Planning ahead

Book 2 of the series is getting close to being finished, and my thoughts are already very much caught up in what yet lies ahead.

Next up will be a free promotional short story (which takes place between the second and third books) designed to give people a taste of what the series is like - and hopefully to encourage them to purchase at least one of the novellas as a result!

I have a good idea of the shape of Book 3 - if not all of the details yet - and a vague conception of Book 4 (the locations, and little else).  I know what major event needs to happen in Book 5, and vaguely who the two most important guest characters are.  I also know what one version of Book 6 is (depending on various factors, this may not happen and I may substitute an entirely different storyline altogether).

What I greatly enjoyed was, while waiting for the movie Spy to begin yesterday, realizing that I know exactly how Book 4 ends, and how it leads into Book 5.  The concept was already in place; I just didn't know until that moment that it was the cliffhanger.

So how much should each story actually lead into the next?  By and large, I want the series to be more-or-less continuous - although it is true that there is a gap between Books 2 and 3.  (Which is why the free short story can so easily slot in there.)  I'm unsure for a few of the upcoming stories just how much they should be linked.

Is it better if a novella picks up exactly where the previous one left off?  I seem to prefer that approach, though I can see where there may be drawbacks.  Perhaps I should build in at least a few gaps - just enough to allow some breathing space for the primary character, instead of him constantly hurtling from one crisis to the next.

And yet, that momentum is what I like about the format...

Lots to think about for the future.