Major Questions and Considerations to Ponder with Eloise Corvo
Well, hi there! I’m mystery author Eloise Corvo, and if you’re a Thriller101 podcast fan, you’ve probably come across my work without realizing it.
My first pages were featured on literary agent Carleen Geisler’s episode which aired back in September 2023. She and David reviewed my opening, which led to a full request from Carleen.
I’m thrilled (pun intended) to share that this book is now under contract with a three-book deal!
Carleen and I had multiple conversations and got pretty close to working together, but in the end I signed directly with a small press unagented.
David has kindly let me share parts of my journey in this three-part blog series. Today’s post is all about taking a standalone and turning it into a series. Parts two and three will be about creating a “series bible” and how I navigated an indie press contract without an agent.
Alright! Now that introductions are out of the way, let’s dive in.
I wrote my novel as a standalone mystery. I pitched it as a “standalone with series potential,” although never really thought hard about what future mysteries would look like. When I received the offer from my now publisher for 3 books in this series, I was ecstatic! Then an overwhelming dread settled in.
Three books!? I was metaphorically paralyzed when I started thinking about writing a series, and was confronted by decisions and a writing process I hadn’t tried yet. Here are the big steps I’m going through to convert my standalone into a series.
1. Answer the Big Question
Plot-wise, am I more Only Murders in the Building or Scooby-Doo? Do I want major arcs over the course of more than one book, or keep each book distinct stories? Only Murders in the Building has one major mystery that takes place over the course of many episodes, where Scooby-Doo (or Murder She Wrote, Law and Order, etc.) are self-contained stories with the same setting. Both are totally valid, but it’s important to figure that out early on.
I could either treat this like a true trilogy with longer character arcs and plots, keep them self-contained with only B-plot throughlines, or somewhere inbetween.
I ended up choosing this middle ground so readers of the genre will be happy to have a case solved in each novel, but also include twisty, longer plots as well.
2. Plot
With that big decision out of the way, now it’s time to PLOT. I’m plotting Books Two and Three before finalizing Book One. I’m breaking the plotting process into two separate parts: the individual arcs that are within each novel, and the overarching plot for the trilogy. They’re extremely intertwined, but separating these elements allows me to identify specific plot holes I need to work on, regardless of what book that particular point will end up.
These outlines are detailed. I’m in the middle of this process right now, and I’d estimate that by the end I’ll have at least 10,000 words for Books Two and Three each, as well as a laundry list of edits for Book One.
The list of Book One edits will serve to set up the future book plots. For example, if a certain location is key in Book Three, this process allows me to establish its presence and do a bit more worldbuilding earlier on. Or, if a character in Book One turns out to be a baddie in a future book, perhaps there are early cues that readers might pick up on once the true nature of the guy is revealed. As a reader, I love going back to earlier books in a series and finding little easter eggs; I hope to give that experience to my readers as well.
*As an aside, if I had chosen a more episodic plot structure (Scooby-Doo/Law and Order), where each novel is basically a standalone in the same setting or with the same MC, I don’t think I’d go through this big plotting exercise. I could just keep chugging along as I normally would, book by book.
3. Revise Book One
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but publishing moves slowly. When I signed my contract I was surprised that I didn’t need to submit the final version of my manuscript for another six months. At first I was bummed, I wanted this thing out in the world! But now I’m really grateful for this time. With my detailed outlines all done, and the laundry list of edits for Book One finished, I have adequate time to comb through the draft and add these plot seeds and details that set up the future books.
4. Draft Books Two and Three
I have one year between each book’s final manuscript deadline. If all goes according to plan, I’m going to spend this next year drafting both Books Two and Three. I’ll leave Book Three in a rough draft to refine later, and dive deeply into Book Two. This way, when I’m drafting Book Three and inevitably stray from my outline, I can edit Book Two before it goes to my publisher to maintain continuity and set up that particular plot point better.
Hopefully this is helpful for your writing journey! Book One in this series, OFF THE BEATEN PATH, will debut in March 2025. You can sign up for my newsletter to get notified when it’s released if you’re interested! I’m sure I’ll also be shouting it from the digital rooftops as well, so following me on X will likely keep you looped in as well.
And lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t shout out Joel Brigham, who was an amazing sounding board during this process. If you don’t follow him on X already, I highly suggest you do. His advice is top-notch.
Until next time!
Eloise Corvo
