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How to write a story that spans decades

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I'm looking for techniques to write a fantasy story (A song of ice and fire style) but the problem is the duration of the story :

  • The first three years there are lot of plots, and betrayals.

  • After that a good lord rules the kingdom, in his reign nothing special happens, the plots against the king stop and everything is ok.

  • After his death the plots and betrayals resume

So the question is how can I skip the twenty years of his reign, mentioning just the important stuff without confusing readers?

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Use the first three years for Part I. Part II begins with the notation: Twenty years later...

Then use "flashback" scenes in Part II to catch the odd event of note that might have taken place between the two parts.

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Start the thing in medias res, in mid-action. Then flash back. At least, that's what Aristotle advised in his Poetics. Although it is more than 2000 years old, it still has great advice for writers today.

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Skip the peaceful period. If there's no conflict, there's nothing to write about. Go to "Part II" of your book.

Open with the characters having a party to celebrate two decades of peace. In the middle of the celebratory dinner, the bad guy drops a piano on the king, and the war is back on.

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