So after what felt like forever I finally decided on the ending of my story several months ago. Following this, I soon found myself missing the feeling, not just of creating plots, but of creating them for my characters, in this case the ones exclusive to this series. To try and curb my pangs, I wrote two spin offs of sorts, a prelude and a sequil set in my universe far in the future, with only one of my original characters remaining. While both helped satisfy me, I soon found that it felt.... Wrong to, in my distant future sequil, replace my antagonist, who died at the end of the original series. Today, I concluded it may perhaps be better to change several aspects of my sequil spin off, several more original characters would live and new important ones would be introduced and, at the end, my lead villan from my original series would return and one final war would begin (Much of this is taken from Norse Mythology's "Ragnarok", with my villian playing an alagory of Loki) Though this sounded amazing in my head I realized something; There can easily be too much of a good thing going on here. I find it most fitting, I think, to compare this to what I'd call "Dragon Ball" logic. In short, creating a great story and great concept, continued into a good story with acceptable concept, to totally milking the cash cow. How far should some one continue one project?
Haha, Dragon Ball! I totally used to watch that show. Then, as you say, they took it too far. Sometimes, less really is more. That's what I think. From what you said, it sounds like you're going to miss your characters more than anything else (which I'm sure was the case with Goku). Well, a simple solution for that is to create new ones! It's not like these ones will be lost and gone forever, you can always revisit them through what you've already written. Especially if the original ending worked really well, if it felt right, you know? If it didn't then maybe there is more to tell. You can always give this expanded story a try and see how it turns out. It might be better, who knows? But imaginary or not, sometimes a character deserves to retire just as much as any real person does. But you hold the pen. Hope that helps you out a bit. Sometimes it takes more strength to let go of our fictional friends than it does to hold onto them. They can be clingy little buggers.
Hm, that DOES seem helpful and yes, it's true, characters are a hundred times more clingy then a girlfriend after you admit you love them (Okay, experience tells me I'm streaching it....) Another comparison I suppose I may want to make at this point is to the video game "Fable, the Lost Chapters" (Spoilers may be below) In the original Fable at the end of the game you fight and kill the cheif antagonist Jack of Blades and whatnot. In Lost Chapters, a remake with expanded content, after you finally kill him and get over the semi-apocolyptic stress, out of no where he comes back again and the plot resumes... Never liked any incarnation of Fable as well as the original and this is why... (Spoilers end here) So perhaps I will keep my current ending, the ending which suprised even me when I thought it up.... Ah, such a great feeling
With endings you really need to have a set goal which they need to accomplish. After they do that, end it. for example, harry potter, harry must kill voldemort, when he did, the story ended. Rowling didn't try to keep the story going on forever and ever, even though she could have and made another fortune off it. She knew that it was time for the story to end, she didnt need to add anything else. What Rowling did was accomplish what DBZ couldn't; she made a really long, hit series, and ended it when the bad guy died. If you want to keep doing things with your characters just require them to fulfill more prerequisites before they can beat the bad guy. Here's and example. One book: Bob must kill the evil king Tom Two Books: Bob must kill the evil king Tom, but has to find the magic sword first. Three books: Bob must kill the evil king Tom but must find the magic sword first, and defeat the giant demon dragon which Tom has unleashed upon his home town. Four+ books: Bob must do all above and recruit allies and defeat minor underlings and find more powerful weapons. As you can see, the longer a book series gets, the harder it is to keep it going without introducing new bad guys, in which case youd be better off starting a new series.
Sometimes, if you really feel like you're hanging on to a character and pulling a Dragon Ball, the thing to do is start something new. Gradually, if it really was time to let go of the story, you won't miss them as much, though you will always love them.
