Saturday Chit-Chat
Donna McClure asks:
Why do series usually have 3 books as a Trilogy, why do 3 seem to work so well?
CP: I loved this question. Unfortunately I don’t have a good answer! And now that I have two new paperbacks out a year, each 3 months apart, I’m wondering if 3 won’t work. I have two schools of logic.
a) two new books a year that are related in a series; next year another two; or
b) a trilogy which means two books one year; one book the following year that finishes the trilogy and then the next new book starts a new series and you have to weight eight months or so for the next.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
And maybe my plotmonkey pals have a real answer on why series work well!
LK: What a great question, Donna. But like Carly, I just don’t know the answer…lol! It does seem to be an industry norm, doesn’t it? Even a non-industry norm…I mean, look at the great movies in our pop culture. Three seems to be the magic number. Just this summer we’re getting Shrek 3, Spiderman 3 and Pirates 3. The original Star Wars came in 3 and so did the prequel package. Ditto with Indiana Jones and Die Hard (though, I know they’re both coming out with sequels…I kinda wish they’d just left them at 3!) Lethal Weapon should have stopped at 3. The original Superman movies. The X-Men movies. Back To The Future. Wow, there really are a lot of trilogies out there!
Maybe it’s just that old superstition–good things come in 3’s. (So do deaths, but we’ll leave that out of it.)
I have not set out to do a lot of miniseries, I just tend to fall in love with characters & places and want to keep writing about them if I can. It doesn’t always equal three. My Joyful, GA stories only had 2. My Derryville story spanned over, like, 4 books in one way or another. The Santoris are going to fill 5-6. And while there are 3 brothers who are the heroes of my “big” Trouble books, there are at least 2 other stories that go with the series. So I’m not limiting myself to anything. But I will say that my new romantic suspense idea is a trilogy…it just seemed to me that I needed to tell the stories of 3 different types of h/H pairings in that case.
Again, great question–wish I could have actually answered it! 
(PS: My hubby just informed me that three is a sacred number in ancient geometry that turns up again and again throughout history. I dunno…maybe we’re all just a superstitious lot like Janelle’s post showed?)
JD: Wow, I don’t think I can answer this question any better than Leslie just did! It’s something I’ve really never thought about before — but it does seem that series do come in threes! Or at least they start out that way! I know with my Wilde series it was originally supposed to be only 3 books that told the stories of the Wilde brothers. But then the Wilde cousins were introduced throughout those three books and readers asked for THOSE stories, too! So far, it’s a series that has spanned 7 books!
JEL: I think the significance of the number three is simply ingrained in our psyches and manifests in ways from the spiritual to the commercial. Also, three implies a beginning, a middle and an end. If you analyze the first (and only IMO) Star Wars movies, Empire Strikes Back is clearly a transition between A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. When I was planning my upcoming paranormal series, which will (God willing) be six books, I definitely planned the story arcs in threes, with one overall storyline to tie all six books together.
Maybe it is the mind set of beginning, middle, and end?
Comment by Heather Harper — March 24, 2007 @ 9:24 am
Interior decorators use the same theroy- and it balances better than even numbers. 3, 5 or 7 of something balances where 2, 4,6 just doesn’t “look” right.
Besides, the more the merrier!!!
Comment by ev — March 24, 2007 @ 9:28 am
As a reader… If a book is really good, I hate for it to end. When I read the Bachelor I didn’t just fall in love with Roman and Charlotte, I fell in love with all the quirky characters in town, and was happy to hear it would continue! I love trilogies for that reason, BUT…I hate having to wait toooooo long for the next book so Carly PLEASE don’t put out two books and then make us wait a year for the end….I don’t think I could handle that…lol
Comment by Tina Martinesi — March 24, 2007 @ 9:33 am
I love the connections between the characters over the multi books…3,6, or any combo is awesome. BTW, Julie thanks for the info on the kids idea book about what will happen in HP 7, I picked it up at Target this morning and will start it later today.
