Writing a series – by accident: Jacqueline Harret
When I wrote ‘The Nesting Place’ five years ago I did not know it was the first in a series. In fact, I had little idea what type of crime novel I was writing when I started. My vague plans were for a whodunnit or psychological thriller. The story was based on disharmony between a group of young women on a party weekend in the countryside. When one of them was found dead the others became suspects.
The plans changed when DI Mandy Wilde entered the scene and hijacked all my thoughts. She took over the investigation and my whodunnit became a police procedural. Not what I intended at all!
Mandy is a larger than life character. She’s a bit of a maverick and has a complex background. Her father is known to the police as ‘Dodgy Derek’ and her twin sister is a constant problem. Mandy looks after her teenage niece, Tabitha, who lives with her. The series is led by Mandy. She keeps dropping hints about her life
that make me want to know more. The only way I can find out is by writing.
Each of the books in the DI Mandy Wilde series covers an investigation into a death. There is always a mystery attached to the death and Mandy is determined to uncover the truth. She knows what the rule book says but she follows her instincts – whatever the consequences. This can put her at odds with her sidekick, DS Josh Jones and Superintendent Withers. Mandy is fiercely loyal to her team and they have respect for her too.
One of the challenges of writing a series is remembering all the characters and their backgrounds. Some writers have a ‘Bible’ where they record all that sort of information in a spreadsheet. Even the word ‘spreadsheet’ makes me panic. I am not that organised. I have to check what the cat’s name is or details of background which I’ve forgotten. Hints about Mandy’s family members need to be remembered and that means trawling through notes scribbled in various places or in the ‘plan’ which is written afterwards. It’s a chaotic way of working and not recommended. The retrospective ‘plan’ is a table with chapter number, events, tensions and notes as reminders of what needs to be changed or added after further research.
Each book has a story arc with rising tensions, turns and red herrings before the truth is revealed. I am never sure ‘whodunnit’ until near the end of the story and often change my mind just before the final chapters. Hence the ‘twists’ readers mention.
Even in a contemporary novel research is required. I do my thinking and some of this before writing. Most of this involves Google searches for things like – “How long for a body to decompose? What are the stages? How long does it take to die from…” My internet history makes strange reading!
Over the series there is also a story arc examining Mandy’s personal life and the tensions within her family. She has changed as the series progressed and there is more depth to her. This change evolved naturally. A former fiancé and an overfamiliar reporter have added to the complexities of her life. Character development is crucial. I know from talking to reading groups that they invest interest in Mandy’s life as well as trying to guess the perpetrators of the crime.
I’ve finished the first draft of the fifth book in the series, ‘In Deep Waters’, and there are a few surprises for readers. It begins with a body floating, face down, in Llanishen reservoir. I have a strong visual imagination so I could ‘see’ the body when I went there. (I could take someone there and point out the spot!) I had a few walks around the reservoir wondering how Simon Price got there. Was it an accident? Obviously not, or Mandy would not have a case.
The novels are not violent in any way and have been labelled as ‘crime with a social conscience’ by GrumpyOldBooks blogger, Noel Powell. Great USP. Thank you, Noel.
For budding authors who think they might want to write a series my advice is stop, think and plan the main steps for the first three stories as well as your characters. It may delay starting to write that first book but will make life easier as you progress through your series.
Jacqueline Harrett is author of the DI Mandy Wilde series published by Diamond Crime.
