Answers To Some Questions

I had a few questions via email that I replied to personally but the answers could be useful to others so I will post them here too:

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Q: How do you know that a concept or story idea can carry multiple episodes? I mean, I have no problem with B and C Stories but I find it difficult knowing what to use as A stories.

A: You could think of your A Story as the "A Villain". It could be a villain that the characters can't defeat in a single episode and will take all season to finally beat. (or maybe not beat but at least have a huge battle) In Buffy Season One, the A Villain was 'The Master', in Angel the A Villain is the occult law firm Wolfram & Hart.

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Q: Do you think it's easier writing a series with an ensemble cast?

A: Yes. Look at the series that are popular on TV. The various CSI series are about a team of main characters, same with most cop shows. Desperate Housewives has a large cast consisting of all the people living on Wysteria Lane. Supernatural seems at forst glance to be about Sam and Dean but there is an enemble of characters around them that appear in most episodes...Bobby Singer, Castiel, Ellen, Jo, and others.

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Q: Do you recommend any specific genres for this strategy?

A: Sci Fi and Paranormal work well but the best advice is to write what you feel you write best and in a genre that interests you. If you are going to write a whole series, you need to make sure it is in a genre you enjoy writing. I have a Steampunk series in mind that I'm excitd about and will write in the future. Also, fantasy works well in episodes (think Robert E. Howard's Conan, Kull, or Solomon Kane)

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Q: Did you do any promotion at all?

A: No. Get your work up on Amazon and get it in the correct genre categories and readers WILL find it. That isn't to say you shouldn't do promotion if you want to, just that I don't.

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If you have any questions you wouldl like to see answered on the blog, my email address is in the sidebar on the right.