Comment by Liza — March 24, 2007 @ 9:41 am
I have no idea why 3 books work so well, but I am sure glad that they do as 2 would never be enough to explore a wonderful story line.
Comment by Shari C — March 24, 2007 @ 9:55 am
You’re welcome, Liza. I’ve been reading it with great interest…these kids are so smart and knowledgable about the world…they’ve picked up details I missed, even though I’ve read each book 2-3 times. So far, I’m agreeing with all their predictions. Can’t wait to find out if they are right!
Comment by Julie Leto — March 24, 2007 @ 10:15 am
If I happen to read a book and really like it, then find out it’s part of a trilogy, I’m likely to get the other two books right away. If it’s a longer series I might put it on my TBB or TBR list. I think it’s easy to commit to 3.
Comment by Karen B — March 24, 2007 @ 10:29 am
That’s a great question and some really good answers. There are a few great series’, ie. Harry Potter and Stephanie Plum Novels that make it work to go on much longer, but I think sometimes it can drag on too long too.
I guess Sue Grafton’s “Alphabet Series” went on for 26? I haven’t read but the first few but I think the plot and story line definitely has to be able to sustain that many. I LOVE the Stephanie Plum series and it drive me crazy to have to wait 12 months to get the next one, but I think some of the story lines are beginning to push the limits of my “suspended belief” and I’m really gettng annoyed with the one again/off again with the two heroes.
Sorry, I rambled, I was just thinking it through about what makes them work and not. I love the Wilde series, but I think of it as 2 different sets of 3, plus Mia. And it isn’t limited to the same set of people in each one, there are different characters to cheer for and fall in love with in each book.
OK, I’m done rambling. Off to ride the lawn mower. Have a great weekend, everyone!! Hope the weather is as beautiful for everyone else as it is for us here in NC!
Comment by Jodie — March 24, 2007 @ 10:35 am
Tina,
INTERESTING!
So you’d rather have two more Hot Zone books out next year; and whatever series I start next, keep it TWO books so there’s no waiting? I mean there’s waiting either way, right?
Comment by Carly — March 24, 2007 @ 11:22 am
Shari, maybe that’s the answer. Two isn’t enough time to explore, three or more is. Many authors get tired of a series after three and that’s that. Time to move on so you can delve into other storylines and settings etc.?????
Comment by Carly — March 24, 2007 @ 11:23 am
Comment by Tina Martinesi — March 24, 2007 @ 11:30 am
Karen brings up an interesting point…what if you find a book that is actually the third in the series and while you’re interested, you’re hesitant to buy because that means buying the first two as well? I’ve had this happen to me…and because I’m a book hog, I generally go find the first book and start there. This happened to me with both JD Robb and Laurell K. Hamilton. JD Robb I continue to read, but I’m still really far behind everyone else. Did this with JR Ward, too. Went back and started with the first after seeing the third on the shelf.
Comment by Julie Leto — March 24, 2007 @ 11:32 am
And I’m most interested in how to handle SERIES now that I’m writing two new paperbacks a year … and with them scheduled most probably as July and October, that’s a 9 month wait till the next one. WHAT DO READERS WANT? Just two in a series each year? Three and wait? Four in a series, then wait for the new series? Either way you wait. So help me please. What do YOU all want to see me do?
Comment by Carly — March 24, 2007 @ 11:38 am
I’m like Julie, if I buy a book and find out its part of a series, I need to get the other books and read them in order, I can’t read them out of order and must have all of them. (I’m a book hog too
)
Carly, I don’t like to wait, but I do…right now I’m anxiously waiting for SWAK…by the way I just recieved the book marks you sent…very cool thanks!
