Creating Simultaneous Stories by Annie West

Creating Simultaneous Stories Annie West


Many writers enjoy working on two (or even more) stories at the same time. But what about writing stories that link and happen at exactly the same time? Now there’s a challenge. And quite a bit of fun too!

I had some experience of writing stories that meshed with other plots unfolding in the same time frame. It happened while writing books as part of multi-author continuities, where characters appeared in several different stories and their romance was going on at the same time, or nearly at the same time. That meant lots of close cooperation with the authors writing those other books, plus agreeing some specific boundaries about when and where things happen.

Recently I tried something different. I wrote stories about two sisters, each wrapped up in their own romance, with each story occurring at the same time as the other. I was thrilled and a little nervous about this project (since named The Princess Seductions duet) but the story lines and characters were so exciting I couldn’t resist.

The premise was this: Amelie is a princess, now guardian for her recently orphaned little nephew, whose father was king. With the future of the kingdom at stake, and her nephew traumatised by witnessing the accident that killed his parents, she disappears with him. The official line is that the pair are in seclusion after the tragic loss. Where they go, or more precisely, whom they go to, is the basis of their story. Meanwhile, it’s imperative that no-one knows she’s gone, so a body double is brought in to attend a function in Amelie’s place. The double is actually Amelie’s secret half-sister Cat, who doesn’t want the job but feels she can’t resist (for reasons that become obvious in the story). Her masquerade becomes complicated when King Alex arrives unexpectedly, as a potential suitor for Princess Amelie in an arranged marriage. And even more complicated when Cat falls for him! Meanwhile, Amelie has her own troubles, facing the man who’d broken her heart.
The two love stories are intertwined, and timing was absolutely crucial. So, what did I learn? Lots! 

Here are a few of the lessons that I’ll take into writing any future simultaneous stories:

        It’s not always easy to decide which book comes first so take your time and get it right.

In my case it transpired that the happy ever after for one book could clearly come sooner, while the second sister was still trying to work out her love life. Think too about which story has more secrets or revelations that make it ideal for a second rather than a first instalment. In this case, Amelie’s story lent itself to being published second since there was so much mystery about where she’d gone. I could resolve Cat’s story and still have unanswered questions about Amelie. In retrospect all that seems obvious but it took some time to make the final decision.

Consider your timeline, map it out then check it again and again and again.

I thought I knew the general timeline, but when it came to the crunch I found myself reconsidering. How long it would take an estranged couple to break through the ice separating them, and rekindle their passion? How long would it take to fly from Greece to an island off the south of France? How long to make certain legal changes? Fine tuning happened only as I wrote the second book, but I needed to have enough latitude to make both stories workable at the same time. Keeping a timeline – or two parallel timelines that you can see at a glance is a definite bonus. I wish I’d done it before I started, even though it probably would have changed.

Decide what you’re going to reveal about the characters/circumstances from the other book and make sure they work.

Sometimes a story will require you to divulge a past event or current issue. But, if you reveal that major issue/event, how will it impact on the other story you’re yet to write. Again, thinking time is necessary to set the parameters. There are good reasons why Amelie doesn’t know about Cat and the fact they’re sisters. The revelation of Cat’s true identity had to be handled in the first book in such a way that it didn’t destroy the storyline in book 2.

Include real time links between the stories.

I suppose I could have managed to write Cat’s story as totally separate to Amelie’s but where is the fun in that? Besides, making contact with the sister she’s never known is a huge part of Cat’s emotional journey. Rather than include that off the page, I have Cat and Amelie interacting, which also (I hope) creates more interest in Amelie so readers might want to read her story too.

One scene used twice.

One of the ways I brought the two sisters, and the two stories, together was to have a scene between them included in both books, though from different points of view. The scene was necessary for both stories, but it had the bonus of providing emotional insights into both characters. Apart from that, it was lots of fun to have the same scene with the identical dialogue, viewed from the point of view of two different characters. This was a phone conversation so neither sister could see what was going on around her sibling as she spoke. In both books that conversation was pivotal to what happened next.

Have you read or written simultaneous stories? Did you like them? Did they work? Did you learn anything you’d like to share here?

My simultaneous stories are ‘His Majesty’s Temporary Bride’ (Harlequin Oct 17) and ‘The Greek’s Forbidden Princess’ (Harlequin Nov 17). Here’s the back cover copy. For more detail on either, visit www.annie-west.com


His Majesty’s Temporary Bride


Out of the shadows…  


As the illegitimate secret daughter of royalty, Cat's life has been far from luxurious. After years of bullying, she's set against a return to her childhood home. But her princess half sister has mysteriously disappeared ahead of her engagement to charismatic King Alexander. 
…into the bed of the king! 
Cat agrees to stand in for her—but she didn't agree to the electric attraction between her and Alex! He might have no idea who she really is—but when their insatiable desire threatens to strip away every boundary between them, Cat cannot hold back from the temptation of Alex's caress…












The Greek’s Forbidden Princess

Illicit nights with the billionaire… 

News of a tragic accident plunges Princess Amelie's life into turmoil. To escape the swarming press, she takes her newly orphaned nephew and runs, seeking the protection of one man. 

