A Tale in Two Parts: Top Tips for Writing a Duology
Author Sadie Turner breaks down the three types of duologies and shares her top three tips for writing a duology.
I knew from the start that the story in my head wasn’t going to wrap up satisfactorily in one volume. Or more specifically, that the characters involved weren’t going to resolve their issues by the end of the first novel.
At first I envisioned Tidespeaker, my debut novel and a YA Fantasy, as the kick-off to a trilogy. When I was growing up, voraciously devouring the greats of the fantasy genre, trilogies reigned supreme—The Lord of the Rings being the pinnacle—or else long, sprawling sagas like The Wheel of Time, Game of Thrones, and The Wars of Light and Shadow.
But fast forward to a few years ago, when Tidespeaker sold in a two-book deal, and duologies—an intriguing middle ground, allowing deeper explorations of character and world-building, for example, than a single work allows—were on the rise.
I soon realized that two books was enough to reach the resolution I wanted for the series, plus resolve the characters’ relationships, including the main romance. In the early days of planning what I thought would be a trilogy, I found I was casting around for ‘filler,’ for events to fill the space of three novels. In contrast, I came to see, two would ensure a tight, action-packed, and attention-sustaining journey to the finish.
Importantly, however, I also knew I wanted each book to have its own arc and resolution. Conflicts and crises are set up in Tidespeaker Book One that I knew I wanted my characters to sort out by its end.
Three Types of Duology
Which brings me to (as I see it) the three broad types of duology out there, from which, if you’re weighing up writing one yourself, you may decide to pick at your planning stage:
- The Single Story, Split: This type of duology is more like one long novel split in two. So much is left up in the air at the end of Book One that you’re frantically clicking ‘Buy Now’ on the sequel (if it’s out yet!) before you’ve even finished the last page. There’s a main conflict or ‘Big Bad’ that continues into the next book, and maybe a number of clues and set-ups in Book One that will only pay off in Book Two. One of my favorite examples of this type of duology is Unseelie and Unending by fellow autistic YA Fantasy author, Ivelisse Housman.
- The Middle Ground/The Two-Act Duology: In this ‘middle-ground’ variety of duology, the first installment, or act, wraps up satisfactorily, while still (perhaps) leaving a few conflicts, plot threads, or character tensions unresolved, with the tantalizing promise of further exploration in the sequel. The sequel, meanwhile, often follows the same characters as they grapple with new challenges that build on Book One. However, Book One does not end on a major cliffhanger. My own debut, Tidespeaker, kicks off a duology of this sort, with Book One’s ending resolving its mysteries and main conflict, yet leaving readers with the knowledge that there’s more to be done, and said, before the characters can have their true happy ending.
- The Companion Novels: It’s debateable whether two companion novels (novels set in the same world, potentially with some character overlap, but with a different protagonist, story focus, and perhaps time period) counts as a duology at all. But if these are the only two books set in that world, there’s a case to be made that the set forms a series. In this rarer type of duology, each book, even the second, is fully its own story and can be read and understood on its own.
Of course, the lines between these different types can and do blur, with some series ending up, for example, somewhere between the ‘single story, split’ and the ‘two-act duology.’ But if you’re thinking about writing a duology of your own, you may find it helpful to decide, in advance, which one of these broad categories the story you envision falls under.
Top 3 Tips for Writing a Duology
Which brings me to the second and (appropriately!) final part of this article: my own top three tips for writing a duology. I’ve weighted these towards the fantasy genre, since this is where multi-book series are more common and where my own experience lies.
1. Have an idea of the series as a whole before writing Book One.
Every writer works differently. Some (like me) are devoted outliners, others write by the seat of their pants. There’s no one right way to plan and write a duology. But if you do decide you want to leave clues and hints in Book One that will pay off for your readers in Book Two—or if you’re drawn to the ‘single story, split’ type of duology—it will probably be helpful to have an idea (even if you don’t write it down) of what’s going to go down in Book Two before you embark on Book One, so you can plant certain seeds.
2. Ensure Book One feels like a satisfying reading experience.
Even if you opt for the ‘single story, split,’ with your Big Bad Guy surviving to further torment your characters in Book Two, a mystery or two left unsolved, and an overarching story arc that only reaches its midpoint at the end of Book One—readers should still feel a sense of satisfaction on reading the last line of Book One. Is there an internal arc for your protagonist that you can resolve in Book One, which then gets further developed or challenged in Book Two? Is there a Big Bad Henchman who gets defeated in Book One? Is there a mystery you can clear up in Book One, while leaving clues for another, unsolved one that continues into Book Two?
3. Up the stakes.
Unless you’re writing two companion novels with stakes of similar seriousness in both, your readers will probably be looking for escalation in Book Two—escalation in conflict, in stakes, in the challenges the protagonists must face, both external and internal. A good sequel acknowledges the victory at the end of Book One and then says “But…,” putting what your protagonist learned in Book One to the ultimate test.
If you’re thinking of embarking on a duology yourself—good luck! This type of series is uniquely rewarding, allowing deeper world-building and relationships between characters than a single work permits, as well as the opportunity for fun and satisfying sequel pay-offs. It’s worth a bit of thought and forward-planning to find that magic balance between a wholly satisfying first installment, and leaving your readers hankering for more answers.
Check out Sadie Turner's Tidespeaker here:
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