posted on May 17, 2016 by Sharon Hamilton

Sharon’s Advice to New Writers on Writing Series

by Sharon Hamilton

SharonHamilton_Alex_HRThere has been a lot of discussion on writing series lately. Some writers do it very well. Others struggle. These are just some thoughts I had when I look at the success of my SEAL Brotherhood Series, where it all began for me.

It helps if you really love the genre. I happened to fall in love with my SEALs because of my family experience with them. They became the books of my heart, and probably always will be. I write in other genres too, but I am focusing on what the readers want to determine what project I do next.

Darynda Jones once said, “Don’t chase the market but find something in the market that you can write.” I think that was probably the best piece of advice I’ve ever heard.

I group my books into sub-series. I have the original SEAL Brotherhood books, but then I did the next three as the Bad Boys of SEAL Team 3, with their own logo (yes, even their own custom condoms as SWAG), slightly different look on the cover, about men who didn’t start out with a silver spoon in their mouth. Then I created the Band of Bachelors, all still part of the same SEAL Team 3, but divorced men finding a second chance at love. I have my True Blue SEALs about wounded men coming home, learning to deal with their disabilities.

Throughout each of these series, I blend in old characters that have appeared previously, since my world stays the same. We get to see different sides of them as their families grow, as they become part of the team and perhaps move out to do something else in life.

If I ever get tired writing SEALs, I will stop. That’s not likely to happen any time soon. I’ve heard advice given that might have worked for some and would have been disastrous for me (and yes, sadly I took some of it too, just being honest). For every “ism” and kernel of advice there are those that have proven those gems wrong. This is not a one-size fits all approach to writing, or even writing series. So my advice, for what it’s worth?

  1. Write what you are comfortable writing and you love. If you don’t love it, stop.
  2. Write series if you like to write that way. Write stand-alone if you prefer that. Do both if you can (and then don’t look back). Do what’s natural for you to do and listen to your own internal advice first.
  3. Just because everyone else is doing something, consider doing something different. But don’t bet the farm on it.
  4. Pay attention to the market. Just remember you don’t have to do ALL the things everyone else is doing.
  5. If you make it big, save your money for a rainy day. There are ups and downs in this business. Planning for them will keep you sane in the end and keep your butt in the chair.
  6. There are new fans coming up through the ranks every day, just like there are new writers hitting the market. Just keep writing. Focus on the stories in your head, learn to reach out effectively to promote them, stay the course and it will all work out.

I promise. I believe in Happily Ever Afters, don’t you know?

Sharon Hamilton

Sharon Hamilton

NYT and USA/Today Bestselling Author Sharon Hamilton's SEAL Brotherhood series have earned her author rankings of #1 in Romantic Suspense, Military Romance and Contemporary Romance. Her other Brotherhood stand-alone series are: Bad Boys of SEAL Team 3, Band of Bachelors, True Blue SEALs, Nashville SEALs, Bone Frog Brotherhood, Sunset SEALs, Bone Frog Bachelor Series and SEAL Brotherhood Legacy Series. She is a contributing author to the very popular Shadow SEALs multi-author series. Her SEALs and former SEALs have invested in two wineries, a lavender farm and a brewery in Sonoma County, which have become part of the new stories. They also have expanded to include Veteran-benefit projects on the Florida Gulf Coast, as well as projects in Africa and the Maldives. One of the SEAL wives has even launched her own women's fiction series. But old characters, as well as children of these SEAL heroes keep returning to all the newer books. Sharon also writes sexy paranormals in two series: Golden Vampires of Tuscany and The Guardians. A lifelong organic vegetable and flower gardener, Sharon and her husband lived for fifty years in the Wine Country of Northern California, where many of her stories take place. Recently, they have moved to the beautiful Gulf Coast of Florida, with stories of shipwrecks, the white sugar-sand beaches of Sunset, Treasure Island and Indian Rocks Beaches. She loves hearing from fans through her website: authorsharonhamilton.com.

https://authorsharonhamilton.com

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4 thoughts on “Sharon’s Advice to New Writers on Writing Series”

  1. Julie says:

    Sensible advice from an awesome author. Keep up the good work Sharon your seals rock

    1. Thanks so much, Julie. When I first started out, I had no idea this is the direction I’d take. Thanks for following along in my journey!

  2. Terri Carle says:

    awesome advice! As always I enjoyed!

    1. Thanks so much, Terri!

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