When working with young writers, usually in the 8 – 12 age bracket, I’m always amused with their idea of a story ending. “To be continued” is the favorite last line. But should a novel drop off a cliff, with a cliff hanger, that follows through in book 2 and so on? Yes and no. Cliff hangers are good, but remember, a good story always has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Yes, it may be a “to be continued” type of ending, but it should also be satisfying enough that the reader feels content with the resolution within one book in the series.

But, that’s really not the biggest problem with writing a series. What really causes problems, for writers, editors, and readers, is the continuity and consistency from one book to the next in the series. In my “Piccadilly Street Series”, Mary, Granny, Mrs. Murray, a collection of little people called Brownies, and the mean witch, are the main characters that follow through in each story. More characters are introduced, but the main characters must remain consistent. Mary cannot change into a Beth in book 2; and Granny can’t suddenly die without an explanation.

Facts must be consistent, too. In book 1, Mary is ten. She must remain ten until she has a birthday or the years change drastically. If there’s a major historical event, it must be, not only historically accurate but consistent throughout the series.

There’s nothing more unsettling to a reader than to discover that Mary, who, for instance, is ten in book 1, is suddenly twelve in book 2 and the date has only progressed by a couple of months.

So, how does the writer keep names, facts, dates, and events organized and consistent. Well, the old-fashioned way, of course. Make a storyboard, either in a word document or on paper. Or, better yet, a large whiteboard or blackboard, one that you can set up in your writing space. I know some writers who have rented office space so they can be completely isolated during their writing work periods and they have storyboards and stick it notes (a must-have for every writer) all over their rented office space.

What to list on this storyboard:

- List names and important personal information for each character, being sure to add to the list each time a new character is introduced. This can be in the form of a complete character sketch, or brief notes to keep the necessary details handy for reference as you work through the succeeding books of the series.

- Who’s related to whom and how. For example, in Book 1 of “The Piccadilly Street Series”, Mary has two siblings, a brother, and a sister. They have very minor roles, which is fine, but I can’t suddenly give her three siblings in Book 3.

- Dates – anything relevant to the first book must remain consistent in all books of the series.

- Historical details – whilst it’s important to be accurate if you’re dealing with historical facts, it’s also important to maintain consistency in how it connects to the story.

Readers notice discrepancies. Book reviewers do as well and they’re very good at pointing out things that don’t connect. Before releasing Book 2 of “The Piccadilly Street” series, I sent out ARC copies to reviewers and it was quickly pointed out that Mary’s best friend’s mother suddenly changed her name. I was able to correct this, but I still felt embarrassed that, in spite of my storyboards, some little trivial inconsistency slipped through.

Use storyboards in whatever format effectively and make sure to maintain consistency throughout your series. Don’t trust your memory to remember every little detail by the time you get to Book 6. At the very least, to avoid those embarrassing moments when someone points out the trivial blip in the complex plotting of multiple installments to the storyline.