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Published by Jed Herne
Hi! My name is Jed Herne, and on this podcast, I share the best fantasy writing advice that I've learned from publishing four fantasy novels and coaching 5,000+ writers in my live classes and self-paced courses. My books include Kingdom of Dragons , The Thunder Heist , Across the Broken Stars , and Fires of the Dead . I also wrote Siege of Treboulain, an interactive epic fantasy novel published by Choice of Games. I also created the Wizards, Warriors, & Words, and Novel Analyst podcasts. Expect to learn about plotting, character development, worldbuilding, magic systems, and lots more. *** If you want to take your writing further, then read my book, Plotting Your Fantasy Novel . This book will help you decide exactly what events you should include in your novel. Unlike other methods, you won't follow a rigid template that makes your characters act in a forced way. Instead, you’ll use 9-Point Plot Structure to build your characters and plot in unison. This will make your story unfold in an organic, cohesive, and captivating fashion. By using this simple system, you will design clear plot points to work towards when you're writing. You'll also learn how to easily connect the gaps between these major plot points, so that you never get stuck (especially in the middle of your story). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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If you’ve ever told someone you’re writing a novel, you’ve probably been asked that horrible question of: “So what’s your book about?” When I was starting out as a fantasy writer, I would fumble this question so badly! It didn’t matter if I’d spent months (or even years) thinking about my story. All of a sudden, I’d be stumbling over my words, completely losing my grasp of the English language, and I’d describe my book in the most boring and confusing way possible. But fortunately, over the last fourteen years of writing — having now published quite a few fantasy novels — I’ve gotten much better at pitching my stories in a concise and engaging way. So today, I’m going to give you a simple 4-step process which makes it easy to write a great 1-sentence premise to describe your fantasy story. > Click here to get my free premise-building worksheet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There’s one simple change that will make your fantasy prose 10x more immersive and engaging for readers. This change follows something I call The Anchor Principle . Today, I’ll show you how I applied this principle to edit a scene for one of my writing students. Then I’ll show you the same passage in his final published book, so that you can see how he implemented this simple change to massively improve his prose. Once you learn how to use this Anchor Principle I’m about to show you, it’s going to make your writing so much stronger moving forward. Want me to personally help you write a great fantasy novel? Join my 12-Week Fantasy Writing Bootcamp . Read Michael Johnson's book, Children of Ziwei . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Want to write excellent fantasy characters with real depth to them? Then you might want to use a technique I call Dyadic Character Design . I would consider this to be one of the more advanced character-building techniques I’ve learned over the last fourteen years of writing. It’s helped me a lot with the four novels I’ve published, and it’s also helped many of my writing students as well. In today's episode, I’ll even show you how one of my students used it in the book he just published. Want me to personally help you write a great fantasy novel? Join my 12-Week Fantasy Writing Bootcamp . Read The Blood Map by my student, Peter Christensen: https://geni.us/blood-map Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Over the last 14 years of writing, I’ve found that there are really only four causes of writers block. Today, I want to help you understand what these four causes are (and how to fix them) so that you never get stuck when you’re writing a story. For a bit of context, over the past 14 years I’ve written 9 fantasy books, 4 of which are currently published. I’ve also released an interactive fiction novel, and I’ve also published a nonfiction book, Plotting Your Fantasy Novel , which was a #1 Amazon Best Seller during launch week. So while I’m certainly not the most prolific writer in the world, I think I’ve generally done a good job of avoiding writers’ block, and I want to share that experience with you today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Have you ever struggled to find the right names for your fantasy characters? Maybe you feel like - until you find that perfect name - you can’t start writing their story? Well, over the last fourteen years I’ve been writing, I’ve felt that way plenty of times. But after publishing five books, I’ve developed a system I call the Naming Diamond, which makes it easy to create names that perfectly suit your characters. In today's episode, I'll show you how to use this tool. Join 5,000+ writers who have taken my free 5-day character development course: https://jedherne.com/character Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today, I'm joined by Michael Johnson. Three years ago, he joined my Story Coaching program to get my help with his first fantasy novel. That book — Children of Ziwei — is now published! In this episode, I wanted to share Michael’s journey with you, so that you can see what it takes to go from idea to published book. Most importantly, you'll see how Michael overcame the creative challenges he faced along the way. This episode includes real clips from our coaching calls, so that you can see exactly how we fixed his story’s biggest problems and brought his book to life. So if you’re going through the process of writing a fantasy novel as well, you’re going to find this video extremely useful. Watch the video version of this episode. Want my personal help with your writing? Apply for my 12-week Fantasy Writing Bootcamp . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I wrote the first draft of The Thunder Heist in 42 days, which by my standards is a pretty quick project! But I haven't always been a fast writer. In fact, my first novel took me 360 days to write the first draft. So in today's podcast, I’m going to explain the 5 factors that helped me write the first draft so fast, so that you can speed up the time it takes to bring your own novels to life. Want to improve your writing even further? Read my new book, Plotting Your Fantasy Novel . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Writing the middle of your fantasy novel is hard. Lots of people talk about how to write a great opening, or how to write a great ending. Yet hardly anyone discusses the middle, and that’s a massive problem, because not knowing what to do with your middle is maybe the biggest reason why you’ll get stuck with your story. But that won’t happen to you, because in today's episode, I’m going to show you how to master the middle, so that you can confidently get from the start to the finish of your first draft, without giving up halfway through! Here's what we'll cover today: First, I’ll explain the two common pieces of writing advice that are secretly sabotaging your middles. Then, I’ll explain the better approach (which I’ve taught to many of my students, helping them master the middles of their stories). Next, I’ll plot a new fantasy novel in real-time, so that you can see how to actually build the middle of your own story. Lastly, I'll cover some important mindset and troubleshooting tips for getting through the middle of your first draft. Want to improve your writing even further? Read my new book, Plotting Your Fantasy Novel . