Writing and Reading

I was a big fan of the old Batman series, because the writers were masters of anticipation. Every time the episode was going to end, they asked these rhetorical questions that made you go, “OH!”, “UH!”, (GASP!), “CAN’T WAIT!” And then you hear that diddle-de-diddle-de-dooooo thingy with the brass instrument thingies or whatever they are, and then you start dancing in anticipation for the next episode that answers those questions they asked.

A “series” has that effect on you. You end up being so invested in the characters.

Which brings me to this topic splendidly discussed on “Pop Culture Divas”. Which is better? A standalone or a series?

Let’s look at this from both sides.

First off, take a look at Stephen King and all the books he’s written. Most are standalone. And the man owns fifty countries and owns his own private jet. The man can have 50 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches delivered to him from Africa if he wanted.

He’s also written book series before with reoccurring characters. So you begin to believe that King’s popularity not only stems from the stories he writes, but also mainly by the fact that his name is so recognizable now.

So then we’re back to the same question: which is better, a standalone or a series?

The answer is–it depends on–

YOU.

Standalone books aren’t necessarily inferior. Not by a longshot. But an author has a better shot in the writing career skyrocketing into outer space with a series. We invest a lot in characters. It’s like watching Adam West as Batman with Robin in tights.

It takes a lot of investment, though, not just for a reader–but for an author. As much as a reader loves a series, the author has to put that much effort into it as well.

That’s where a standalone comes in.

Sometimes we have a particular idea we want to write a story about. So we write it. And then we have another idea that we want to brainstorm and develop. So we write about that.

Think of standalones as bits of wood fueling the fire.

Then when we’ve stoked that fire, we have the time and strength to really develop a series. We’ve worked our craft and stimulated ideas enough to harbor enough strength for a lengthy epic book series. Holy mad metaphors, Batman!