Lambis Evangelos desires Amelie beyond all reckoning, but refuses to taint her radiant beauty with the guilt of his past. For years he's resisted his longing for her luscious body—until Amelie's arrival at his doorstep draws him too close to her forbidden temptation…

His secluded Greek island is a refuge from the world. There, Amelie and Lambis have no choice—they must yield to their fiery, uncontrollable passion! 



About Annie
USA Today Bestselling author Annie West loves writing passionate, intense love stories. She has won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award and the Romance Writers of Australia Romantic Book of the Year as well as finalling in numerous contests. At last count she was published in 25 different languages in around 34 countries. She writes for Harlequin Presents (Mills and Boon Modern) and self publishes as well. Annie loves passionate, sexy, emotional stories about charismatic heroes who cause the best kind of trouble in the lives of their heroines. Creating heroines who are a perfect match for those strong, stubborn men is one of her favorite things. She leaves on the east coast of Australia and her favourite things are books, good company, good food and travel.



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26 comments:

  1. Hi Kelly and Annie - the thought of one book is bad enough ... writing two simultaneously stretches my imagination ... but you seem to have story telling down to a fine art - congratulations ... an interesting read - cheers Hilary

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    1. Hilary, thanks for the vote of confidence! I don't know about a fine art, but I definitely enjoyed writing this pair, despite the challenges.

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  2. I really like the idea of having the same scene in each book, but told from a different perspective. I'm seriously impressed you're working on two books at the same time. :-)

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    1. Hi Ellen. Well, I did write them consecutively, but I found a way to use that crucial scene in the second book too. It seemed to work!

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  3. Your stories sound great. I'm always working on more than one at a time it seems. Currently, I'm writing a story and its sequel.

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    1. Tara, isn't it fun? I love revisiting characters from previous stories to see what they're up to.

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  4. I love the sound of these intertwined stories! Sounds like a whole lot of work to write, but I know I'd love the end result :)

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    1. Thank you, Meradeth! That gives me hope there are more readers who'll enjoy them too. I must say it was very satisfying to write them.

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  5. It sounds to me like somebody is an overachiever. :) Creating and managing a logical timeline for ONE book is a challenge in itself, but the idea of juggling and interweaving it for two connected books simultaneously? Wow! I'm intrigued. It sounds like a lot of fun, actually... (Hush! So what if I'm an overachiever, too?)

    Seriously, these books sound terrific. Good luck with them!

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    1. Thanks so much, Susan. So far so good. It wasn't something I'd set as a goal for myself, more that the two stories came to me and I really felt I had to write them.

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  6. Wow, sounds like that timeline had to be so perfect. I bet that took a lot of work.

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    1. Kelly, it was a bit of a pain at times but not as bad as it might have been. After all, it was just two stories... :)

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  7. Very informative. Thanks for sharing. And Happy Writing!

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    1. My pleasure, Darla. I'm glad you found it informative!

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  8. Writing is so very difficult.

    Have a fabulous day. ☺

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  9. Wow - very cool process. I don't have the plotting/outlining skills to even think about attempting this!! Well done!

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    1. Jemi, I know the feeling. It was a little daunting when I realised what I was in for but so satisfying in the end.

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  10. Annie, that's wonderful advice! I think you juggled both stories in a masterful fashion with these two - as I got involved in Cat's dramatic story, I was also so intrigued about what had happened to Amelie. It really worked to build the tension in the stories.

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    1. Thanks so much, Anna! I'm so happy it all came together and you felt the tension in the stories!

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  11. How interesting, I don't normally write simultaneously but writing two entwined stories at the same time is almost like writing one story in two books.

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    1. Yes, it was, S.P. In some ways that made it easier, though there was a fair bit of detail, especially around timing, to get right.

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  12. I've never tried to write two stories at once. The thought never occurred to me. What an interesting challenge!

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    1. It definitely was, Sherry. But it's lovely to have them both published now.

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  13. Wow! I haven't ever written two stories at once. I think it would be a lot for my mind to juggle. I am amazed you could write two stories that took place at the same time at the same time. Wow! Best of luck, Annie.
    ~Jess

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    1. Thanks, Jess. I wrote them one after the other, but had to be so mindful that there was another one happening at the same time. Fun!

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