Write More with Simon K Jones: How to write serial fiction

How to write serial fiction index

Simon K Jones — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 22:26:42 GMT

This is a 22 chapter guide to writing serial fiction, taking you from understanding the core form of serial storytelling, through plotting and themes, character creation, plot twists and much more, all the way through to hitting the ‘publish’ button. I’ve been writing serial fiction for over a decade, so I know a thing or two about how it works.

There’s even a chapter all about how to cope when people say nasty things about your writing.

And so, whether you are here to stay, or passing through on your way to parts unknown - welcome. I hope you find this guide useful. If you are writing your own serial, please let me know!

If you want to see what I’m doing with serial fiction, you can head over to my Tales from the Triverse weekly sci-fi/fantasy/crime story:

One reader is enough

Simon K Jones — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 12:19:53 GMT

Once your work is out there, the next step is to be patient. Keep letting people know about it, get the word out, but don’t be surprised if it takes a while for momentum to build. While you do get occasional viral hits, most books and most writers will see a slow but steady build throughout the lifetime of the serial.

Remember that a serial is what you’r…

Preparing for launch

Simon K Jones — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 08:01:29 GMT

Don’t rush it. That’s the #1 tip for launching your serialised book, especially if it’s your first one.

Tip #2 is, don’t wait around until everything is perfect. If you do that, you’ll never start.

There’s a lot of details you’ll want to get right before you drop that first chapter, because first impressions matter and if a potential reader is discouraged…

On taking criticism as a writer

Simon K Jones — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 11:11:53 GMT

Over the past six months I’ve been covering how to write serialised fiction, from plotting and planning to pacing and publishing. Before we go any further, we need to talk about something important. Criticism. Feedback. Comments. People not liking your writing.

Because it will happen. Even the most popular books in the world, or the most critically accla…

Titles, covers & blurbs

Simon K Jones — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 22:06:25 GMT

If you’re self-publishing in any form, including as an online serial, there are three things you’re going to need to consider which always give me a massive headache:

The title.

The cover.

The blurb.

Even if you’re publishing somewhere like Substack, as I’m doing with Tales from the Triverse, you need a good title, a good promotional image and a description…

Some tips for getting in the zone

Simon K Jones — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 08:02:37 GMT

My biggest concern when I first started writing and publishing serials online was the commitment. Every previous project I’d ever attempted had fallen by the wayside at some point, as I’d either lost interest, been distracted by something new and shiny, or had simply drifted away. That’s why I’d had novels floating around on my hard drive in various in…

We don't talk about writer's block

Simon K Jones — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 12:04:04 GMT

I’m not sure I believe in writer’s block. Of course, if you experience it, that’s fine - I absolutely believe you. But for me, writer’s block doesn’t really exist.

A lot of anxiety around writer’s block I think comes from a misconception about what writing is, and what counts as ‘real writing’. There’s a mentality drilled into most of us from a young age…

Points of no return

Simon K Jones — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 11:52:03 GMT

Over the last few weeks all the talk about defining your arcs, identifying themes and planning out your plots and characters might have left you a bit twitchy, especially if you’re a writer who prefers to find your way as you go.

The standard way of writing a book is very controlled, regardless of how much you plan it out. You start writing, and after hu…

Defining your characters

Simon K Jones — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 12:43:46 GMT

I spoke about foreshadowing in an earlier chapter, and how identifying some of those upcoming plot beats can help you seed them in advance, especially when you’re doing a live serial and publishing as you go. Characters work in the same way, as a little bit of up-front work before you get started can make it a lot easier to build in satisfying character…

Choosing a narrator in online serials

Simon K Jones — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 22:03:53 GMT

It’s 2022, I’m barely aware that it’s a Monday, and I should say hello to all the new subscribers. Hello! Today’s newsletter is all about narrators and how your narrative structure can impact upon your writing of an online, weekly serial.

I don’t do new year’s resolutions, but I do have a few hopes for the year in terms of creative projects:

Write more sh…

Pacing in a serialised story

Simon K Jones — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 23:30:23 GMT

School holidays scramble my brain when it comes to knowing what day of the week it is, which is why this newsletter is going out rather late in the day. Ahem. Today I’m thinking about handling pacing in your stories when you’re publishing them in a weekly, online format.

The pace of a serialised novel requires some additional thinking over an ordinary b…

Use themes like a compass

Simon K Jones — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 22:07:32 GMT

We’re nearly at the end of 2021. Another deeply odd year, to put it mildly. If 2020 was a year on pause, 2021 has been a year of janky buffering, playing a few seconds before getting stuck again on the loading wheel of doom. I hope everyone reading this is getting whatever support they need to keep on going through these strange times.

Today I’m writing …

How serial writing works for plotters & pantsers

Simon K Jones — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 22:26:24 GMT

If you’re intending to write your entire book up-front before serialising it, then this chapter probably doesn’t apply. If you’re planning on doing a ‘live write’, whereby you’re writing and publishing simultaneously…then read on.

9 useful platforms for writers

Simon K Jones — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 07:10:33 GMT

UPDATE 7/04/2025: Small update to the section on Inkitt about their AI projects.

UPDATE 17/04/2024: Things have moved on a lot since I wrote this in 2021. I have a more recent article on email platforms here which I recommend reading alongside this chapter:

Today’s newsletter is all about different writing platforms. This should be useful regardless of wh…

Start building your author list now

Simon K Jones — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 10:04:31 GMT

Coming up in a moment are some thoughts on why building a mailing list is essential for any author, regardless of how you go about being published. Before any of that, though, a newsletter recommendation:

Interactive fiction has fascinated me since I was a child back in the 80s. It was Choose Your Own Adventure books back then, which were really quite im…

Writing public first drafts

Simon K Jones — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 10:38:20 GMT

Writing an online serial is a particularly public form of writing. You’ll probably be publishing a new chapter at least once a week, which means that you’re connecting directly with your readers on a weekly basis. It’s not the same as publishing a book traditionally, where the author maintains a certain distance from readers created by publishers and bo…

Reasons to write

Simon K Jones — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 09:20:42 GMT

A warm welcome to November. I hope you all had a good Halloween. We had our 8 year old dressed up as Evil Dr Strange from What If? which worked out pretty well. After everything was shut down for Covid last year it was fun to get out onto the streets again - Norwich does good Halloween.

Today I’m taking a look at different reasons why we write. It’s not …

How to find balance and be a happy writer

Simon K Jones — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 06:14:14 GMT

Somehow we’re at the end of October. Alarming, but here we are. I hope the summer treated you more kindly than 2020’s. Remember when non-writer friends told us that we could ‘finally finish that novel’ when lockdown first hit?

A lot of writing advice focuses on the need to write every day. Today’s post is all about why I think that can often be unhelpful…

Forms of serialisation

Simon K Jones — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 06:13:16 GMT

(Big hello to new arrivals from the big Fight the Monster giveaway! Hope you enjoy all those free books)

Today I continue my dive into the world of writing serialised fiction, taking a look at the different ways of approaching it as a form and publishing route. This is about the level of intensity you’re comfortable with for your writing - and I’m a firm…

There's never been a better time to be a writer

Simon K Jones — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 06:15:41 GMT

UPDATE: This post is from 2021 and is a bit out of date. I now wouldn’t recommend using any publishing platform which doesn’t give you full access and ownership to your reader/subscriber list.

A brief history of serialisation

Or: This is a good time to be a writer.

The history of the novel is one of serialisation, something which is easy to forget when bro…