Writing Excuses 4.12: Writing An Epic

"Dude, that's totally epic." "Epic fail! Epic fail!" These phrases have only passing relation to epic storytelling, and to epic fantasy. Brandon and Howard write epics, and we're going to talk about how we do it. And Dan's going to help, because even if his launching-this-week I Am Not a Serial Killer novel is not an epic, Dan knows his stuff. (Also, epic win for Dan! His book launches this week!) We talk about some of our favorite epic fantasy and epic science fiction series, and then discuss elements like scope, plotlines, and characters. We also address some of the common pitfalls new writers fall into when trying to write their first epic. Audiobook Pick-of-the-Week: The Uplift Trilogy: Brightness Reef, Infinity's Shore, and Heaven's Reach by David Brin Writing Prompt: Google "Epic Win" (or just visit "Epic Win FTW"), take one of the images on the site, and then craft an epic story around that image. Joke Not Told By Howard In The Podcast: If a new writer attempts to create an epic and falls flat on his or her face in the attempt, it is, in fact, Epic Fail. This episode of Writing Excuses has been brought to you by Audible. Visit http://AudiblePodcast.com/excuse for a free trial membership*. *Note: From the Audible website, here are the terms of the free membership. Read the fine print, please! Audible® Free Trial Details Get your first 14 days of the AudibleListener® Gold membership plan free, which includes one audiobook credit. After your 14 day trial, your membership will renew each month for just $14.95 per month so you can continue to receive one audiobook credit per month plus members-only discounts on all audio purchases. A very small number of titles are more than one credit. Cancel your membership before your free trial period is up and you will not be charged. Thereafter, cancel anytime, effective the next billing cycle. Any unused audiobook credits will be lost at cancellation.