not sure it will be my best 150-word thesis project.

Still, if anyone else has examples of short story collections that have done this, it is something I would like to read. Please let me know if you come across more examples of this.

InspectorFarquar · Apr 2, 2015

Hemingway's Nick Adams stories come to mind. It's been awhile though. The Things They Carried seems to ring a bell.

They're both great reads, if not what you're looking for.

p.s., Isn't Winesburg, Ohio, although technically a novel, just a collection of connected shorts?

SML7318 · Apr 2, 2015

Not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for, but Dirty Love by Andre Dubus III is four connected stories with the same characters or their family members.

How often do you write the sequels to your short stories?

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