Do you enjoy watching movies and stories set in the same world, but focusing on different characters? This post is for you then! Last time I hosted author TC Marti, he shared about genre-bending. Today, he is discussing writing in a shared universe.
A little bit about him first: TC Marti is an author, book reviewer, and freelance writer. When he’s not writing, you can often find him in a gym lifting weights, or running miles on a trail. He’s also a huge fan of Arizona sports teams, an unapologetic Blink, and like most authors, an avid reader. Readers can learn about him via his author website/blog: https://tcmarti.com/
Let’s learn about shared universes!
Writing in a Shared Universe
By TC Marti
In today’s world, we love to binge on our favorite book series, television shows, movie franchises, the list never ends. And since there are many subscription services out there that grant us access with the push of a button, the binge culture in the entertainment industry is not going away soon.
Enter the Shared Universe
We may gravitate toward authors who write in a series instead of standalone novels. Unless those standalone books belong in a shared universe, where main characters from other books may interact with one another.
To up the ante, you can even write several book series and place them into the same shared universe, sometimes known as a storyverse. Other times, groups of authors collaborate and may contribute to the shared universe. Either featuring standalone books, or different series.
While it does not belong in the world of books, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is perhaps the most popular shared universe today. If you have seen the movies, you’ll notice the main characters like Ironman, Captain America, Spiderman, and others cross over into each other’s movies.
The same goes for books.
The tips below will help you get started writing your shared universe.
Outline Each Story or Series
Outlining does not have to set anything in stone. And since I’m openly a pantser author (an author who writes “by the seat of their pants”), I often deviate from my outlines. However, the outline at least provides a solid foundation that will help avoid plot holes; something that can break even the best book series.
In a shared universe, your main (and some minor) characters from each different story and series interact with one another at some point. Therefore, the likelihood of plot errors will rise. One way to help minimize such plot holes even before you write your first draft is to at least give yourself an idea of where you are going with each story.
If you’re the type of author who outlines, add another dimension to your outline when you write a shared universe. Instead of plotting out the entire series; you must also design and pay attention to your outlines in Series B, C, and however many you plan to write in your shared universe.
If working with other authors, you may write Series A, Author Y will write Series B, and Author Z writes Series C. When you collaborate with others in a shared universe, collaborate often. Even if you’re unsure about something, cover it with your team to avoid the need to fix plot holes during the extensive editing process.
Create a Universal Arc
Each book you write must contain a story arc, and each series must contain an overarching story arc. A shared universe involves a universal arc.
Going back to the cinemas and looking back at Marvel Cinematics, each movie contained its own arc, while each series (like Ironman) contained a series arc. Finally, the Infinity Saga, which comprised Production Phases I, II, and III, contained a universal arc involving stopping Thanos and his quest for the Infinity Stones.
Creating the universal arc will motivate readers to read your other titles, and ideally, your other series. It shows regardless of the book or series from you they’re reading, they all hold an equal amount of weight that contributes to the specific arc. Which is something you may have noticed in different capacities, starting with Ironman (2008) to Spiderman: Far From Home (2019).
Create Fresh Plot Elements in Each Series
One challenge about writing in a shared universe is that you need to keep some elements, such as genre elements, identical.
If you write superhero fantasy, each main cast member in each series must, in some capacity, either display superhero qualities or supporting characters must, directly or indirectly, pertain to the main character and their powers.
However, each plot element in each series must differ, yet continue to point toward the universal story arc. It’s a chess game, and chances are, you will adjust your outline as you write your shared universe, whether you’re creating your own or contributing to one featuring several authors.
Each protagonist must possess a different personality, objectives, and story arc. Each plot must also tell a different story. Ideally, try to make the plot in Series B a one-hundred-eighty-degree difference from the plot in Series A, while hanging onto the same core values – superhero fantasy in this example. Throw something else at your audience in Series C, and if applicable, keep things fresh in Series D.
By ensuring you have created a unique storyline for each series in the shared universe, you’re ensuring readers are more likely to read your other series. If Book I in Series A is too much like Book I in Series B, odds are readers won’t read deeper into one of the two series.
Your job as an author of a series is to encourage readers to read your other titles. As an author of a shared universe, you’re also responsible for motivating readers to read each series you write in that universe.
Place Main Characters From One Series into Another
Readers will discover how each series relates to another when you set characters from the main cast of one series into another. You don’t need to go all-out Avengers: Infinity War with this. But by sneaking characters from one series into even a scene in another series featuring a different set of main characters may generate reader interest for your other series.
You want to avoid placing these characters in the front and center, however. Entwine main characters as one from different series without disrupting the overall story and series arc of the other character’s primary series.
Think of using this tactic as a double-edged sword. On one end of the sword, you may find readers immediately downloading Book I in your other series after (or while) reading Book III of your initial series since they realize the characters from each belong to one universe.
The other end of the sword will warn if you involve a character from Series B too much into the plot of Series A, placing them into Series A can work against you and their development in Series B. Therefore, it’s best to start small and place a main character from Series B into a scene or two, or at most, a specific portion of Series A.
It’s not a good idea to place Character X from Series B as a main character in a specific plot of Series A because it raises the likelihood of disrupting their particular story.
However, you have more freedom with minor characters. For example, a minor character in Series B of your shared universe can become part of the main cast in Series A, as long as it does not disrupt Series B. Especially if readers are raving about a specific character.
Examples of Shared Universes
Carissa Andrews has implied she writes in a shared universe. For example, in her genre-bending The Windhaven Witches, protagonist Autumn Blackwood comes across a psychic detective named Diana Hawthorne.
Hawthorne takes center stage in her own series. You also meet her co-partner, Blake, in both series as well.
Matt Ryan, who wrote The Preston Six and Alchemist Academy also showed off the shared universe, but in a much smaller quantity.
And finally, The Elementals Origins Series by A.L. Knorr is another fine example of the shared universe. This one, however, features a six-book series with the first five books you can read in any order. All of which contain different protagonists, with a sixth and final book including protagonists from the previous instalments.
Sources:
- What Is a Shared Universe?
- Urban Dictionary: Shared universe
- What You Need To Know Before Writing A Shared Universe
Do you like to read books set in a shared universe? If so, which are your favorites? Tell us in the comments!
I hope you learned something new in this post by TC Marti! It has been a pleasure to host him for another phenomenal guest post. I love learning about writing and as a reader, there is so much that goes into it outside of the story! Connect with TC on his website https://tcmarti.com/ and check out his latest book Wind Wielder on Goodreads.
Banner and in-text Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash
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