Q&A for How to Create an Epic Fantasy Story

Sometimes we think of the slow bits as the boring bits and don't want to do them. You have to put yourself in the reader's mind and understand that if you make it boring, then that is how they will see it. Slow bits are the breathing space in the work and it can be used as a positive rather than a negative. You can add clues in here, or detail of the world, or more background on the characters. Remember, slow does not have to mean boring, and to be fair to the reader, it shouldn't be.

Yes. In fact, if you read Erin Hunter’s Warriors series, you’ll find great examples of swift transitions over different moons (months).

Figure out which characters will aid your story (making it more interesting), and which will bog your story down. It all depends on which you believe are the most important to focus on. Maybe turn the ones you don't use into side characters, or save them for a future project.

It can be as long as you want. Try not to make it too short or too long. If it is short, people will think it is super easy, and for kids. If it is too long, people might not want to read it, either.

A good way to start a story is to use a "hook" that catches the readers' attention and invites them to read further.

Doing a full circle is easy: once the main problem of the story is done, place your character in a "home-like" place. Then explain the mental process the hero would have knowing everything is finished. He can have strong memories coming back from what happened like the loss of a friend during the trip, for example. After going through the past, he can look to the future: what the world would look like now that its saved? What is she going to do now?

I immediately thought of Yoda and Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back. Luke undergoes some pretty intense training with some words of wisdom from Yoda. Maybe have something like that where your mentor gives the protagonist some advice that sticks with them through their whole journey.

The motive could be searching for something -- an object or a lost son, or trying to find a family. How about a mystery as part of a motive?

It's up to you what you want to happen in your book, you are in complete control as its creator. You can do anything with your characters, settings, and conflicts.

It's a metaphor. It just means read it very closely and carefully.

It's for you to decide how you write your story, but keep in mind that nobody knows your character yet.

It is up to you. You can make changes to the story, but before starting, think about what your story will be or what will happen in the story.

Base it on your teen love experiences. That makes it easier so you really don't have to do any research. You can also read literature with love scenes based on teenagers. If you're trying to weave all of this into an epic fantasy story, then include quests that separate the lovers and eventually see them reunited after many challenges.

Sure, that sounds like an exciting way to start the story.

Yes, your story can consist of anything that you want it to have in it.

If your character that you're writing as doesn't see the death, it should come to them later on. Not making it suddenly come to them and giving signs of the dead person being missing will lead to a better story. Just leave enough hints to the reader so it is obvious your character is dead.

That's fine. A lot of great fantasy stories have romances in them. If you want your characters to have a love story, simply write it in.

When creating a character, it is important to give them as many flaws as strengths. Characters need space to improve and become better. Fully fleshed out characters are what truly make an epic fantasy epic.

Since it is a fantasy story, there would be a lot of action and fighting. Try putting the romantic moments where the stakes are low and let the characters interact with one another. You can also show the character's relationship when they are fighting a villain, show them protecting their lover, having each other's back.

Of course! Many authors write their books with a mission fail. If a character always succeeds on missions, it won't seem too realistic. You can even put in that the main character thought he/she had succeeded, there is some twist at the end that reveals that they actually did fail.