How to build a serial
October 8th 2008 13:47
Serial fiction is a funny animal. This will be the second serial that I have attempted. The first was an adventure serial (The idea that I thought was going to repeat again when I first proposed a serial).
The thing that amazed me about writing about a serial was how challenging it was to maintain momentum.
With short stories it is easy to create a story the structure is fixed. You start with an opening that draws your reader in then have a middle where you weave the threads of the story, then you create an ending that ties together (or not) the threads that you introduced.
With Serials it is about doing the start mid end structure but then overlapping with a secondary structure. First the ending of each part must be some form of cliff hanger.
A question that the audience is dying to know.
Then the start of the next part must be an answer to the previous question and setting up the next question and then ending on the next question.
It is not enough to simply ask and answer with each part, for the audience to feel that they are getting momentum you must resolve the questions posed every few episodes at about the mid point and then use the answers to lead into even more questions.
This all sounds confusing so allow me to demonstrait.
The Handlys - A family series
Episode 1
Introduce the characters.
Father - A doctor
Mother - A Vet
Billy - in highschool.
Story Line A - Father and mother have to start at a new town.
Story Line B - Billy is acting strangely it seems that he is having trouble settling in at his new school.
Reveal - The audience sees Billy who is gay and hasn't come out to his parents ask a boy out that he likes.
The question - How will the boy billy like react? What will his answer be?
Episode 2
Billy's Secret
Story A
Billy asks the boy he likes out. The boy accepts and they organize to go out on a date.
Billy's mum finds billy's computer switched on and cant resist taking a peak at his email.
She see the email written to a friend reading." It is so hard keeping a secret this big."
Billy comes home interuppting her before she can read more.
Story B
Father starts his new day at the hospital and after meeting all the staff strikes up a friendship with an attractive nurse. Over coffee they grow closer and she shows her interest in him. Father mentions his wife and son and the nurse leans in and kisses him. Father kisses her back.
Episode 3
Story A
Father and the nurse begin there affair but are spotted by a collegue who wanting to get the position that Father has taken in the hospital plans to expose the affair to management so that they can further there career
Story B
Mother knowing that her son has a secret wants to find out what it is but cannot reveal that she knows something unless she tells Billy that she read his email. Billy excited about his date distractedly breaks his mothers prized vase.
Mother angry at her son for keeping secrets grounds him. Billy is prevented from going on the date and cant tell his mother why he wants to go out tonight so he lashes out at her and they have a fight.
The boy shows up to meet billy and he never shows.
The following episodes would use the serial structure to continue the story.
Episode 4
The Affair continues and Billy has to try and organise another date. He goes out with the boy but sees his dad with another woman in the resturant.
Episode 5
Billy confronts his father and billy's date turns up at his house the next day while billy is out and meets his mum. While she is in another room he steals money from her purse.
Episode 6
Billys father sees billy kissing his boyfriend and confronts him and threatens to tell mother if he reveals the affair.
And we have a twisted little family drama.
This demonstrates the structure that I was talking about Billy being gay is revealed in Episode one and is the main question that hooks the audience in.
By the time we get to Episode 6 this one thread has been used to introduce 2 more and create tension.
The thing that amazed me about writing about a serial was how challenging it was to maintain momentum.
With short stories it is easy to create a story the structure is fixed. You start with an opening that draws your reader in then have a middle where you weave the threads of the story, then you create an ending that ties together (or not) the threads that you introduced.
With Serials it is about doing the start mid end structure but then overlapping with a secondary structure. First the ending of each part must be some form of cliff hanger.
A question that the audience is dying to know.
Then the start of the next part must be an answer to the previous question and setting up the next question and then ending on the next question.
It is not enough to simply ask and answer with each part, for the audience to feel that they are getting momentum you must resolve the questions posed every few episodes at about the mid point and then use the answers to lead into even more questions.
This all sounds confusing so allow me to demonstrait.
The Handlys - A family series
Episode 1
Introduce the characters.
Father - A doctor
Mother - A Vet
Billy - in highschool.
Story Line A - Father and mother have to start at a new town.
Story Line B - Billy is acting strangely it seems that he is having trouble settling in at his new school.
Reveal - The audience sees Billy who is gay and hasn't come out to his parents ask a boy out that he likes.
The question - How will the boy billy like react? What will his answer be?
Episode 2
Billy's Secret
Story A
Billy asks the boy he likes out. The boy accepts and they organize to go out on a date.
Billy's mum finds billy's computer switched on and cant resist taking a peak at his email.
She see the email written to a friend reading." It is so hard keeping a secret this big."
Billy comes home interuppting her before she can read more.
Story B
Father starts his new day at the hospital and after meeting all the staff strikes up a friendship with an attractive nurse. Over coffee they grow closer and she shows her interest in him. Father mentions his wife and son and the nurse leans in and kisses him. Father kisses her back.
Episode 3
Story A
Father and the nurse begin there affair but are spotted by a collegue who wanting to get the position that Father has taken in the hospital plans to expose the affair to management so that they can further there career
Story B
Mother knowing that her son has a secret wants to find out what it is but cannot reveal that she knows something unless she tells Billy that she read his email. Billy excited about his date distractedly breaks his mothers prized vase.
Mother angry at her son for keeping secrets grounds him. Billy is prevented from going on the date and cant tell his mother why he wants to go out tonight so he lashes out at her and they have a fight.
The boy shows up to meet billy and he never shows.
The following episodes would use the serial structure to continue the story.
Episode 4
The Affair continues and Billy has to try and organise another date. He goes out with the boy but sees his dad with another woman in the resturant.
Episode 5
Billy confronts his father and billy's date turns up at his house the next day while billy is out and meets his mum. While she is in another room he steals money from her purse.
Episode 6
Billys father sees billy kissing his boyfriend and confronts him and threatens to tell mother if he reveals the affair.
And we have a twisted little family drama.
This demonstrates the structure that I was talking about Billy being gay is revealed in Episode one and is the main question that hooks the audience in.
By the time we get to Episode 6 this one thread has been used to introduce 2 more and create tension.
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