Series Pt. 3

What I posted the other day about the second option for writing a series, where each book is somewhat of a standalone in a continuous universe, got me thinking a little more. Mainly in the sense that a series like that is much like a television series. Yes, I said ‘television’ instead of ‘streaming.’ I’ve been around for more than a couple of decades, so deal with it.

I think there’s an inherent drawback for television that’s not always so in books. In television shows, conflicts have to be resolved within the time limit of the episode. In sitcoms, not only does it have to be resolved, but everything has to go back to the way it was when the episode started. That rule is still there for dramas, but you also know the main character’s not going to die in a hail of gunfire, especially when the show is named after him or her. That limitation is less of a concern in books where you don’t have to worry about an actor or that you’re violating their contract by writing them out of the story.

Not to say you can’t include changes and character growth in television shows. Heck, that’s what makes them interesting. One show that comes to mind is Cheers, which we’re rewatching. Does Sam Malone end the show’s long run the same guy as when he started? Somewhat, yes. He ends up still owning the bar, and still single. Arguably, though, he’s a changed man because the ups and downs of the previous eleven seasons have shown him the value of his friends and what the pub means to him and them. He wouldn’t have understood those feelings in the first season.

How that concept translates to books, or doesn’t, is an interesting thought exercise. Just like I’m still pondering the idea of writing a series, I can continue pondering the overall concept.