Writing a sequel v. leaving the reader wondering

I often get asked to write sequels, and I will do so if I can think of a suitable plot. More than once, I've ended up writing sequels I hadn't planned to write because someone asked - after all, why not if it makes the creative juices flow?

SimonDoom said:

When you receive favorable feedback to a story, do you often or sometimes write a sequel? Are you tempted to? Why or why not?

I was tempted at first, and did, but not anymore.

My erotic stories typically are set at the early stage of a character discovering some new erotic interest, kink, activity, etc. The discovery, and the personal or psychological obstacles to the discovery, are part of what make a story erotic to me. Once that process is done, I'm ready to move on to a new story rather than continuing the main character's further pursuit of his or her erotic interest. I also like ending a story with a suggestion of the continuation of the character's conduct, leaving the reader's imagination to wonder what the character will do later.

But it's interesting to see how many readers have an endless appetite for more episodes featuring the same character.

Click to expand...

I'm a new author but from my limited experience. It's the building of the characters and the excitement of the build up, seduction and capitulation which gets the creative juices flowing. Once the build up and climax has been realised, the follow up is not as exciting as creating a new scenario

LucyHall2 said:

I'm a new author but from my limited experience. It's the building of the characters and the excitement of the build up, seduction and capitulation which gets the creative juices flowing. Once the build up and climax has been realised, the follow up is not as exciting as creating a new scenario

Click to expand...

It's all about the characters for me. I want to delve into more and more aspects of my character's personas. The sex in my stories is an expression of their relationships, they are not vehicles in the service of writing sex scenes. My current series will contain some chapters that have no sexual content. That's just the way the story is going. If it costs me some readers, I accept that.

I invariably leave hints, or hanging endings, or hot-spots that could lead to further stories, just as I leave unexplained reasons. I can't be sure what any character does outside the immediate tale, and the story never ends -- I just cut it off somewhere. Unless I reach a definite chop-off point with no possible continuation, like planet-busting, there's always more to say. And even a busted planet leaves ghosts.

Conclusion: We end when we want to. If we want to keep going, we keep going. Yow.

I write sequels when I feel there's more story to tell. Sometimes the feedback would inspire me to think more about the story, and think how it could develop further. Not because I want to "cash in" on writing a sequel, but just because I like my stories.

MelissaBaby said:

It's all about the characters for me. I want to delve into more and more aspects of my character's personas. The sex in my stories is an expression of their relationships, they are not vehicles in the service of writing sex scenes. My current series will contain some chapters that have no sexual content. That's just the way the story is going. If it costs me some readers, I accept that.

Click to expand...

That's actually quite sweet and I understand. Although I think the reason why I write erotic stories is psychologically rooted in my years of being in the closet, desiring secretly from afar and trying to fight those desires. All those year my sexual imagination revolved around my internal conflicts and my submissive nature towards other women. So I lived out fantasies of being seduced, fighting it only to break into abject surrender and ultimately love. It's that process which stalked my fantasies and dreams for over 30 years. My erotic imagination wasn't fantasising about a relationship involving daily life and coming out to friends and family. I was hooked on the secrecy, confusion, helplessness, sense of taboo and the process of one woman breaking my resistance. So I guess that's what makes my writing tick. Once the relationship is sealed and the protagonist no longer in anguished, conflicted, forbidden desire for a superior women intent on breaking her resistance, then I'm willing to let them live happily ever after.

That's not to say I couldn't see a situation where the characters were exciting enough or the sense of conflict, secrecy and taboo lingering long enough to write more. Just that, so far I haven't felt the need to go beyond.

LucyHall2 said:

That's actually quite sweet and I understand. Although I think the reason why I write erotic stories is psychologically rooted in my years of being in the closet, desiring secretly from afar and trying to fight those desires. All those year my sexual imagination revolved around my internal conflicts and my submissive nature towards other women. So I lived out fantasies of being seduced, fighting it only to break into abject surrender and ultimately love. It's that process which stalked my fantasies and dreams for over 30 years. My erotic imagination wasn't fantasising about a relationship involving daily life and coming out to friends and family. I was hooked on the secrecy, confusion, helplessness, sense of taboo and the process of one woman breaking my resistance. So I guess that's what makes my writing tick. Once the relationship is sealed and the protagonist no longer in anguished, conflicted, forbidden desire for a superior women intent on breaking her resistance, then I'm willing to let them live happily ever after.

That's not to say I couldn't see a situation where the characters were exciting enough or the sense of conflict, secrecy and taboo lingering long enough to write more. Just that, so far I haven't felt the need to go beyond.

Click to expand...

I absolutely get it. Your writing serves your emotional and psychics needs, and that guides what you write and how you write it.

I have a very different back story, and so my writing serves a different purpose for me. Each of us does what is valid for us. I hope you find the writing experience as rewarding as I have.

MelissaBaby said:

I absolutely get it. Your writing serves your emotional and psychics needs, and that guides what you write and how you write it.

I have a very different back story, and so my writing serves a different purpose for me. Each of us does what is valid for us. I hope you find the writing experience as rewarding as I have.

Click to expand...

I hope so to. I am finding it incredibly rewarding so far. Thanks again

I came across this advice from J G Ballard.

'Cultivate ambiguity. [O]ne’s become used to these overlong novels in which everything is explained and tidied up. At the heart of every good short story lies a certain ambiguity, a sort of “Yes, but.” That’s very seldom found in novels. And yet this ambiguity is the very stuff of life.'

SamScribble said:

I came across this advice from J G Ballard.

'Cultivate ambiguity. [O]ne’s become used to these overlong novels in which everything is explained and tidied up. At the heart of every good short story lies a certain ambiguity, a sort of “Yes, but.” That’s very seldom found in novels. And yet this ambiguity is the very stuff of life.'

Click to expand...

Yes, better writing encourages the reader to engage in the possibilities him/herself. Sure there are readers who want to be spoon fed a resolution of everything, but they aren't among the world's better thinkers. You can write for them if you wan, but you don't have to. You can attract a more thoughtful set of readers.

beachbum1958 said:

... I dislike the idea of writing a tacked-on sequel to a story I wrote as a standalone, because that was the story I wanted to tell, and no more ...

Click to expand...

I have to echo these sentiments – the plots I write are based on a normal character arc where two people who are unlikely sex partners end up in bed together. Don’t get me wrong – I am immensely flattered that almost 2/3rds of the 24 commenters on my latest story (Queen of Diamonds) asked for sequels.

Frankly it takes a lot of effort on my end to create interesting characters that have realistic and plausible reasons for doing what they do, including having scenes of intense erotic content. Maybe this comes easier to others, but once the manuscript is post-edit and ready to submit, I’m done with the characters and their world. And honestly, I never feel I could top what I wrote in the original story.

However I (almost) always leave the door open for future sexual encounters and often have a few hot scenes left over that didn’t fit into the story arc. I reserve them for a possible sequel – just in case I get inspired, but they just as easily could get repurposed for entirely new characters in their own story.

I did have one very enthusiastic reader offer to write sequels using the same characters as long as I wasn’t going to find the time or inclination to do it myself. I had to politely shut that down. Like some others have said, no harm in a fan imagining his/her own follow-on story, but I certainly don’t want to see someone else riffing on the characters and world I created. Naturally an author fears an eager fan tarnishing the brand with an amateurish sequel, but what if they end up doing a better job?