I've been thinking about the construction of series when it comes to fiction for some time. This is in part because I have several clients who are working on series, but I too am working on multiple different series myself within my own fiction writing.

How exactly one approaches a series will depend on the nature of the series itself. Each type of series comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. And there are some commonalities between the different types of series, but there are also some distinct differences.

In today's post, I want to break down the different types of series that might exist and point out some of the things that you will need to consider when working on a series of that type.

Before I get into the thick of it, I should point out that when discussing beat points and story structure, I'm referencing the Black Wolf Story Structure Model, detailed in the blog post here and the book Antagonistic Beats of a Story (scheduled for release in February 2026).

Two Main Types of Series

There are two main types of series that you will see within fiction.

Episodic Series: A series falls into this category when readers are able to dive in and out of the series at any point, reading the books in almost any order. Each book will be a self-contained story, with little reliance on prior knowledge from previous books.

Serial Series: A series is a serial series if the reader needs to read the books in order, or certain back story elements and certain plot threads don't make sense.

Each type of series is structured in a different way and has a different readership appeal.

Episodic Series

The episodic series is best seen or experienced within the Star Trek franchise. If you look at the original series from the 1960s, The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, or Voyager, you will see stories that are relatively self-contained in each episode. You can go in and out of the series, watching the episodes in almost any order, and you will still have an enjoyable experience. (In fact, I don't think I've ever seen the original 1960s series in order, even with it being available on streaming services.)

Within those shows, if you watch the episodes out of order, you might miss some of the series plot arcs. When you see reoccurring characters, you might miss some of their relevance. However, for the most part, you can sit back and enjoy the story presented in that episode with little back story context.

The Chronicles of Narnia is a classic novel series of the episodic type. The order in which you read them is almost irrelevant. There are some fans who insist that you read them based on the historical events that happen in the story, putting The Magician's Nephew as the first book in the series. However, other fans insist you read them in the order in which they were published, putting The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe first. But the simple fact that fans of the books can't agree on which order this beloved series should be read only highlights the episodic nature of the series. Each book is self-contained and doesn't rely on the other books to build backstory.

Romance series and crime series commonly employ an episodic nature. They might use the same character set, but each story typically has its own set of problems and its own conflicts—its own protagonists and antagonists. Or the books might be set in the same world but use different characters as you move from book to book. You'll see elements that are familiar, but in general, it is a new story.

The Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn is of this nature. The books might center around the same family, creating the common elements for the books, but each book is its own self-contained romantic adventure with no need to have read the books that came before it.

Hints for Writing an Episodic Series

When writing an episodic story, keep in mind what elements of the story perpetuate from book to book to book. That said, recognize that each book will contain its own backstory and world-building elements.

If you are using the same character set, any character growth will often be contained within a single book of the series. Between books, characters will be stable in their beliefs. If you are using the same setting, then there might be cameo appearances of characters from other books, giving fans a sense of what has happened to the characters from another book.

When it comes to plot development, each book in an episodic series can be treated as though it was a standalone. As such, it is important to ensure that the plot within each book is complete. However, you don't need to tie up every loose plot thread at the end. Leave a few threads for future books. However, avoid the temptation of using a massive cliffhanger that requires readers to read the next book to finish the story. That is not how episodic series work.

Serial Series

In a serial series, a reader needs to read each book in the series in order, so they understand what happens in the overall series story. If a reader was to read the books out of order, important details might be missing and certain plots won’t make sense. It is this reliance on the context provided by previous books that distinguishes a serial series from an episodic series.

With serial series, you have two subset classes:

• the fully self-contained story arc, where there is a distinct ending to that section of the journey but obviously more of the journey to come, and
• the ending that ends with a tune-in-next-week-to-find-out-if-they-live-or-die

Both subsets have their merits, but they also have their challenges.

The first type was used in the Star Wars films. Each movie contains a self-contained adventure, ending with a definite end to that portion of the journey. However, screen writers assumed that viewers would have prior knowledge of the movies that came before the most recent release, meaning that the writers didn't need to spend a significant amount of time on world building or backstory.

The first type was also used in the Harry Potter novels. Each book is a self-contained adventure, but elements of the overall series arc are fed from one book to the next. When you get to the fourth book in the series, if you haven't read books 1, 2, or 3, you start to get lost. So much of what is happening in the world was defined in those first three books. And when Voldemort returned in the fifth book, you really start to see the serial series nature of the storytelling. Regardless, each book is a self-contained story.

