Guest Post by Ian Isaro: What Makes Epic Fantasy Tick

Welcome to today's guest blogger, Ian Isaro! I asked Ian to write a post about what makes epic fantasy work because he's read more of it than anyone else I know. Pretty good qualifications. Ian is the author of the Sorcery and Scholarships series. You can find him writing about fantasy on his blog.
Thanks again, Ian, for letting me put you on the spot. And here he is:


"Grand Prelate! The Sylvans are fording the Turvlebip River! The Thoris Mage has the Staff of Ghrblgk and is bringing down the Great Wall!"

"By the curly beard of Bupkis the Terrible!" Al'thir'evaeael cursed.

At least some of you think of this kind of thing when you think about epic fantasy. That example is somewhat over the top, but only somewhat. These are the doorstopper novels that have thousands of characters with a few dozen invented languages and can span decades.

I was asked to write about what makes epic fantasy tick, so I'm not going to worry too much about an exact definition of epic fantasy. A proper definition wouldn't necessarily match the above stereotypes and there's variety even within the subgenre. Instead, I'm going to focus on the five factors that I think make epic fantasy work: scope, immersion, depth, stakes, and earned endings.

Scope

I realized how much scope matters to me while reading Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen. Ten books totaling over three million words - what matters isn't the length, but what that many words allows the series to do.

In the last book, there's a conversation where two characters discuss the state of reality, and there are even more names dropped than in my example. Except by that point, you know every single name - not only that, you've read entire novels about each one. The dozen different conflicts mentioned aren't just some throwaway world building, each is a place you know with characters you've walked with throughout the series. It brought home that this is truly a conflict for reality.

Scope also gives us variety and diversity. Some series pretend to be about a "world" but it's really just medieval Europe spread across a larger area. Scope isn't a million league kingdoms or billion soldier armies, it's all the details that give a better sense of size than simple numbers can. Good epic fantasy gives multiple continents, races, cultures, or conflicts. It doesn't shy away from personal problems and smaller issues, but it includes them as part of a living, breathing world.

Immersion

This brings us to immersion, which is one of the central appeals of epic fantasy. Others have already written about how it brings readers back, so I'll try to focus on other aspects. Immersion is when the setting isn't just a vehicle for the author's ideas, but a fully-realized entity that has more to offer than what's on the surface. This perhaps more than anything is what draws readers into worlds and keeps them there.

It's Tolkien's complete languages. Wheel of Time's two thousand characters. The edges of Robin Hobb's maps. It's the promise that "Grand Prelate" isn't just a random title for yet another interchangeable authority figure, but reflects a culture and system that will continue strengthen to the story.

Immersion also allows for very satisfying payoffs. Because epic fantasy typically has more worldbuilding, you can afford to place all kinds of Chekov's guns on many different mantles. By the end of even the first book of an epic, readers are familiar with a wide variety of characters, places, forces, and all manner of elements that can be thrown together without the need for any more setup. Sanderson always does this, putting pieces in place for 75% of a book and then setting off a cascade of events that sweeps through the ending.

Epics stand far away from the problem of too-tidy stories, where absolutely everything seems to exist only to serve a role in the plot and tie things up with a neat little bow. Most of them err in the opposite direction, but it's the breadth of the world that gets readers to commit, since it reflects the messiness of reality and hence has the feel of a "real" story instead of a parable or fable.

Depth

Not to imply that other kinds of fiction don't have depth, but the size of epic fantasy allows it to do different things. The beauty of a short story is that it focuses entirely on one thing. By contrast, the strength of epic fantasy is that it can be about many things, and weave different themes together over a long period of time.

Length allows for subtlety, themes sneaking up on you, getting beneath your defenses against obvious Messages and Morals. Instead of characters dramatically turning from good to evil, they can slide slowly, reflecting all the shades of grey in the real world and forcing you to think seriously about the issues at hand.

The length of epic fantasy lets characters breathe, experiencing a wide variety of emotions and life circumstances. No one has to be the Coward or the Hero, but can display both heroism and cowardice at different times, closer to the diversity seen in human beings.

Stakes

Perhaps the most important difference between epic fantasy and other subgenres is that in epics something critical must be at stake. All too often this is the fate of the world, but it goes deeper than that. Epic fantasy is about the world changing.

Lord of the Rings is a good example. It's about the passing of an age, old powers fading, technology gaining strength. It isn't a story where the villain is defeated and the status quo is restored, but one where nothing will ever be the same. Deeper, it's a story about the rejection of dominance as the only path to peace - several characters could have taken the Ring and won, but at the cost of their souls.