The problem with me, is that I read so many books, so if there is a long break between series I need to go back and refresh my memory. (That’s what happens when you turn 40)
Comment by Tina Martinesi — March 24, 2007 @ 12:05 pm
Tina wrote: (That’s what happens when you turn 40)
Tell me about it! I used to be able to remember everything…now I’m lucky if I can remember my own name.
Comment by Julie Leto — March 24, 2007 @ 12:10 pm
I think part of the problem is, we’re a society of fast everything. My kids can’t believe that we used to have to wait for something to cook in the oven. Remember pot pies that took 30 minute to cook? They think that is absolutely ridiculous because they don’t ever have to wait more than 4 minutes for something to “cook.”
When my computer takes more than 30 seconds to load a page I get frustrated. That flows over to everything, including books. I’m like the others. I start at the beginning of a series and go through them, I can’t read them out of order. Then when I get to the last book I don’t want to have to wait for the next one. I expect it to be there waiting for me, only because I’m spoiled and not used to waiting.
Since you can’t write a book a day, no matter what, we’re going to have to wait. But, I would rather wait and have a good book to read. Than read one that was just rushed through to get it out there. Just my own opinion.
Comment by Jodie — March 24, 2007 @ 2:11 pm
Carly:
I agree with Tina.
I do get attached to characters though. If a series is good I can just keep
going and going and going. No, I am not a pink rabbit.
I hate the wait but I am loyal and do wait.
Julie:
“Also, three implies a beginning, a middle and an end.”
I am sure this is cause for upset to both authors and readers.
Comment by jeannie — March 24, 2007 @ 3:00 pm
For me it depends on the writer and the storyline. I just started the J. R. Ward series and omg, I love it. I can’t wait to read the next one. I won’t let myself buy it until I write at least 2 more chapters of my own wip though.
There are some that after I read the first one the second one isn’t as good and then I don’t really want to read anymore of the series. Of course that is not the way with the Plotmonkey books and I’m not just say that, it’s totally the truth. I love all of your books
Comment by Vicki — March 24, 2007 @ 4:41 pm
I have to read the series in order too. I will either get the first books from the library or go buy them if they aren’t at the library. I actually had to get the bookstore to order an older book in a series today.
Comment by Liza — March 24, 2007 @ 6:11 pm
First of all, thanks to the Plotmonkeys for answering my question. I love connected books & just got to wondering why trilogies or series of 3 work so well. The theory of a beginning, middle and an end seems very logical & it works!
There are some series that are more than three that do work well, such as the Santori’s for one. Janelle, I have to confess to not having read the Wilde series but will do so some day! I can think of several authors that have on going series that are more than 3 and working very well. Much depends on how the author write the stories. If there are on going characters in each book that are relevant then it works okay, but each book has characters that are the center of that book. I hope that made sense & you can understand what I’m trying to say! 
I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Enjoy.
Donna M
Thanks again Plotmonkeys for an interesting discussion on series & connected books.
Oh yea, I hate to wait but I will. As stated earlier I would rather wait & have a good book than one rushed so we have a shorter wait. :love2:
Comment by Donna M — March 24, 2007 @ 6:36 pm
This is a good topic.
Carly, you know I will read whatever you and the plotmonkeys write. Sure I will whine and cry about the wait but the anticipation for an upcoming book in my opinion is part of the fun. Write what you need to write and the rest of us will gobble the books up.
Tina,
I know what you mean about people in too much of a hurry. I work retail and see it everyday. You would think the end of the world was coming if there is a line. If you come to shop on a weekend or during the holidays
then yeah there will be a line. I was once told that I wouldn’t have a line if I went faster this was during Christmas. People want things NOW and if they don’t get it immediately they whine about it.
Comment by BadBarb — March 24, 2007 @ 10:11 pm
BadBarb,
I, too, work retail and can understand exactly what you mean about waiting. But when it comes to my favorite writers, I would much rather wait to read a quality book. Sometimes the anticipation makes it more exciting and fun.
Comment by Carol — March 25, 2007 @ 12:22 am