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In today's short episode, I share my thoughts on how to become a more consistent writer — and why most writers don't understand 'consistency' the correct way. Read Plotting Your Fantasy Novel: www.jedherne.com/plot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There’s 5 critical first chapter mistakes I see new fantasy writers make all the time. I know about these because when writers apply for my classes or coaching programs, they have to send me an application that includes their first chapter. I've now read 761 first chapters from these applications. That’s a lot of data for me to learn from! So today, I want to share what I’ve learned with you, so that you can avoid these mistakes and instead write an amazing first chapter that makes people beg to read the rest of your book. Want to improve your writing even further? Read my new book, Plotting Your Fantasy Novel . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Read my new book, Plotting Your Fantasy Novel . It just released yesterday! After publishing four fantasy novels, and teaching hundreds of writers in my programs, I’ve realised there are 5 main differences between good fantasy plots and bad fantasy plots. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, because over the past year I’ve spent well over 1000 hours writing Plotting Your Fantasy Novel — my first non-fiction book on the craft of storytelling. If you’re writing a fantasy novel, and you want readers to be utterly captivated by your plot, it’s crucial to understand these 5 differences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Have you ever struggled to write about a fantasy culture that feels meaningfully different from your own? Because of the societies we grow up in, we all have these inbuilt assumptions about the way things are . However, the best worldbuilders know how to get outside of those assumptions, so that they can create unique, different, realistic, and immersive cultures. My friend recently showed me a useful framework for doing this. In today's podcast, I talk about the six key dimensions of culture, and how you can use these to improve your worldbuilding. Use the country comparison tool I mentioned: https://www.theculturefactor.com/country-comparison-tool Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There are 10 big mindset differences between pro fantasy authors and amateur ones. I’ve noticed these from talking with world-class writers like Joe Abercrombie, Christopher Ruocchio, Adrian Tchaikovsky, and dozens more — and from coaching over 220 emerging writers in my classes and programs. Learning these 10 mindset differences has helped me publish 4 fantasy books, and an interactive fantasy novel — which all together have sold around 25,000 copies. And between my books and this YouTube channel, I’ve been a full-time creative for over two years now! So while I’m certainly no mega NYT-bestselling author, I am lucky enough to be living out my creative dreams, and I can credit that to learning how to think and act like a pro — not an amateur. By listening to this episode, you'll learn how to do the same. Join my Fantasy Writers' Guild: jedherne.com/guild Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There are seven levers that control the pacing of your fantasy novel. In today's episode, I discuss how these seven levers work, and how you can use them to create perfect pacing within your writing. Knowing how to get the right pace for your plot is a critical skill, so I think you'll find today's episode very useful. Join the waitlist for Plotting Your Fantasy Novel: www.jedherne.com/plot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Your title is usually the first impression readers have of your story. So if your title sucks, readers will forget about your book without a second thought. But if your title is great, your book will stand out from the crowd and readers will be desperate to know more. After publishing four books and working with hundreds of writers in my programs, I've discovered five principles that consistently lead to great titles. Today, I’ll be covering these principles, and then I'll be critiquing several titles from the members of my Fantasy Writer’s Guild , so that you can see these principles in action. Join the Fantasy Writer's Guild: jedherne.com/guild Watch my Siege of Treboulain video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgzMpZlS3UU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Most authors will tell you, “Ideas don't really matter. Any idea can be turned into a good story if you're skilled enough.” Personally, I think that’s bad advice. If you start with a weak idea, it puts flaws into your story right from the beginning, and you might only discover those flaws months later — while you’re in the middle of the first draft. After working with hundreds of writers to help them develop their fantasy novels, I’ve seen that it’s way easier to write an incredible book when you start with a strong story concept . This makes you more excited to write … and makes readers more eager to pick up your book. So in today's episode, I'll be sharing the seven key elements of a great fantasy story idea. Make sure you include these in your own work, and you'll find it much easier to write a great fantasy novel. *** Join the waitlist for Plotting Your Fantasy Novel (my upcoming book): jedherne.com/plot Listen to my 2 to Ramble episode about the Sun Eater series: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1NrEhYZsqk5kaqAQSqLsqG?si=6eb7ae3fe4e14a8c Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There's a simple warm up and cool down routine that will help you quickly get into the flow of writing every day — along with helping you maintain long-term creativity and consistency . In this podcast, I break down the six steps behind this process. Knowing how to get into the 'writing state' every day is a big reason why I've been able to publish my fantasy novels. And from teaching this process to many of the writers I've worked with, I've seen so many writers improve their daily word counts and finish their novels faster than they ever imagined. Want to get weekly accountability and my personal support to help you write your fantasy novel? Apply to join the Fantasy Writer's Guild: jedherne.com/guild Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
After reading hundreds of fantasy novels and publishing several of my own, I’ve found four key writing principles that consistently make a fantasy world feel truly immersive for readers. So if you want to write a world where readers truly feel like they are inside your setting, then you'll find today's video useful. This podcast was originally a video. Click here if you want to watch the video. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When it comes to writing a book, there are 5 key differences between good fantasy worldbuilding and bad fantasy worldbuilding. Understanding these differences will help you write more immersive, interesting fantasy worlds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In today's episode, I'm interviewed by Joe Sidery as part of ProWritingAid's Novel November challenge. We discuss my early days as a writer (including the most miserable 3-month period of my life, which served as my catalyst to pursue writing full-time), how I grew my author platform, and what I've learned from coaching 200+ writers. We also discuss many aspects of the craft: choosing the right POV, writing battle/fight scenes, overcoming writer's block, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Observed September 15, 2026. Cached outside the daily freshness window; the positions keep the date they were taken on.
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