The Earthsea series reflects another important side of epic fantasy. All of it could fit into one novel of many other series, but the stakes are no less important. It's about the shifting of paradigms, first personal realities and eventually spiritual realities that profoundly affect everything.

Earned Endings

This awkwardly-named section is one that I don't see mentioned often, but I think is an underappreciated strength of epic fantasy. There are many things that might feel hollow or false in a shorter story that can be accomplished in a longer series.

Let's take a simple example of power: a naive farmboy becoming a mighty swordsman. In fairy tales, he gets a magic sword and that's the end of it. Some short fantasy has the equivalent of a training montage and then he's a master. Epic fantasy lets you see him grow and develop over time, so that when he does become a swordsman, it isn't arbitrarily granted power that doesn't matter.

This is a better match to reality than stories where doing something significant takes minimal time and effort. You cannot become a doctor after a week training with a wise old master dispensing cryptic sayings. A successful business doesn't follow a simple rising action, climax, denouement pattern. And as all the writers reading this know, you don't become abruptly published after a sad flashback to your childhood unlocks the author within your soul.

Stories that offer easy paths to the top may appeal to us, but only as fantasies because we know the real world doesn't work that way. Either the successes in those stories ring false, or we absorb a harmfully inaccurate view of work and success. Epic fantasy has the opportunity to model a more realistic path to anything meaningful.

Skills are the clearest example, but there are other things that can be earned as well. A short story can capture the feeling of the horror of war, but getting across the grinding devastation takes more time (Deadhouse Gates, anyone?). Politics don't have to be over-simplified and more complex solutions can be included. Relationships are more authentic when we see the characters grow over time. Not everything needs to be earned, but in the categories where that' s necessary, epics have additional weight.

Looking back, this post is a little scattered. Perhaps that's appropriate: epic fantasy isn't about just one thing, it's vignettes and character studies and detours that together form stories that can truly be called epic.

Many of you may be thinking of epic fantasy that doesn't meet these ideals, and that's true. There have been series that are just the Armies of Good defeating the Armies of Evil - merely taking a long time to do it. But those are imitations, capturing the form of an epic but not the substance. It's the series that take advantage of the strengths of epic fantasy that will be remembered.

Fulfilling Your Promises to the Reader

Ever had a favorite TV show that didn’t pan out in the end? I have, a couple of times. In many cases this is because ratings went down and the production company decides it’s time to wrap things up, so the screenwriters slap something together. That’s typical. But what about a series that was planned from the start, the producers knew it would go on for X number of seasons and then it would end? You’d think they’d be better at keeping their ducks in a row. Not always.

A very much enjoyed show jilted me in the end, as a viewer. Every season they built up expectations that the two main characters had this great destiny and would change the course of the world. All the characters’ hopes built on that, every episode plot arc made sure to make mention of this fact. Decisions were based on it, lives changed. Then we got to the final season, tension building, the climax happening, and…the pivotal main character died. And the other main character faded into the shadows. There was a brief, well-the-world-went-on scene with a secondary character taking the helm. So disappointed. In fact, I felt lied to. The writers not only dropped the ball, they ran over it with a steam-roller.

The same thing has been known to happen in fiction. A writer writes a book that is then built into a series. Now, if the story wasn’t originally intended to be more than one book, the writer has something of a problem, which we can talk about another time. On the other hand, if the writer intended a series all along, they have to make sure they don’t disappoint the reader.

In an epic series, no matter the genre, there is a main story arc. This is the epic problem for the length of the series. It’s introduced in the first book, but not resolved until the last. Each volume of the series should have individual arcs that are spawned from or interact with the main problem, each volume having a sense of resolution at the end.

I’ve picked up a series, been intrigued by the overall arc to have to read each book in the series. It’s the glue that holds my interest, even if it seems to take ages to get to, or I don’t care about the individual arc of a particular volume in the series. A good main arc will do that. Writers should take care that the individual arcs are just as good and engaging, that the writer isn’t stringing readers along for the sake of producing more books.

Reader expectations need to be a consideration, especially when the writer is the one who set the bar and created those expectations. If a main character is destined to be king, they should end up as king. If someone is haunted by a horrible past, we expect to see reactions, situations, and problems arise from that past. Each volume in a series should be tight, propelling the reader toward that main arc’s resolution. It’s okay to have a twist or two, which alters the main arc’s expectations, but not at the last minute because the writer wrote himself into a corner and couldn’t figure out how to get out, or because he got tired of writing the series or about those characters.

