Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Series

This is topic Series in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by Merlion-Emrys (Member # 7912) on :

How do you define a "series" within the context of short fiction?

Posted by extrinsic (Member # 8019) on :

A set of interrelated yet stand-alone complete short stories with thematic, milieu, idea, character, and/or event connections.

[This message has been edited by extrinsic (edited September 27, 2009).]

Posted by Merlion-Emrys (Member # 7912) on :

To be more specific, I often have people who have read a couple of my stories that feature recurring characters talk about "the series" in respect to them. Nothing wrong with it or anything, I just think of them as unrelated stories that involve some of the same characters more than as a "series." Mostly because they generally weren't concieved that way and especially with, say, the stories involving Emrys they are often very different from each other in tone and content.

On the other hand, I suppose you could call the Thomas/Hashi-to stories could be a series since they are generally somewhat similar in nature and structure.

So I'm just a little curious as to how others think of the concept. I'm not really used to thinking of that concept in reference to short stories...mostly novels.

[This message has been edited by Merlion-Emrys (edited September 27, 2009).]

Posted by extrinsic (Member # 8019) on :

Application of the term series varies from rigid to loose. Rigid, same writer, theme, milieu, idea, character, event. Loose, any apparent similarity subject to broad interpretation.

Along a different axis of application, rigid, ongoing serial publication of stories by one writer in identical thematic, milieu, idea, character, or event orientation in a digest format; or loose, an anthology publication of thematically and/or MICE similar stories by different writers/same writer.

Posted by shimiqua (Member # 7760) on :

You know how Meg Ryan and Owen Wilson always play essentially the same character in all their movies? There are some actors who can do one thing really well, and become successful for that one thing.

I think there can be writers who are the same way. Writers who tell the same story over and over again.

I've noticed in my own writing that the characters are all different faces for myself. The themes are all similar, and technically they are all written by me, so they have the same sucky grammar which I pass off as "voice".

Technically all my stories could probably be defined as a series.

For me to define a series, the stories should be episodic. It should have recurring character(s), vehicles, milieu, and generally feel familiar if I've read the previous stories.

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, could probably be defined in the same series as Tolkiens Lord of the Rings. Similar characters, similar milieu, feels familiar. But I don't define it that way.

If a story is similar, but has different characters, and milieus, then it wouldn't be defined as a series, it would just be take two of the same idea.

My two cents.
~Sheena

Posted by tchernabyelo (Member # 2651) on :

Nearly half the stories I've sold have been in one milieu and most of those have featured the same main character. There's no particular sequence or continuity stressed in these stories (there IS a sequence but the stories are designed to be standalone) so whther they are a "series" or not is arguable (some refer to stories that have a distinct following timeline as a serial, rather than a series).

You could argue that some of these are "the same story" - problem arises, MC has to deal with problem, MC solves problem after surmounting setbacks/difficulties - but it's fair to say that what I've just listed is pretty much a standrad format for stories of all kinds.

[This message has been edited by tchernabyelo (edited September 28, 2009).]