Forum: Author Hangout

Keeping straight - Series, Universes

JoeBobMack 🚫

I'm writing a series (universe?) of books that tell the story of re-shaping the world for magic starting in 1973, coming forward to some point in the near future. (My MC starts from that point and is rejuvenated and sent back.) I'm on my fourth book, pushing 400,000 words and I've yet to cover two months. (The pace won't stay the same; there'll be some periods of relative stability. I think. Maybe.)

Anyway, these stories are developing a cast of characters, currently over 50 (not all yet in a story). Plus, there are key aspects of the emergence of magic I need to track. I end up asking myself, "How did I decide to handle that? What chapter was it in?" I'm finding that plotting each successive book is getting harder. I think it will get easier as aspects of the story stabilize, but, right now, there's a lot going on.

I've got notes in Scrivener with character sheets (in Scrivener), thoughts about the development of magic, a magical society, etc., descriptions of various character arcs, etc. I've been able to work with that up until this point, but it's getting tougher. Find myself looking back for "what did I do with this aspect of magic in that scene where...?"

I've tried a spreadsheet, but I'm not good with those for data management, so I'm tinkering with an Access database with tables for characters and chapters. I may add locations. I also track POV character and characters in each chapter.

Anyway, for those who've wrestled with this kind of stuff, what helped?

Replies: Dominions Son Grey Wolf REP Crumbly Writer

Dominions Son 🚫

@JoeBobMack

Anyway, for those who've wrestled with this kind of stuff, what helped?

I built a OO Base database to track worlds, stories, characters, paces, organizations...

Grey Wolf 🚫

@JoeBobMack

I have a OneNote notebook full of pages with lots and lots of information about my story. I've got at least 50 named characters (of varying significance) and character and story arc notes, etc.

It's not the best organization system, but it works for me.

I've heard very good things about WorldAnvil, and it sounds perfectly matched to what you're doing. Since mine is more coming-of-age and I don't need to track as much I haven't dug into it deeply.

REP 🚫
Updated:

@JoeBobMack

My 'D-Hopping' universe, a story universe, is about a society, the Multiverse, that is comprised of different worlds located in multiple physical universes. To help me keep my descriptions of the worlds and each world's social structure constant, I prepared a tutorial for my readers, titled 'A Reader's Guide to the D-Hopping Universe'. There is a link to this guide in my story universe's description. I refer to this guide to keep my facts straight, and periodically update the information it contains in my master copy of the tutorial. However, I have not updated the posted copy, because I believe is adequate for my readers use.

Crumbly Writer 🚫

@JoeBobMack

Follow up/Side Topic: What are the rules for print/published books? As far as I know, the notations for either series or universes is the same "series/universe title #volume", so how do you distinguish between the two.

I just realized that my next two books are a universe, rather than a series, as they feature different characters on a separate but similar mission, so I'm unfamiliar with how to describe how they relate to each other. I can't really recall any dead-tree books emblazoned with a "Star Trek Spinoff Universe" tagline.

Replies: REP JoeBobMack

REP 🚫

@Crumbly Writer

I can't really recall any dead-tree books emblazoned with a "Star Trek Spinoff Universe" tagline.

Does it really matter that no one has created such a universe. Be a trailblazer rather than a follower.

Replies: Crumbly Writer

Crumbly Writer 🚫

@REP

Does it really matter that no one has created such a universe. Be a trailblazer rather than a follower.

I'm not worried about blazing my own trail, as I purposely chose to avoid the traditional and relatable plots. I'm more interested in doing things correctly (i.e. formatting it correctly, so it's clear that it's a universe and not a series). And since I don't label my books as "Not-Quite Human Series #1", I'm unsure how to specify it on the cover, before anyone opens the book.

Replies: Dominions Son REP

Dominions Son 🚫

@Crumbly Writer

There's one dead tree series I have some of, Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost, she branched out writing books in the same world featuring what were secondary characters from the main books.

I don't know if it's on the cover, because I have them as Kindle ebooks, but the one of the extras I have shows up on my kindle as Title (Night Huntress World Book X)

Replies: Crumbly Writer

Crumbly Writer 🚫

@Dominions Son

I don't know if it's on the cover, because I have them as Kindle ebooks, but the one of the extras I have shows up on my kindle as Title (Night Huntress World Book X)

So, what I'm hearing is that there's no difference between how a Universe (unrelated book on the same topic but with different protagonists) or a Series (sequel or nonsequentail stories concerning the same characters or events) is formatted (when referencing a published book).

@REP

Use title and your name on the cover; you don't have to put everything on the cover.

Typically, a series title is not placed on the first book of a series, but is placed on each subsequent book. The goal is to allow readers to search for and identify each book in a given series after they've read one.

It's mostly my personal preference, but when I start a series, I prefer labeling each book as being part of the series, so that readers know that it's part of a limited series, so they know what they're getting into beforehand.

With my current story, I've got a Universe of two books with different protagonists but dealing with similar issues. However, I was also considering possibly writing a sequel to one (different protagonists but same topics along a different timeline), so I'm wrestling with how to differentiate between coexistent Series and Universes in the publishing world, vs. those restricted to SOL.

REP 🚫

@Crumbly Writer

I'm unsure how to specify it on the cover, before anyone opens the book.

Use title and your name on the cover; you don't have to put everything on the cover. In a Forward/Introduction explain that it is part of the first story in your new "Not-Quite Human Series (Universe)".

JoeBobMack 🚫

@Crumbly Writer

I'm still getting my head around the way the concept is used here on SOL.

Replies: Crumbly Writer

Crumbly Writer 🚫

@JoeBobMack

I'm still getting my head around the way the concept is used here on SOL.

In short, a series is a list of books dealing with either the same protagonists, or the same storyline. It can be either sequential, numbered, or unnumbered (i.e. the order doesn't matter and you can expect to read them in any order whatsoever).

A universe, on the other hand, deals with a variety of stories with different characters are aren't directly related to the other stories (i.e. different characters, different conflicts and different outcomes). The universe is either tied to a pre-defined story premise, detailing what's allowable and what's not, or it's based on a series of stories based on a central idea, but with different characters, timeline, etc.

Universes can also be either Open (where anyone is able to join), Closed (i.e. only the author and his 'friends' can join) or 'Invitational', where you have to be vetted before being allowed in (i.e. you have to 'apply' before being 'allowed' in.

Replies: REP

REP 🚫

@Crumbly Writer

We all have our preferences. Personally, I would not put Universe/Series info on the front cover. I might put it on the back cover and definitely address it as part of the books front matter.

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Forum: Author Hangout

Keeping straight - Series, Universes

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