Confessions of a Serial Series Writer

After writing seven books in the Frank Rozzani series, I’ve come to accept a simple truth about the writing life.

At some point, the characters stop belonging entirely to you.

They begin making their own decisions.

They start ignoring your outline.

And occasionally they force you to delete twenty pages of perfectly good writing because they simply refuse to behave the way you told them to.

I’m not saying fictional characters become real… but let’s just say they can get a little opinionated.

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The Outline Is Only a Suggestion

When I start a book, I usually have a plan.

There’s a mystery to solve, suspects to interrogate, clues to uncover, and a carefully thought-out path that leads the story from the opening chapter to the final reveal.

This works beautifully… for about the first three chapters.

Then Frank Rozzani inevitably decides that the sensible thing I had planned is not what he’s going to do.

Instead of quietly gathering information, he decides to confront someone.
Instead of waiting for backup, he decides to investigate alone.
Instead of following the nice neat plot outline, he wanders into an entirely different direction.

Which means I get to go back and revise the outline.

Again.

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The Problem With Writing a Series

Writing a series comes with a special challenge that single-book authors don’t always experience.

Memory.

Not the characters’ memory.

The author’s memory.

After seven books, I now have to remember things like:

• What kind of car Frank drives
• Where certain characters live
• Which villain was arrested in which book
• And whether someone’s dog appeared in chapter six or chapter eight

Readers are wonderfully attentive to these details.

If I accidentally move a restaurant across town or give someone the wrong eye color, I can almost hear the emails being typed.

“Dear Mr. Massenzio… in Book 3, Chapter 11, you clearly stated…”

This is why every series writer eventually develops a series bible, a spreadsheet, or a very large notebook full of reminders.

Without it, chaos would reign.

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Minor Characters Have Ambition

Another strange phenomenon happens when you write multiple books.

Minor characters start lobbying for promotion.

Someone who originally had one line of dialogue suddenly becomes interesting.

Then they show up again.

Before you know it, they’re involved in the investigation and you’re wondering how they managed to work their way into the plot.

I suspect they hold secret meetings when I’m not looking.

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The Research Rabbit Hole

Mystery novels require research.

Lots of it.

Sometimes that research is straightforward: police procedures, investigative techniques, legal details.

Other times it leads to fascinating but slightly distracting discoveries.

You start by researching how a detective might track someone through financial records…

…and two hours later you’re reading about the history of municipal zoning laws in coastal Florida.

Is it helpful?

Occasionally.

Is it interesting?

Always.

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The Best Part of Writing a Series

For all the challenges, there’s something deeply satisfying about returning to familiar characters.

Frank, Jonesy, and the people around them feel less like inventions and more like acquaintances I check in with from time to time.

Each book adds another layer to their story.

Each case reveals something new about how they think, how they react, and what matters to them.

And every time I start a new installment, I’m reminded that the series isn’t just about solving mysteries.

It’s about spending time with characters who have more stories left to tell.

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The Truth About Writing

People sometimes ask how long it takes to write a novel.

The honest answer is that writing is a combination of planning, persistence, revision, and the occasional moment of inspiration.

It also involves a certain amount of talking to fictional people and asking them politely to cooperate.

Sometimes they listen.

Sometimes they don’t.

But if they keep surprising you along the way, you’re probably doing something right.