I’ve only ever written one sequel, technically — Holiday Heat doesn’t count, because it’s really twelve books in a single continuum — and that’s Switching Plans. Because it’s an interactive novel, it’s okay to drop a bunch of exposition on the first page or two; with any interactive novel, you have to set the scene pretty definitively before you get into the interactive part. 

Not so much with a traditional sequel. 

As I said yesterday, I have started writing the sequel to the first GWWA book. When writing on my phone with my Bluetooth keyboard, I like to keep each paragraph no longer than one full screen of text. But because I have to remind everyone reading this book what happened in the last one, there are a lot of really long paragraphs in the first chapter — I have to reintroduce Shannon, the GWWA, some of the other dramatis personae, and the spanking aspect (specifically I have to remind people how she got into this in the first place and what she’s doing about it now). Plus there’s the inciting incident of the first act to cover, which requires exposition as well. 

I’m glad I’m going to be editing this book when I finish writing it, because I know the opening sequence needs some work. As of now, it feels dry, like it’s something people would skim over to get to the interesting parts. Maybe it isn’t; maybe people would be okay with it. But I have to be okay with it — I have to be happy with what I’m putting out. 

This, by the way, is why I don’t edit during the writing process, and why I rarely ask people to read my work before it’s done — as much as I’d love the feedback, any feedback could change the entire course of the book, or worse it could make me feel like I’m failing at what I’m doing and I would lose my mojo. 

I just found my mojo again. The last thing I want is to lose it. 

For now, back to work on the sequel!