Britomartis-the-Valiant
(?)Community Member
- Posted: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 20:36:54 +0000
How Epics Fail
1. The world is too big to save:
(Tab)Quite simply, there never has been in written history an event that would have destroyed the entire world had it not been for one person or a small group of people. It's unrealistic. The world is simply too large. Save-the-World stories have to resort to unusual and bizarre threats. Oh, no; Earth's magnetic field stops to work!
2. Insufficient Motives:
(Tab)You have just been told that you are the only one who can save the human race. What do you do? Panic! Surely there's someone else more qualified. . .I can't take that stress. . .I wanna go home! Saving the world is a big task. Like a hot potato, humans want to pass it on to the next person. Any chance of backing out will be taken.
3. Irrelevance to the Reader
(Tab)Sure the tension may be exciting, but. . . Really, the situations inherent to such are a story are alien to the reader.
4. Too large for Life Characters
(Tab)The kind of character that it takes is simply "too large for life." Ever noticed the lack of perfect heroes in real life? And you expect your reader to care about and identify with your character? No thanks. I'm sorry Mr. Gary Stu, but we think that we can dispense with your services.
5. Enough in Existence already
(Tab)A little originality please?
1. The world is too big to save:
(Tab)Quite simply, there never has been in written history an event that would have destroyed the entire world had it not been for one person or a small group of people. It's unrealistic. The world is simply too large. Save-the-World stories have to resort to unusual and bizarre threats. Oh, no; Earth's magnetic field stops to work!
2. Insufficient Motives:
(Tab)You have just been told that you are the only one who can save the human race. What do you do? Panic! Surely there's someone else more qualified. . .I can't take that stress. . .I wanna go home! Saving the world is a big task. Like a hot potato, humans want to pass it on to the next person. Any chance of backing out will be taken.
3. Irrelevance to the Reader
(Tab)Sure the tension may be exciting, but. . . Really, the situations inherent to such are a story are alien to the reader.
4. Too large for Life Characters
(Tab)The kind of character that it takes is simply "too large for life." Ever noticed the lack of perfect heroes in real life? And you expect your reader to care about and identify with your character? No thanks. I'm sorry Mr. Gary Stu, but we think that we can dispense with your services.
5. Enough in Existence already
(Tab)A little originality please?