Episode 356 - Flexibility Is the Key to Creative Power: Planning a Series with Pamela Fagan Hutchins
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How can you plan a book series far enough ahead to create momentum without trapping yourself in choices that no longer serve the story? USA Today bestselling thriller writer Pamela Fagan Hutchins joins Matty Dalrymple to discuss how she plans multi-book arcs while preserving the flexibility that fuels discovery.
Pamela shares how she moved from natural three-book arcs to six-book roadmaps, using character wounds, recurring antagonists, and an overarching crime narrative to pull readers through a series. She and Matty explore how to keep a long-running premise plausible, avoid cramming too much into book one, vary settings and conflicts, and balance careful outlining with the freedom to follow a better creative idea.
They also examine the business side of series planning, including box sets, Kindle Unlimited, publisher expectations, and the tension between commercial strategy and creative ownership. The guiding principle: build enough structure to write with confidence, but keep an eraser handy.
Thriller writer. USA Today bestseller. Silver Falchion winner. BVI catamaran. Wyoming lodge. Maine lake camp. World traveler. Alaskan malamutes. Draft crosses. Believer in soul mates. Joy seeker.
Episode Links
https://pamelafaganhutchins.com
http://facebook.com/pamela.fagan.hutchins.author
https://www.instagram.com/pamela_fagan_hutchins/
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