A
momentous occasion (for me, at least). I have just published the last novel in
my epic fantasy trilogy: The Palâdnith Chronicles.
It’s
been quite a journey – one that started in 2009, when I began sketching out the
idea for the series. In the time since I began the trilogy, I have moved
country twice, shifted home four times and had a number of other ‘distractions’
to deal with.
However,
in the end, I got there!
One of
the things I really enjoyed while writing this series, was learning the craft
of building an epic fantasy trilogy. I use the world ‘building’ rather than
‘writing’ because – believe me – writing is the easy part!
Epic
fantasy novels usually come as part of series. Readers seem to prefer it, and a
series gives writers the chance to delve deep into the world they’ve created. However,
creating, building and writing a fantasy trilogy is not without its pitfalls.
Firstly, what exactly is a
‘trilogy’?
A
trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected. They can be seen
either as a single work, or as three individual works. Most fiction trilogies
involve the same character or setting, whereas others are connected only by
theme.
The
easiest way to understand a trilogy in the context of a fantasy series, is a single
story that’s basically split into three novels.
Basically,
a trilogy should be like a three act play. Book#1 should be the set up and
inciting event; Book #2 where all the real trouble happens and the stakes
escalate; and Book #3 is the final show down with the antagonist, the climax
and the wrap up (Summary courtesy of: Planning
your Novel: Ideas and Structure, Janice Hardy).
The importance of planning
Yes, we’ve
all have heard this before, but it really does pay to plan before you write. I
don’t mean nutting out the plot in detail, but it’s essential to have a rough
storyline for the entire trilogy sketched out, to ensure your series doesn’t
just peter out half-way through.
Will
your story last the distance? Often a story
idea seems grand enough to span three books. However, when we take a good
look at it, we realise we could tell the story in just one novel.
A
story that just doesn’t have enough meat to fill a trilogy ends up becoming
unbalanced. To quote Janice Hardy again, such a trilogy ends up looking like
this: “Book One that’s all set up and feels like it’s not going anywhere, a
Book Two that drags the plot out and ends with nothing being resolved, and a
Book Three that feels like a slow march to the antagonist that takes way too
long.”
They
key is to make sure that you have enough conflict and story to last the
distance.
Conflict, conflict… and more
conflict
Conflict
is central to a good story – but it’s also key to planning and writing a
trilogy. Not only do you need to have a central conflict that dominates the
entire series, but each novel within the trilogy should have its own stand-alone
conflict as well, which is resolved at the end of the book. This gives the
reader a sense of resolution, while remaining aware that there is a bigger goal
in sight.
Don’t
be afraid of conflict in your stories – layer it on and it will give your series
depth. Conflict comes in many guises; it’s not just external peril or issues
beyond your protagonists’ control, but conflict can also come from problems
created by the protagonists themselves – actually, this is often the most
exciting form of conflict.
Put your characters to the test
Your
protagonists need to change throughout the course of your trilogy – however, be
careful not to transform them too quickly. You don’t want them overcoming their
personal demons in the Book #1, only to cruise through the next two novels
without developing – this will make your story boring. The way to avoid this is
to plan your character arc for all your characters (including your antagonists)
over the entire trilogy.
It
helps to start with giving your character a goal, and then giving him/her a
fatal flaw which prevents him/her from reaching it. During the course of the
story, show your character making strides forward, before relapsing, and
continue this cycle right to the end.
This
pattern of struggling with the flaws that hold us back in life, making
breakthroughs and then having setbacks, is all part of being human. Making this
key to your story will help readers connect with your characters – it will also
mean that by the time your protagonists reach the end of the third book they
have undergone an epic personal – and not just physical – journey.
Did I follow my own advice?
Sigh –
hindsight does have 20/20 vision. If there was one thing I would have done
differently throughout the writing of the Palâdnith Chronicles, it would have
been to plan the storyline for all three books BEFORE writing.
The
problem was that I didn’t initially set out to write a series. Originally, my
tale was going to be just one stand-alone book. However, after a finishing a
huge first draft, my editor pointed out that there were at least two novels in
that manuscript. He also pointed out that the story clearly didn’t end with the
second book, so I might as well write a trilogy.
Changing
my plans half-way through meant I had to sit down and plan Book #3 carefully
before writing. It also meant that I had to do a bit of extra backstory and
also revisit my characters’ flaws to ensure they continued developing over the
last novel in the trilogy. There were subplots to be tied up, a show down with
the antagonist to build up to, and a resolution to be made.
It was
hard work – but I’d do it all again. J
Are
you working on an epic fantasy trilogy? What have you discovered so far about
the process? Please share!