The second type is commonly seen in TV shows like soap operas, where the delay between each episode is at most a week. And every episode tends to end in a cliffhanger that needs to be answered in the first few minutes of the next episode. However, each story within a serial series of the second type still contains a complete arc—just not a self-contained one.

If we were to look at The Lord of the Rings series, both types of the serial books come into play. The first book, The Fellowship of the Ring, has a fully self-contained arc with a distinct ending to that portion of the journey. The fellowship has been named and they are leaving Rivendell to embark on the journey to destroy the ring.

However, The Two Towers ends with a tune-in-next-week feeling. The novel ends with the massive showdown with the giant spider. Frodo has been paralyzed and taken by the enemy. Even the last line gives the will-he-survive feeling: "Frodo was alive, but taken by the enemy."

Hello… If there was ever a tune-in-next-week line in a novel, that was it!

Even the movie ends with that tune-in-next-week feel, as Gollum leads Sam and Frodo to Shelob's lair.

The biggest challenge that a writer faces with the tune-in-next-week feeling is pulling the reader through into the next book.

Today’s readers are binge readers (and binge viewers). There is a limit to how long a reader will wait for the next installment, and if you exceed that limit, you’ve lost your reader… permanently. More appropriately, they need to know that the next installment is coming… and soon. (There is a reason why Netflix often drops an entire season at once—because viewers binge-watch shows.)

Novel series that play heavily to endings with the tune-in-next-week feeling work best with a rapid release model, where each book is released within months of the previous book (not years).

Writing Serial Series

The biggest trap in writing a serial series is a writer's desire to incorporate all the backstory for the entire series in just the first book. Readers quickly get bogged down in details for a world they don't understand yet. They lose sight of the characters, and they lose sight of the plot. And when they need that backstory context (when reading the next book in the series), they've forgotten the details they need to know. Just like in writing a standalone novel, backstory and world building needs to be dribbled in as you go.

However, series arcs complicate matters. While each book within the series needs to have a complete arc within themselves (even if they are using the tune-in-next-week endings), the overall series needs to have a well-structured arc. Unlike an episodic series, where series arcs slowly burn across multiple books, the serial series arc ideally paces and beats in a similar fashion to that seen in a book—just on a larger scale.

It is common to separate a series story arc across the books in the series like each book forms an act within the structure framework. In longer series, a book might be dedicated to a single beat point within the series arc.

In The Lord of the Rings, the first book, The Fellowship of the Ring, could easily be considered the first act of the series arc, ending at the first point of no return. (The fellowship has been formed and they can't go back on their word to destroy the ring.) The second book, The Two Towers, ends at the all-is-lost moment. (Frodo is in the enemy's hands. The ring is in the enemy's hands.) And the last book, The Return of the King, starts with the second point of no return, and leads us through the final act of the series arc.

If we were to look at the Harry Potter series, there are books dedicated to a single beat (or group of beats) within the series story arc.

The Philosopher's Stone is the inciting event and the series setup. The Chamber of Secrets is the Cling to Status Quo part of the first act, ending with the extra push. The Prisoner of Azkaban takes us through the first point of no return and into the B-story theme. But it's not until The Goblet of Fire that we really get to see what Voldemort is capable of in the first pinch point. That fourth book ends with the midpoint in the series story arc… and a definite tonal shift.

The third act of the series story arc is split across The Order of the Phoenix and The Half-Blood Prince, with Harry and his friends are being proactive in their fight against Voldemort, and ending with Dumbledore's death at the end of the sixth book (the all-is-lost moment). The Deathly Hollows is the final act of the series story arc, starting with the second point of no return just before the wedding. Then it's full steam as a lot of things happen in quick succession, just like in the final act of a single book arc. And as Harry goes into the final battle sequence, we have no idea if Harry will win or lose.

I'm fairly certain that J.K. Rowling didn't deliberately structure her series to follow that macro-story arc like that—at least not while she was writing the first few books. But there comes a point within a serial series when the writer wants to bring it all to a close, concluding the series. The series story arc structure will lend a hand.

(For more information on what the beat points are in the Black Wolf Story Structure Model, please refer to this post here. The book Antagonistic Beats of a Story will also go into detail regarding the Black Wolf Story Structure Model. That book is scheduled to be released in February 2026.)

Exercise

If you are writing a series, take the time to think about whether you are writing an episodic series or a serial series. And if you are writing a serial series, what type of serial series are you writing?

For those writing a serial series, consider your overall series arc and how you can translate that into individual book arcs.

If you need help with crafting your series arcs, please reach out regarding my editorial and writing coaching services.