Epic scale

What does it mean for something to be epic? Really long? Amazingly expensive? Extensively detailed? When does a story become more than itself and create its own mystique? And, one more question, is that done intentionally?

I doubt the answers are simple, or easy. That said, I think stories become epic of their own accord. The story moves from a simple tale into an area where it takes on a life of its own. I doubt the author even knows its happening. To me its the magic of writing, and that's a big part of it.

Certainly there are some that set out to do an epic, such as The Lord of the Rings, or the Iliad. Stuff like that started out huge and never slowed down. They also drew on massive amounts of existing mythology and legend. Creating all that from scratch takes a lot of time, years and more.

So, what's my point? It's just that trying to be epic isn't what most stories are about. They should strive to be the best story they can be, without the baggage of excess. If you can infuse a story with that without pushing too hard, then fantastic; go for it. As a reader, I enjoy an epic story, but I'm absolutely looking for simple entertainment. A good story isn't always an epic story, but an epic story isn't necessarily a good one either. Tread carefully.

- M