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Local vs. Epic Scale

Centerfield97

Troubadour
I'm having a problem. While attempting to outline the plot of a story involving the war between two religious factions, I'm running into problems with scale. While my characters and initial problems are all local, I want the consequences to reach a more global (epic) scale.

So is it possible to begin a novel with local problems that grow to an international/global scale? Or does one need to start with a great war or international problem in order to keep the scale that large? What are examples of novels/series which do either/or?
 
Nothing wrong with escalation - I think it makes for an interesting story if things just keep getting more and more out of hand. You just need to make sure the transition makes sense.

Anyway, it's not like you have to commit to a greater scale then whatever conflict your characters actually have to deal with.
 

The Din

Troubadour
Problems often escalate, its quite feasible to have a feud turn into a war. The higher ups of either faction could take offense at a slander of their religion by one of the instigators. Take the Iliad for example, a ten year war started because one bloke liked the look of another's wife.

That being said, there's nothing wrong with keeping it local. Epic is so last year...
 

Telcontar

Staff
Moderator
Start local, and expand.

If you think about it a bit, you'll realize every story starts local, even if by the end they are wrecking the entire world. The readers first have to get to know your characters, and to a lesser extent the details of your world (in this case, your religions). So you ease them into that. That means starting small.

It also allows you to extrapolate. I don't know any of the details of your story, so I'll just spitball for a second. You have a conflict between two religions as a central plot feature. Great, I love it. An easy way to showcase this is to start in a smaller town - where things are simpler and easier to keep track of. Both religons have a presence in this town. They don't like each other, but they kinda have to coexist, so the tension is relegated to a sort of general hostility with occasional small-scale violent outbreaks; think gang conflict or the Montagues vs. the Capulets. Give us that story first. Then you move to a larger scale - you reveal more of the world, the countries where these religions originated, and the huge bureaucracies behind each one. You reveal that they both have Kings loyal to them, and can even hire armies of their own with all the tithed gold. We already know the conflict, it's just been given a larger frame.

To sum up: You can give us a microcosm of the larger conflict, and then slowly move your focus out to show us the whole thing. We as readers won't need you to explain the fact that these religions don't like each other, because you've already shown us that. Furthermore, it was easier for you to show it to us on a smaller scale.
 

Aegrus

Scribe
For me, it really just depends. If I want more freedom and more emphasis on characters, I go for a smaller scale. This gives me more flexibility, as the events which happen don't have to be perfect justifications for a world or nation to go to war, and I don't have to worry as much about politics. I find writing localized conflicts easier, more enjoyable, and even more meaningful long term, even though a story of epic scale seems better at first.

Of course, this is mostly because I suck at writing stories of epic scale. The above are my flaws, not yours, so your epic stories may turn out much better than mine. It really depends on what you trust yourself to write. But this is my motto: It's better to write less better than more worse.
 

Janga

Minstrel
I think you can write a story that has both elements. Move your story from a localized plot and characters to an epic scale and just keep going back to the characters showing how the epic events are affecting them.
 

Needamedic

Dreamer
You can always keep the story 'localized' on the characters and reveal to the reader and the characters that their actions are being noticed and effect your world on an epic scale as they move through the story. If they spend a lot of time away from the mainstream population on quests or battles, when they 'go to town' they might be recognized by strangers. The religious factions higher powers could send messengers or assassins to deal with them or request them to meet. Still, the character/s will act no different through out the story and their home-towns might not treat them any different.
It is how they are perceived by strangers.
 

TWErvin2

Auror
Beginning local with the story shifting to a more grand, epic scale is possible, but there has to be a logic or a reason for the progression with the 'local' character(s) involved from the start to end. How can the local characters get caught up in the whirlwind of events? What part could or would they play? Things to think about.

It worked for my first novel. That being said, there is nothing wrong, as was stated, staying 'local.' It all depends on the story you want to tell.
 
V

Voldermort

Guest
I'm having a problem. While attempting to outline the plot of a story involving the war between two religious factions, I'm running into problems with scale. While my characters and initial problems are all local, I want the consequences to reach a more global (epic) scale.

So is it possible to begin a novel with local problems that grow to an international/global scale? Or does one need to start with a great war or international problem in order to keep the scale that large? What are examples of novels/series which do either/or?

Checkout the movie "Contagion." The virus goes local to global.
 
Maybe I am the wrong person to comment, as I don't do a lot of epic reading. Big events don't have nearly as much impact on me as the stories of the individual people involved. How does the war change them, that sort of thing. Sure events can be big, but for me the stories should be personal.
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
Large scale conflicts bring more people and organizations and events into the mix, and I think it might be helpful to remember that all of those things are likely to have emissaries of some sort or another who can make local appearances and help transition you into the wider conflict.
 
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