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[RokofAges75]

Great minds think alike, obviously. I think the juvenileness.. . juvenality... (this is going to bother me...) the fact that it's more juvenile than the others is a strong point of the first book when you consider that the main cast is only eleven. That's how the wizarding world feels to them; obviously they're not all up in the politics and drama of it until later in the series. But of course reading (or rereading) it as an adult, you lose some of that "growing with the characters" that was a pinnacle of coming of age in a world where Harry Potter existed. And then all that business JK Rowling has going on these days, but that's unrelated to this topic.

Oh definitely!  It's written that way on purpose; the books get more mature and darker as the kids grow up.  I didn't start reading them until high school, so I've always been older than the protagonists and preferred the darker, more complex later books.  But I love reading the first two books to my class.  I've read the first one aloud every year for at least the last ten years, and many years I end up reading the second one to them too after they beg for it.  One year they talked me into reading the third, which is where I think the series goes from great to amazing... but surprisingly, I didn't enjoy reading Prisoner of Azkaban aloud as much as the first two.  It felt a little too long and a little too dark for a fourth grade read aloud.  So yes, I think age of the reader is a factor, as well as the age of the characters.

[nicksgal]

I did feel the same way about the Hunger Games. By that 3rd book, you can tell she was contracted to write three books.

The reason I said it sucks for the author to have the first one suck the most, is that those people won’t go onto read the rest of them. Like Twilight for me. One and done lol

I hate when books feel like the author is only writing them because of a contract and not for a love of the story or the chacters.

Morbid curiosity got the better of me. I thought "Well, this can't get any worse! And my Little keeps saying how much she loves them." I was wrong. They got worse. Much worse.

[nicksgal]

Oh definitely!  It's written that way on purpose; the books get more mature and darker as the kids grow up.  I didn't start reading them until high school, so I've always been older than the protagonists and preferred the darker, more complex later books.  But I love reading the first two books to my class.  I've read the first one aloud every year for at least the last ten years, and many years I end up reading the second one to them too after they beg for it.  One year they talked me into reading the third, which is where I think the series goes from great to amazing... but surprisingly, I didn't enjoy reading Prisoner of Azkaban aloud as much as the first two.  It felt a little too long and a little too dark for a fourth grade read aloud.  So yes, I think age of the reader is a factor, as well as the age of the characters.

Team dark and depressing!

I think I would stop at the first two and encourage them to read the others on their own. It definitely gets a little dark for nine-year-olds. However, kudos to the one year that convinced you to read the first three aloud.

[RokofAges75]

I didn’t enjoy Chamber of Secrets. I found it really boring and hard to finish, almost to the point that I almost stopped reading it altogether. Keep in mind, I was late to the HP train and read them well into the movies which I have to admit is the only way I got through that book. lol sorry.

[RokofAges75]

Team dark and depressing!

I think I would stop at the first two and encourage them to read the others on their own. It definitely gets a little dark for nine-year-olds. However, kudos to the one year that convinced you to read the first three aloud.

Yep, that was always what I did before that year and what I have done since.

[mare]

Ah, see I read those books as a full fledged adult so maybe that’s why that one just was eh, to me. I was going to say my next least favorite was Azkaban. I felt like it had a slow start but then by yet end I was more into it.

[RokofAges75]

Ah, see I read those books as a full fledged adult so maybe that’s why that one just was eh, to me. I was going to say my next least favorite was Azkaban. I felt like it had a slow start but then by yet end I was more into it.

The Marauders backstory is what makes Azkaban for me!  I love Sirius and Lupin.  My favorite was always Goblet of Fire until Deathly Hallows came out.

[nicksgal]

My favorite was always Goblet of Fire until Deathly Hallows came out.

Yes to this.

[nicksgal]

Maybe this is the next part of our discussion on series... What do we feel like works to make a series strong overall even if we personally say "I guess x is the worst?" Like clearly "contractually obligated to write x amount of books" is a good indicator that they may decline over time.