 

Going back to the TV show scenario, in a recent interview the producers of the show said they had their ending figured out early on and knew the main character would die and be succeeded by the secondary character. While it may have been an attempt to assuage angry fans, I think it fanned the flames. Why? Because while yes, they did build up the secondary character to be a believable successor for the main character, they still continued to ply the audience with promises of a great future for the two main characters. Huge mistake. If a major change was in order, they needed to stop making those promises and show how decisions and events were altering the main arc.

Probably the best way to examine a main plot arc and make sure that each volume in a series is pulling its weight is to do a simple outline. Make a note next to each volume’s summary as to how it moves the main arc forward or changes it. Lay the groundwork for changes so they don’t come off as convenient escapes for the writer. Make sure you have enough material to cover your projected number of books in the series. If not, trim the number down. And above all, make sure you’re not going to disappoint your audience with your ending. The ending in a series should still be a contrast and a reflection on the beginning of the series.

Writers who have planned for these things tend to have happier readers. Now if we could get more TV producers and screenwriters to do the same…

Male Characters and Justifying an Epic Series

It's a double header day for me today.

I'm taking on the topic of writing male characters when you're female over at Eli Ashpence's blog. Several good links to other blogposts on the topic included.

And I take a bite out of what justifies an epic series, and what doesn't at Robert Courtland's blog.

The Epic Quest: Update #3

Here are some more epic resources for those of you writing and trying to sell epic novels.

The Epic Fantasy Books Blog posts new releases monthly. A great place to check out the competition and find comparative titles.

The Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Fantastic site. You can look up authors, find their bibliographies, dates, awards, new release updates, and much more.

Locus Online Magazine. An industry standard for all things speculative fiction. Author interviews, blogposts, awards news, new releases, lists of small presses, movie news, reviews - and I could go on. A great place to keep tabs on whether writing epic speculative fiction or not.

QueryTracker is not only a great place to keep your queries organized, but they also have a fairy up-to-date (but always double-check) list of who represents whom. The success story list can also give you a pretty good idea of the word counts that are making it through, in which genres, and to which agents.

The Epic Quest: Update #2

Today I'm going to do the first cluster of authors I've researched. Take a look at them, if you write epic speculative fiction, and see if their works are comparable to yours. It gives a good indicator of what their agents and/or publishers like. Also what these same agents and publishers already have. Some won't take on projects too close in competition to titles they already represent.

1) Aaron, Rachel
Website/blog: http://rachelaaron.net/
First book published: 2010
Publisher: Orbit Books
Agent/agency: Matt Bialer of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates

2) Abercrombie, Joe
Website/blog: http://joeabercrombie.com/
First book published: 2006
Publisher: Gollancz (UK), Orbit Books, Pyr (US)
Agent/agency: Robert Kirby of United Agents (UK)

3) Abraham, Daniel (also writes under two pseudonyms)
Website/blog: http://danielabraham.com/
First book published: 2006
Publisher: Pocket, Orbit, Tor
Agent/agency: Shawna McCarthy of The McCarthy Agency, LLC

4) Ahmed, Saladin
Website/blog: http://saladinahmed.com/
First book published: 2012
Publisher: DAW
Agent/agency: Jennifer Jackson of The Donald Maass Literary Agency

5) Anderson, Kevin J.
Website/blog: http://wordfire.com/ ; http://kjablog.com/
First book published: 1988
Publisher: Spectra, Aspect, HarperPaperbacks, William Morrow, Orbit, Simon Schuster, and more
Agent/agency: John Silbersack of Trident Media Group
 

Which Type of Epic Are You?

Type 1: Episodic
Episodic fiction has a main base of characters and each book in the series acts as a standalone. New book, new big problem or antagonist. Usually not so epic in size compared to the other two types. Can have an overall arc tying all the books together.

Type 2: Generational
Generational fiction changes up characters as time passes. These can also easily work as standalones with a stronger overall arc. There is a big story behind the scenes that encompasses a long period of time.

Type 3: True Epic
True epics are large stories, very large stories. So large that they can't be condensed into a single volume or even two. They often fail as standalones because resolving the main conflict introduced at the beginning cuts the whole thing off at the toes. They can have mini-arcs to make each volume have a somewhat standalone feel. The driving force for readership is the main arc, which stays an active, in-the-front plot player through each volume and isn't resolved until the end of the last installment.

