HOW TO MAKE A EPIC

1 Choose the point of view. The most common points of view are first person, which lets you show more of the character's feelings, and third person, which is more general but makes it easy to follow multiple characters. There is also second person, which is an uncommon point of view and basically tells the story as if it happened to the reader. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of each point of view before choosing one.


2 Think about the setting. What kind of world does your story happen in? How large is it? Where are the civilizations?

• Make your world consistent, but not too consistent. You want to make your world realistic, but not all the same. Think about our world: people are similar, but have many different cultures, beliefs, opinions, and so on. Think about this in the world you create. How consistently do different cultures and races mix? If, for example, your world is based on ancient Scandinavia and one part of the world is a techno-futuristic city, you better have a good reason for it, or your world will become too inconsistent.
• Draw a map of your imaginary world. Feel free to change anything to make it suit your likings (yet don´t forget consistency). The map is in many ways the basis for your story. Famously, Robert Louis Stevenson was inspired to write Treasure Island by a map.
• Create a history for the world.
1. Start with your map.
2. Draw dots for budding civilizations.
3. Imagine the differences between two countries, for instance, always warring over a particular border, and give characteristics to them. Consider the stereotypes people in our world hold regarding other countries, originating in anything from petty disputes over land to not showing up to help an ally in a crucial battle.

3 Creatures and races. Take some standard races that are common in fantasy (elves, dwarves, goblins, dragons, and so on). Change them and give them your own special, unique twists. Create your own races, too. Give them all at least a hint of history (again, your map can help you here, and you can also use a timeline). They should be there in a way that deepens and enriches your world. Include cultures, religions, gods and beliefs to show why the people act in a certain way or to explain their festivals. Give each race its own strengths and weaknesses and explain their creation. Races don't just appear, how and why were they created? (Do they have stories about being created by their god(s), do they agree with evolution, were they the result of some experiment by some other race...?)

4 Create complex, deep, multifaceted and memorable characters. Think about these questions: What is the hero´s motive for setting out for a quest? What does he/she want? What does he/she learn during the quest? Why does the villain oppose the hero? Who does the hero meet during his/her journey? How do they help or hinder him/her? Why?

• You can make your hero a sword-swinging, puzzle-solving young boy or girl and the villain an evil overlord, who wants to take over the world, but give them depth and something that sets them apart from other swashbuckling heroes and evil masterminds. The less cliched, the better.
• Give a rich background to as many characters as possible (especially main heroes and villains). Even though it may never play part in a story, it helps you understand them, and make realistic choices for them.
• Give your main character stake in the quest. Be it saving a loved one, seeking vengeance for an unforgivable crime, escaping someone or something, preventing something bad from happening or anything, make clear what happens if the hero fails.

5 Ask yourself: What is your story´s overall narrative theme? Having a clear theme in mind helps drive the narrative and makes it less likely to stray

6 Give your hero challenges to deal with and watch how he deals with them.Also, let him face despair and suffer.

• Sometimes you find that your hero is going to face a tragic fate. It may be painful, but good tragedy always hurts. And remember, struggle and conflict are good. Tragic stories are often those remembered best.
• If you still want your hero to survive, find some way around it. Maybe some honorable minor character the hero saved earlier in the story saves the hero in turn, out of gratitude. Maybe the hero has kept an item his friend gave him in the beginning (Chekov´s gun) and manages to save himself, or perhaps he convinces a selfish antihero that he is the only way for the latter to get what they want and thus gets saved. But never, ever, play deus' ex machina'. If there is nothing in the story to save the hero, let them die. If you need a hero after the first one dies, maybe their friend can take over the dead hero's role.

TIPS

• Feel free to take some influences from famous epics, but don´t outright copy them. The more original you manage to make it the better.
• Try adding your own passionate subjects, if it adds to a story. Tolkien had his own made-up languages. Other good touches are, for instance, poetry, art, story-telling, myths and their ilk. Anything you happen to enjoy!
• Add characters' internal journeys that tie to your story's theme and you make your story even more interesting. Captivating themes are, for instance, a teenager growing into an adult, fall of a hero, atonement, redemption, growing out of your shell, seeking acceptance, becoming a better person and overcoming prejudice. There are various roads to character development.
• One of the most important aspects of the epic stories is that a lot happens. No one wants to read a story where nothing at all happens. Whether it be a quest heroes set out to, war, political intrigue, fighting monsters, seeing mythic places, seeking vengeance (it's an old staple, but it works!), hunting treasures, just about anything interesting, something has to happen. The more stuff happening you have in your story, the more fascinated and interested your readers are, assuming you can tie it all together in a pleasing bundle.
• You don't have to write your story in order. If you have a great idea for a scene in the middle of the story but you're still writing the beginning, go ahead and write down the scene in the middle. You can add it to your story when you get to that part.
• Interesting secondary and minor characters may enrich your story, but be careful not to let them get out of hand. They are a supporting cast-don't let them steal the spotlight.
  • Secondary characters can and should have a part in revealing and developing your character. What different sides do they bring out?
  • But if they're well-developed enough, they might merit their own story — although not a fantasy, look at Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.
• You can always write a sequel, so don't rush the story, but don't make the pace too slow either or your story will be boring.
• Remember that you don't have to follow the steps in the order that they're listed. If you would prefer to create your characters before you create the setting, go ahead.
• Have your characters develop slowly, gradually and subtly. Sometimes it's even better if they do not realize they are changing. Change can be simple or complex, depending on your story. But don't have characters be the same during the first half, then face an epiphany and change completely, otherwise you have 2D characters. Even if the epiphany is meant to be extremely traumatic, build it up so the change doesn't come out of the blue.
• Try to think from the perspective of the main character and consider how it changes with each person they meet. This will help you show how the background of the main character has developed differently from that of the supporting characters.