[RokofAges75]

I think it works better when the author envisions it as a series from the beginning and knows where the ending point will be, whether that's after three books or seven or whatever.  J.K. Rowling always said she planned HP to be seven books from the beginning, and the way the story progresses and wraps up makes sense.  Sequels are more hit or miss when they come as an afterthought, either because the original was so successful or because the author just wanted to write more.  Not that they can't still be good, but that's when they sometimes get too silly or crazy or just lack the magic of the first one.

[FrickingKaos]

I have to agree on POA I love the back story with the marauders and all that. Azkaban is my favorite Harry Potter book, along with Goblet aof Fire, despite the movies kinda ruining both of those.

[nicksgal]

I think it works better when the author envisions it as a series from the beginning and knows where the ending point will be, whether that's after three books or seven or whatever.  J.K. Rowling always said she planned HP to be seven books from the beginning, and the way the story progresses and wraps up makes sense.  Sequels are more hit or miss when they come as an afterthought, either because the original was so successful or because the author just wanted to write more.  Not that they can't still be good, but that's when they sometimes get too silly or crazy or just lack the magic of the first one.

I wonder at what point you really have to decide something is a series for the whole thing to feel satisfying. I feel like as long as it's at some point while writing the first book, it would all still flow together. I'd even go as far as saying during the editing process. As long as the whole thing isn't posted/published before you decide.

I'm curious if any of the ones where we said "this was a contract/popularity thing" were actually planned from the beginning.

I can't fault an author too much for wanting to write more after the fact if they enjoyed it, but their first book would lack the nuanced "loose ends" that a planned series would.

[mare]

Do you guys define a series just more than one story/book? I usually don’t really consider anything a series unless there are at least three books/stories.

I think when a book ends up being incredibly popular, there’s always a push to get the author to write either a sequel or a prequel. I’m sure when the money is dangling in front of them it’s hard to say no. I know I succumbed to pressure to write the sequels to Mizpah because of all the positive feedback I was getting and the demands for more. I wish I  didn’t do it. I didn’t even get paid for it!

I’m also curious when it comes to movie adaptions. If some of these authors give creative rights to people when they see dollar signs only to have the screen writer massacre their book by changing really important plot points etc... cough...my sister’s keeper...cough .

[nicksgal]

Do you guys define a series just more than one story/book? I usually don’t really consider anything a series unless there are at least three books/stories.

I think when a book ends up being incredibly popular, there’s always a push to get the author to write either a sequel or a prequel. I’m sure when the money is dangling in front of them it’s hard to say no. I know I succumbed to pressure to write the sequels to Mizpah because of all the positive feedback I was getting and the demands for more. I wish I  didn’t do it. I didn’t even get paid for it!

I’m also curious when it comes to movie adaptions. If some of these authors give creative rights to people when they see dollar signs only to have the screen writer massacre their book by changing really important plot points etc... cough...my sister’s keeper...cough .

No, I think to be a series, it has to have a least three, otherwise it's just a book and a sequel like you said.

I also can't fault anyone for hearing about money and saying "Holy ****, that's a lot of money." (Wasn't that what Kevin said in the doc? Can't fault the boys either.) We all like money, after all. You got paid for it in feedback! That's virtual dollar bills in your pockets! Are reviews like bitcoin? haha In general, I feel like if you're writing anything because people are demanding more (whether it's for free or you're getting paid), it's never going to feel as satisfying to you. I can't speak from experience though, no one's ever demanded/begged/asked that I do anything.

I always think that when they turn the last book into a two-parter for a movie. Did the movie really need to be a two-parter? It's only one book. I think the Hobbit was worse off for that; it's not like the LOTR trilogy was nine parts (and Two Towers would be awful as a multi-parter since it often drags). It's especially the worst when they change plot points; I get irrationally angry about that.

[nicksgal]

Here's a question: To Write or Not to Write! What do you do during those times when you feel like you have motivation or inspiration, but know that you'll have to stop writing to do something else at a specific time? Do you write with the time that you do have or do you wait until the thing you have to do is over and hope the inspiration/motivation sticks?