Pros:
Type 1 and 2 are easier to sell if you're an unpublished writer. Less of a gamble for publishers.
Type 1 isn't locked into one main doom or conflict, giving the writer room to try out different plots and situations.
Type 1 doesn't have a definitive end until the writer gets tired of playing in that world. You can end up with a few books in the series, or several. Readers can also jump in or out of the series where ever they like.
Type 2 gives the writer a chance to change up the characters while keeping to a central plot line. The writer is less likely to tire of their characters.
Type 2 writers also get to change up their settings and time periods. Lots of great world-building opportunities.
Type 3 stories satisfy a certain demographic of devoted reader who will come back for more and who crave larger, meatier books.
Type 1 and 3 stories allow a writer to share a more complex, richly detailed world over the span of the series.

Cons:
Type 1 stories can lose readers at any time, without a lure to keep them reading future books. Readers can get tired of the same characters if they aren't well done. Not an easy thing to keep up for several books.
Type 2 stories can fall into a rut if the same plot twists and consequences creep up. There is room for a lot of unnecessary bloat here, whether it's a lot of new characters to learn with each book, info dumping, or other fillers if the story isn't really that epic. Are you writing Type 2 for the sake of racking up the number of books and time periods, instead?
Type 3 stories are hard to sell for unpublished writers. Publishers don't want to take a gamble on someone untried in the marketplace. And if the first volume of an epic doesn't sell well, there won't be a number two, and that leads to dissatisfied readers...
Type 3 stories are hard to write well. A lot of unpolished manuscripts are bloated with info dumping, long passages with nothing going on, and a hoard of characters. In short, these manuscripts are trying to be true epics but they don't really have enough story to pass the test.
Type 3 writers, once published, get a lot of pressure from readers to churn out the next volume in record time. Some readers won't even pick up the novel until all of the volumes are published. Others, too impatient to wait, stop reading altogether. A good percentage of readers hate cliffhanger endings.

Which type are you? Which type(s) do you enjoy reading? How patient are you as a reader?
 

Epic Quest Update #1

Agh, I'm treading water! I thought I'd find a handful of blogs/websites to share links to but it turns out there is more information out there to gather than I anticipated. And guess what, I actually found an agent who says she's actively looking for epic speculative fiction! Yes, my jaw dropped a little to see any agent be specific like that.

I'm building a spreadsheet, listing authors, their online connections, publishers, agents (if applicable), and what time bracket they fit in (veteran, newbie, etc.). I've found a couple of good reference sites in regards to bibliographies. This will be the conclusion of Phase 1, when it's done.

Hang in there, I'll share all when I've got everything neat and tidy.

What I can say right now, is hang in there epic writers! The elbow room isn't as spacious as other genres, yet there is room for more authors. We may see another boost when the Hobbit films start rolling out, reminding the world of the genre and its wide appeal.

What I'd like to know from you, is how should I space out the time brackets? Would having published their first book in the last 10 years qualify as newbie status, or should I reduce it to the last 5 years? I figure anyone at least 20 years on the shelves qualifies as a veteran. How far back would you like me to go when I share the spreadsheet information?

The Epic Quest Begins

I see it more and more, writers of epic speculative fiction having the devil of a time trying to find representation for their work. Few agents come out and say in their guidelines "Send me epic _______ fiction." The blogosphere is noisy with the YA-loving crowd and their parameters. It's hard to do research for epic speculative fiction because the people who work with it or write it aren't a dominate presence online (collectively.)

So I'm embarking on a quest to find out as much information as I can. I'll share my findings here on the blog and if you've done some research, please share also.

By epic, I'm referring to:
Huge, door-stopper books that are standalones; also series, sagas, and trilogies of epic proportions. These are books where there is a lot of story/plot, often with multiple POVs, and they take place in fantastic worlds or settings. See also this blogpost: Where are the massive epic science fiction series? Also you can pull up "epic" lists off of Goodreads or even Amazon (although take them with a grain of salt because the books listed are based off where readers categorize them.)

My first step was to comb online looking for authors of epic novels and to write them down on a spreadsheet. I came up over 200 names from my first gleaning alone and I'm sure I'll find a lot more. Finding so many authors cheered me up because it proves people will read long series and fat books. Some of the authors are dead, some are long-time veterans, but quite a few are new and thriving. There is a market for this kind of fiction.

I also noticed that epic authors tend to use initials; that there are a lot of Davids, Richards, and Kates; and that both male and female authors came up about even in body count on my list. Epic fantasy outnumbers epic science-fiction or epic paranormal. Epic YA speculative fiction gets a lot of the limelight these days but don't discount the adult crowd just yet.

Some websites that deal with epic speculative fiction:
Locus Magazine
TOR.com
Epic Fantasy Books Blog

What are your favorite epic books and your favorite epic-writing authors? Help me refine my list so I can move on to stage two: identifying publishers and agents (if applicable.) I hope to have a good-sized list of websites and blogs by epic authors next time for you.