Become an Unstoppable Storyteller
How to Craft Compelling Serials (my book is out now!)
It is DONE! My book Become an Unstoppable Storyteller: How to Craft Compelling Serials, is out!
I plan on doing a deep dive into the epic saga that was the creation of this damn book, but for now I want to talk about why I wrote it, and how it can help authors (especially those of use doing subscriptions for our writing).
One of my superpowers is breaking down complex ideas into simple, clear concepts. It is why I was great at documentation writing in I.T., and why I’m so good at being a productivity coach for authors. I look at the big picture and see the structure underneath, then explain it in an easily digestible way.
Hey, I never said I was the life of the party! I just understand how the party happened.
When I originally created my Serial Beats Spreadsheet, it was simplistic and streamlined because it was just for me and a couple of friends. That is not what it is anymore, as I have edited it and added to it and remade it for general consumption.
But I realized early that there is a difference between providing people with data (a spreadsheet outlining the concepts) versus information (what those concepts are, how to use them, and why they can help you).
The spreadsheet is free to access and copy, and I don’t care who you share it with, or what changes you make to your personal copy. I hope that you credit me if you use it in your writing, but that’s not necessary.
The book, however, is filled with a lot more than what is in the spreadsheet. I talk about the history of serials, the reason a serial is not the same thing as a serialized novel, and dive deep into the beats structure you see in the spreadsheet. It explains how to write long running, complex, and addictive serial stories in any genre.
Below is a sample of the table of contents, to show you exactly how much territory I cover:
Introduction
Glossary
Basics of Serials
Serials are Different
Why Serials?
Types of Serials
Heroic Serials
Episodic Serials
Ensemble Serials
Serial Beats
The Spreadsheet
Beats, Outlines, and Writing Off a Cliff
Overview of Unstoppable Storytelling Beats
The Long Game (Long Arcs)
Non-Character Driven Long Arcs
Situation Arc
Group Arc
Beat Structures for Long Arcs
Reasons for the Seasons
Beat Structures for Seasons
Beware the ShArcs!
Cliffhangers: Always Required, Y/N?
Serials in Practice
Serial vs. Series
Book Series to Serial
Serial to Book Series
Online Serials
Subscription Platforms for Serials
It’s available on all the major distribution platforms, as well as direct from my own shop. Check it out! Hardcopy is available on ‘zon!
Thanks to everyone, especially
and Ream co-founder Michael Evans for their support as I smashed keys to get this out within three months! Whew!
Hi Kim, I bought the paperback version of your excellent book. Loving it so far, but is there a place where I can get the links? The paperback doesn’t provide any, especially for the spreadsheet…
Hi KimBoo!
I mentioned hearing your interview on the Subscriptions for Authors podcast. It was excellent. So informative. Here’s what’s buzzing around in my head as a result.
I joined Substack having heard of serialization and thinking that might work well for my WIP (long historical fiction). I got here and started learning about it. What I heard was: don’t make it too long (but I hear differently from your interview), and structure it with tidy interior “episodes”, clear internal beats. I imagine that almost like a short story series/anthology with an over-arching plot, like a long fantasy book series, but in shorter increments – if I’m making sense.
Anyway, I’ve decided it would not work for my WIP. My WIP is complex and tightly woven. I’ve long wished I could turn it into a trilogy/series, but there are no big wrap up points until the very end. There are set pieces and big shifts, but too many of the story questions remain and keep pulling the story forward.
I also can’t see readers dipping in and out of it. They would be lost. It’s set in a context unfamiliar to most readers, so nothing can be taken for granted. So, I don’t think a drip, drip of release will work for that book.
However, I am currently reading a long Hist Fic here on Substack and it is excellent. But I am reading it like a continuous ebook. The book is finished and all posted. I can read for as long as I want at any stretch.
I think my book would work fine that way. Essentially as an ebook posted here.
On the other hand, I had one of those in-the-shower ah-hah moments. My mother left me with several manuscripts in various degrees of completion. One of them is 95% done (could use a copy edit), and, she recorded it. The structure of that book is a series of 1st person retellings of what is happening through the story. I think THAT book might just work. It could not go on forever, but it’s about 120K – so, plenty of material.
Anyway, I’m just brainstorming and can’t give that book the time it needs right now, but I’m going to grab your new book and see what I think about turning Mom’s manuscript into a serial before turning it into a book. I think it may be well suited.
Whew. Thanks for what you are doing. You’re bushwhacking ahead of the rest of us!
Back to work!