I have had a hell of a time with some novels I have been reading lately. Trying out new authors. And one major issue that really is bothering me is lack of plot. I get they are writing a series but the way to get me to read the second book in your series is not to have no plot in the first book.
What I mean is the first book is entirely rising action. No real conflict, maybe some implied conflict in there. Sort of maybe some conflict is going to happen. But it doesn’t. So no climax and no falling action. No actual plot.
What the actual hell? And then they generally end with a teaser of plot at the end. Well if you gave me nothing to chew on in the first book, I’m not going to buy the second one. Shouldn’t the first one have its own plot, even if the second is more enhanced and intense action as the overall grand scheme of things intensifies?
Is it madness that I expect a storyline in one complete novel?
It is fine. I went book shopping and I have some of my favorite authors to sate my dissatisfaction. And a non-fiction book on my reading list to get to. So, maybe too many new authors in a short amount of time has irked me.
The Wyrd 
This really bothers me too. I wish authors would see a series as a set of books that are individual parts of a whole story, not a story told in however many books. Even movie trilogies have some kind of ending to leave a feeling of satisfaction, not ‘well that’s the end of that part. Come back next year and give us even more money to find out the rest’.
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I think you’re right about the plot vs action compromise too many young writers are making.
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I’ve had a lot of trouble finding good books to read lately, and a lot of it has to do with what you’ve mentioned here. There’s not enough conflict to create an interesting story, and that kills the book. I’m all about character-driven stories, but to do that, you have to have character conflicts happening in the story. That’s where the plot comes from. Otherwise you just have random drama that doesn’t really go anywhere.
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It has been a real problem for me as well. Just when you think it actually is going to go somewhere it randomly ends. Frustrating.
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