...Continued from Day 1
I began the day meeting up with three friends for breakfast. We decided to walk around the corner to a local bakery. When we arrived, it looked (and smelled) delicious—but all sugary goodness. No protein in sight. So with great reluctance—I mean, I walked away from a chocolate croissant, people—we returned to the hotel for their breakfast buffet. Where we had to wait for over ten minutes while they “refreshed the tables”…Seriously? The omelette maker is an artisan, however, and all was forgiven.
I began the day meeting up with three friends for breakfast. We decided to walk around the corner to a local bakery. When we arrived, it looked (and smelled) delicious—but all sugary goodness. No protein in sight. So with great reluctance—I mean, I walked away from a chocolate croissant, people—we returned to the hotel for their breakfast buffet. Where we had to wait for over ten minutes while they “refreshed the tables”…Seriously? The omelette maker is an artisan, however, and all was forgiven.
One of my friends
accompanied me to the 9am Epic Fantasy panel, moderated by Danny Birt, and
featuring Debra Killeen, Gail Martin, Tricia Barr, and David B. Coe. Here are
my lightly edited notes:
Question(s): What
is epic fantasy? How do you know when you’re writing an epic fantasy? Is length
the determining factor?
- Gail
Martin pointed out that while Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series is considered urban fantasy, by the11th
book, with the story sweeping far beyond the natural and supernatural borders
of Chicago, it has certainly taken on an epic scope.
- Multiple
points of view (POV) is another hallmark of epic fantasy
- Scope,
size, POV, and worldbuilding contribute to the definition of epic fantasy
Question: When
you’re reading, what do you look for in epic fantasy?
- History –
it’s *big*! It has everything: kingdoms, individuals, geography, special
forces, like plague, cultures, “sweep”
- A lot of
moving parts that all come together
- Avoid the
info dump! Work it in pieces!
- Story
moving to a final event – don’t meander without making clear *why* the
diversion is there
- How
quickly can the author get to the “you bumped me out of the story…but then
you hooked me with the next story!
Character is a
major part of epic fantasy
Quote: “Scifi is
about how. Fantasy is about why.”
“Why” is all
about the people!
David disagrees
with the quote –Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s
Game is an SF novel, that’s all about the “why” – it’s a very personal
story!
Question: Can
epic fantasy be short?
Sometimes shorts
are based on longer works, so not as much worldbuilding needed
Very impressed
that Tricia Barr was apparently live tweeting throughout the panel, though she
may have had someone else tweeting in her stead -- or she can talk and tweet at
the same time ;)
Question about
crossover with other genres/subgenres/styles?
- Ellen
Kushner, Sword Point, alternate
world, urban fantasy, epic sweep
- Butcher’s
Dresden Files
- Fanfic
has lots of crossover
- Neil
Gaiman, “Fortunately the Milk”
- Gaiman
and Charles Vess, Stardust
- Willam Goldman, The Princess Bride
Labels can limit
us from readers, as well as help guide them to us
Sean McMullen’s Glass Dragons series, the Moonworlds Saga
Anne McCaffrey’s
Pern series – she always insisted was SF because it’s on another planet, but
many people consider fantasy
One tradition of
epic fantasy is that it’s removed from our time by 100-200 years in the past or
future (in terms of society, technology)
Epic fantasy
doesn’t *have* to be a “Chihuahua killer”! (that if you dropped the book on a
chihuahua, well….)
- The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest
Pandemic in History by John M. Barry is
historical, but reds with the feel of epic fantasy in many ways
- The Devil
in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed
America by Erik Larson is another historical non-fiction with the scope of
epic fantasy
Dr. Who… what’s
the difference between a sonic screwdriver and Harry Potter’s wand?
Australis refers
to all of the subgenres collectively as “Speculative Fiction” – perhaps we should
adopt this more inclusive model!
- Reese’s
Collision [I can’t
find this reference—anyone have more details?]
- Mary
Doria Russell, The Sparrow,
starts off as SF space travel, but once the adventurers reach the planet,
reads more like epic fantasy
- Esther
Friedman Coldfire trilogy begins
with space travel, but the culture loses technology in favor of magic…
- James S. A.
Corey, Expanse series, going to be an HBO series, combines space opera
with noir and fantasy elements
- Simon R.
Green, Secret History – James Bond feel, alternate dimensions, Mars
- David Weber,
Safehold
- Maleficent, the new
Disney movie, is part of an epic fantasy
- Jean
Claude Bemis, Clockwork Dark
series
- Diane
Basteen, Irish fantasy
Arthur C. Clarke:
“Any science sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic”
POV can determine
how the story evolved
Epic fantasy is
the “Rasputin” of speculative fiction – it cycles through popularity
It’s driven the
market in the U.S. for the past 30 years!
As a reader, you
can really settle in for awhile and get comfortable in the world
As a writer, you
can have lots of stories to tell in the world
Time
writing
|
~1 hour
|
July
word count
|
6,553
|
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