What is the scope for the expanding the universe of this thing?

A good creative habit to get into is identifying your work’s series potential.

Finding the themes in your ideas that suggest a natural progression for serialization.

Now, in the field of computer science, serialization is the process of converting the state of an object into a form that can be persisted and transported. Engineers create a semantically identical clone of their original object, so it can be used across multiple systems.

Those principles are applicable to numerous endeavors. Because the goal is thematic and stylistic consistency with an original concept. If you can pull that off, you set the stage for continued audience engagement.

This is why long form podcasting became such a high growth medium. When the format was first introduced back in the early two thousands, creators suddenly realized they could leverage this new technology to achieve the kind of narrative depth, complex storytelling and consistent messaging that was previously unavailable to them.

Podcasting was magic. No content had to be a one off anymore. Now creators could establish their current iteration as part of a larger project.

When I was in my early forties, I got the idea to produce an audiobook.

But I didn’t want the program to merely be me narrating text for eight hours. Ugh. Sounded tedious and overwhelming, both for me and the audience. So instead, I approached this project as a musical memoir masterclass.

Here’s what that meant. Each chapter contained three sections.

First, meditations. The profound stories behind each song. People, occasions, and feelings that triggered my moments of conception.

Second, music. I performed the songs live in studio to create a rich, immersive auditory experience. This content added an emotional layer that underscored key moments in the narrative.

And third, methods. Secrets behind my creative process. I took listeners behind the scenes to explore the technical and compositional strategies for how the songs came together.

A musical memoir masterclass. So this was more than an audiobook. It was an intimate multimedia experience. One that invited people to explore the intersection of art and autobiography. As if I was sitting there, right next to them, telling stories and cracking jokes and singing songs and sharing ideas.

But the pivotal moment for me was when I figured out that my audiobook actually had two titles. The first was the product title, which was, Kick The Dark, since the theme of the audiobook was death. But then there was also the larger project title, which was, Say It With A Song.

That was my serialization signal. I wanted to set the expectation that there would be subsequent volumes. I wanted to build a brand. An identifiable marker that people could associate with a unique substance and style. And I wanted to give myself permission to expand my creative horizons. I remember coming up with that second project title and thinking, oh now I get it. This serialized framing is going to influence my process. Now I can plan and develop ideas over a larger canvas over time. I can bank certain material for later volumes if it doesn’t fit with the current iteration. And I can use what I learn from the first volume to inform and shape subsequence releases.

How effectively are you identifying serial potential? How will you build a continuous narrative that people can follow, creating anticipation for future releases?

In conclusion, let’s talk about murder.

Have you wondered why people are so fascinated by serial killers? It’s partly morbid curiosity, partly the desire to understand evil, partly the fear and adrenaline, partly the challenge of solving puzzles, and partly a craving to see justice served.

But the fundamental addiction is the expectation. The suspense and anticipation. The narrative arc.

When a homicidal maniac commits a series of brutal murders that involve chewing off elderly people’s noses and feeding their bleeding corpses to his pet crocodile, with no apparent motive, it’s hard to look away.

People are engrossed in the what will happen next aspect of the story.

Remember that as you create your work.

Identify your work’s series potential. Decide right now to view your current iteration as part of a larger project.

You might become so successful, that you can get a pet crocodile of your own.

Clarence seems like a suitable name.

How would a serialized framing expand your creative process?