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Many, if not all fantasy books feature a formal ending known as an epilogue. The epilogue is one of four crucial parts of a book with the other three being the table of contents, the prologue, and the chapters. The book epilogue is interesting in that it is the culmination of the major plot-lines showcased in the story.
One remarkable fact about the book epilogue is that it can be used for a variety of things, depending on whether you’re writing a series or not. In the majority of cases, it shows what happened to the characters sometime after the events of the book. Other times, it can show a glimpse of what is to come in the next entry of the series.
The epilogue is a part of the novel that appears right after the final chapter. It shows the fate of the major characters at a later point in their lives. It usually is the last time readers get to see them, unless a sequel is planned. Many times, the characters are pursuing their dreams and are in a happier place than they were during the novel.
How then do you compose an epilogue that is a fitting conclusion to the story in a way that satisfies your audience? You make it interesting and true to the main message of your tale. That way, the actions of your characters in the epilogue show what they learned during the story, illustrating how they’ve grown since the end of the main plot.
While the goal is to create a riveting epilogue, there are some things to steer away from, lest they tarnish its message. The last thing you want to do is have an epilogue that feels like an unsatisfactory conclusion — unless you do so deliberately as to lay the groundwork for the sequel — which can alienate your readers.
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The epilogue comes at the end of the story and is generally considered a separate part of a book. It commonly features a time-skip after the ending. The time-skip can range from days to years. It shows the characters in a different phase of their lives whether they’re married or not.
How long should an epilogue be? Customarily, it isn’t as long as a chapter which can be twenty pages or more. Ideally, an epilogue should be between ten and fifteen pages. Regardless of how long it is, you still want to make the content fit the length as you would with the prologue.
One principal use of a book epilogue is to show what happened to the characters after the actual ending of the novel. The time-skip enables your readers to see them when they’re older, applying what they learned throughout the story in a different stage of life. They’re in a happier place, for they’re following their dreams that they had to put aside while they dealt with the events of the story.
If you’re writing a series, the epilogue is a great transition point between the current book and the next entry. It closes out the book while setting up the next one. You can introduce a new plot point that will become major in the next part of the story or your characters still haven’t realized their full potential which means they have new obstacles to overcome before they can do so. Plot-lines that have yet to be resolved are revisited here and will continue into the sequel.
In a series, the time-skip in an epilogue isn’t far out from the ending. It’s done that way so that there’s not significant time gaps between books which helps make a story feel more natural. Having significant time-skips can make a tale feel jarring since they can make your audience feel like they’re missing important parts for both the characters and the plot.
Should your book have one? Remember, not every book has one so you don’t necessarily need to make one if you have no desire to. There’s nothing wrong with giving your characters a final send-off if you want to.
It’s essential that the epilogue provides closure for your audience while remaining true to the message of the story. Your readers have been with your characters through both good times and bad and they want to see them be happy and successful as a result. The objective is to tie everything all together in an interesting, meaningful way.
One tip is to show how the characters have grown since the story’s end. They all made mistakes as the story progressed and the epilogue is a superb way to see how they applied their lessons at a later point in their lives. Maybe they’ve gotten wiser, they pay more attention to their surroundings, and so on.
Another thing to make an interesting epilogue is to highlight how the world changed after the end of the plot. The protagonist and his allies fought to save it from being destroyed and the book epilogue gives your readers a glimpse into a better, brighter world. Show them why your characters sacrificed so much.
The two tips above are mostly used for standalone books but you can still apply them to a novel series. If you’re going for a series, having an epilogue where everything is all hunky-dory might not necessarily be the best idea. In fact, revealing that things have gotten worse since the ending is a fantastic way to set up the next book.
An excellent tip is to show your characters in a bad position, maybe even worse off than they were in the story. Maybe they’ve fallen on hard times or they attempted to follow their dreams only for it to end in abject failure. Showing them in a bad light in the epilogue will help keep your audience invested, for they’ll want to see them bounce back in the next book.
The last tip is to use the epilogue in an interesting way is to introduce a plot-line that will become major in the sequel. Maybe the villain, after suffering a setback, launches a new strategy to conquer the world or the protagonist receives a letter from a friend in a distant land about trouble brewing. The new plot-line adds a new dynamic to what you already established since your characters must now confront the new challenges heading their way in the next book.
While it can be a challenge to write an epilogue that does its job well, you don’t want to compound it by doing things that hurt it. If done correctly, the epilogue is the final farewell — or not if you intend to write a series — and you want to conclude the novel on an upbeat note. The last thing you want is for it to go against the spirit of your story.
The number one thing to avoid is having the theme of the epilogue conflict with that of the main plot. It should build upon it, not go against it. Your readers will only be bemused which can lead to them being turned off.
There is an exception to this though: you can undercut the theme deliberately in order to lay the groundwork for the sequel since doing so gives your readers more reason to find out what happens.
Number two is to introduce elements that weren’t present in the main story. The epilogue ought to feel like a natural continuity, not one that feels artificial or wholly out of place. Though it’s set later on, there should be a degree of familiarity for your audience in terms of both the characters and the world. Introducing elements that you didn’t use in the plot can and will lead to confusion.
The third thing to not do when writing a book epilogue is introduce new ideas and concepts that go nowhere. This one is specifically aimed at those penning a series. Here, the epilogue marks a transition point between novels which means it’s the perfect time to bring in ideas and concepts you intend to explore in the next one. Introducing those that might seem important later only to amount to essentially nothing will lead to disappointment and a lowering of expectations from your readers.
Number four is to put too much information in. The info could be lore about the world or the characters that your audience previously didn’t know about or adding a new layer to their dynamics. Your readers might wonder why you didn’t include it in the main story. Instead, put some of it in the main plot where you have more room to work with so you can focus on what matters in the epilogue.
The epilogue of a book is a powerful closing to a novel. It wraps up everything in a nice package and the best ones leave your readers with a smile on their faces. You can structure it regardless if you’re writing a one-and-only book or a series.
As the last part of a novel, the epilogue is a separate part. The typical book epilogue isn’t as long as a chapter but it’s also not too short either. A good rule of thumb is to have it be about half the length of the average number of pages in a chapter or about ten to fifteen pages long.
When writing it, you want it to have a great, lasting impression on your audience. Things like showing how the characters and the world changed for the better go a long way towards writing a satisfying epilogue that your readers will love! If you’re making a series, showing these changes for the worse is a surefire way to gin up interest for the sequel!
The best epilogues are those that enhance the spirit of the story. However, when working on the epilogue, don’t do things like having its theme undercut that of the main story, since they run the risk of tarnishing all the hard work you put in. Focus on making it the best it can be, not one that hurts.
Are you ready to create a riveting book epilogue that your audience can’t get enough of?
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Sunfire
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