Mastering Series Fiction Workshop

How to Build Stories and Characters Readers Don’t Want to Leave

Most writers are taught how to write a book. Very few are taught how to write the book that makes a reader immediately want the next one. That gap is where series fiction lives – and it’s where careers are built. If you look honestly at the writers who last, who sell consistently, who build loyal audiences instead of chasing attention, one thing keeps appearing: they didn’t just write stories. They created ongoing worlds. Characters readers returned to. Emotional journeys that unfolded over time. A sense that closing the final page wasn’t an ending – it was a pause. That’s what this course is about. Writing Series Fiction is not about formula. It’s not about forcing cliffhangers or plotting twenty books in advance. And it’s certainly not about turning your creativity into a production line. It’s about understanding why series work, how readers bond with them, and what you need to build so a story can carry more than one book without collapsing under its own weight. Most writers try to write a series by accident. This course shows you how to do it deliberately. Why Series Fiction Works (and Why Standalones Often Don’t) * Readers don’t fall in love with plots. They fall in love with company. They want to spend time with people who feel familiar but not exhausted, in worlds that feel safe enough to return to and dangerous enough to stay interesting. Series fiction taps into something deeply human: the desire for continuity in a fragmented world. This course explores how iconic series across crime, romance, fantasy, thrillers, and comedy have achieved exactly that – often without grand plans, rigid outlines, or endless research. You’ll see why characters like Holmes, Poirot, Maigret, Bosch, Reacher, Jeeves and Wooster, Bella Swan, and countless others outgrew their creators and became cultural fixtures. And more importantly, you’ll learn how to apply those principles to your own work, whatever you write. What This Course Will Teach You * This isn’t a theory-heavy, abstract craft course. It’s practical, reflective, and designed to make you think like a series writer. You’ll learn: * How to design characters who can survive multiple books without needing constant reinvention * Why archetypes often outperform “growth arcs” in long-running series * How to build a world that generates story automatically instead of needing constant invention * How to weave long-term narrative threads without trapping yourself in rigid plans * Why most successful series are partly made up as they go – and why that’s a strength, not a flaw * How to use conflict, suspense, and emotional tension to pull readers forward without exhausting them * How cliffhangers and teasers actually work when they’re earned rather than forced * How to satisfy readers and leave them wanting more at the same time * Why imagination often matters more than research – and when research should step in quietly * How to test, stress, and strengthen your series ideas before committing years to them You’ll also work through hands-on exercises designed to flesh out characters, explore future story directions, and reveal whether your idea genuinely has series potential or is better served as a standalone. This course doesn’t just help you write more. It helps you write longer. This Course Is For You If… * You’ve written (or are writing) a book and suspect it might want to be more than one * You love the idea of recurring characters and worlds, but don’t know how to sustain them * You’re tired of starting from scratch every time you write something new * You want readers who come back because they miss your characters * You’re interested in career longevity, not one-off success * You want to understand how bestselling series actually work beneath the surface It’s equally valuable whether you’re writing crime, thrillers, romance, fantasy, literary fiction, or something genre-blending and hard to label. Series thinking transcends genre.  A Live Resource, Not a One-Off Download * One of the most important things to understand about this course is that it doesn’t exist in isolation. * You’re not just buying lessons. You’re stepping into a living environment. * You can always use me to test ideas, sanity-check decisions, or talk through where your series might go next. And just as importantly, you can use the Academy community itself – other writers at different stages of their own series journeys. Post outlines. Share premises. Ask uncomfortable questions. Get feedback before you commit years of work. The Academy isn’t a shelf of content. It’s a workshop. Exploit it. That’s what it’s there for. What You’ll Walk Away With * By the end of this course, you won’t just have “ideas for a series.” You’ll have: * A clear understanding of whether your concept can sustain multiple books * A protagonist (or central relationship) built for longevity * A story world that generates conflict rather than consuming your energy * A framework for long-term storytelling that allows flexibility and discovery * The confidence to trust your imagination instead of waiting for permission * A series mindset that changes how you approach everything you write Most importantly, you’ll stop thinking in terms of single books and start thinking in terms of reader relationships. That’s the shift that changes everything. One Last Thought... Writing series fiction isn’t about writing faster. It’s about writing something worth staying with. Readers are not looking for perfection. They’re looking for somewhere to belong for a while. If you can give them that, they will follow you further than you expect. This course shows you how. Enroll now and start building stories readers don’t want to leave. Keep Writing!