now that we have corrupted you, our work here is complete.

Thanks for your answers, I’ll start on a trilogy at once…..doh!!!

So many parts to that question, which is a really good question.

1) yes, I think that for some it may be writing to expectation (a trilogy is a known quantity in our field (we need only mention The Lord of the Rings), plus it is three books rather than one book, always a good thing for a writer who seeks to build and maintain an audience).

2) academic studies of folk tales and myths often (not always) show a typical three part structure in the stories of the hero/heroine a) separation from the world they are a part of b) a state where they are neither here nor there, but are having adventures c) reintegration into society with a new status. All initiation ceremonies follow this basic structure, so it may be something that feels very comfortable for us as readers and writers because it has deep cultural roots.

3) if a story tries to deal on some level with the complexities of human interaction on a grand scale, it may not really fit in a single (short) volume. The Lord of the Rings, for instance, while a single story, could not have been the story it was if it had been 100,000 words.

I suppose influences would be a big part, just I would’ve thought it’d be a more subconscious effect, such as writing style, rather than in the more conscious plotting part. Do you find it often, when talking to your fellow writers, you hear them planning a trilogy in advance? Or is it more a case of starting a series and marketing/length/contracts force it into three?

It’s harder than I anticipated, especially since I did it so poorly in the first novel I wrote.

Last week, I went back to work in Ye Olde Day Jobbe. Jen does the same this week. What it means, basically, is an extra hour on each of our commutes on top of the wranging and working and writing books.

On the other hand, the girls started smiling last week. That is some pretty intoxicating stuff to behold.

Hillsby, I think some of us first think “trilogy” because of the trilogies that have influenced. LotR, Star Wars, the Tripod Trilogy, etc. There may be something about the number three that sticks with us for other reasons, too, or marketing and business considerations I’m not aware of. It does seem like a trilogy fits nicely into a two book plus option contract. In the end, though, five felt more realistic for the size of story. My next series though looks like it will be (gasp) three books.