In this podcast, I explain the Pyramid of Prose -- a concept I wish someone had taught me when I started writing my first novel 13 years ago. Why is that? Well, 'prose' refers to the specific words you use to transmit your story from your mind into the reader's mind. It's crucial to master, because if you can't express your ideas on the page in an effective and emotionally compelling way, then none of the other elements of your story will work. So today, I'll be drawing from my experience (of pu...
Jun 09, 2025•38 min
In over 12 years of writing fantasy novels, the Hourglass Outlining Method is the single most useful tool I’ve developed. It’s the main reason why I’ve been able to publish my four fantasy novels, and I’ve also seen this method create amazing results for the 35 writers who’ve done my 7-week Fantasy Outlining Bootcamp . “This course was revelatory for me, and it was by far the best decision I’ve ever made in my writing journey.” - Matt Fagan “This is the best investment I’ve ever made in my writi...
May 12, 2025•41 min
In this episode, I share 9 common side character mistakes that I often see new fantasy writers make. Learn how to avoid these, and you'll have a much better chance of creating side characters who feel realistic, interesting, and three-dimensional. If you want to write better side characters, click here to check out my free character development course: https://jedherne.com/character-course . Over 3000 writers have taken the course so far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...
May 05, 2025•35 min
Today's episode is a deep dive to help you write more immersive, realistic, and unique fantasy cities. Before I became a full-time author, I was an architect. So as you can probably imagine, I've got a LOT to say on this topic - including some ideas you might not have heard before. Enjoy! Get 'The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding a Civilization' with a 10% discount: https://jedherne.com/rebuild (then use code JED10 before May 25th) Thanks to Hungry Minds Publishing for sponsoring this podcast! PS: I...
Apr 28, 2025•21 min
Have you ever found yourself writing a scene in your fantasy novel that just felt a little boring? Well, there’s a simple approach you can use to fix that and make any scene more exciting. I call this the SLED method. And it’s a technique I’ve used again and again through the last 12 years of my writing career, in which time I’ve published four fantasy novels and a video game. It hasn’t just worked for me. I’ve taught 150+ fantasy writers in my different classes and programs, and this has given ...
Apr 25, 2025•8 min
There’s 10 big dialogue mistakes that new fantasy writers tend to make. I know that because I’ve now read through hundreds and hundreds of applications for the writing classes and programs I run, and I see these issues come up all the time. And from my own experience of publishing four fantasy novels and a video game, I’ve had to learn about these mistakes the hard way. So in this podcast, I’m going to show you what the mistakes are, and how to fix them, with tangible ‘before and after’ examples...
Apr 18, 2025•37 min
Writing your fantasy novel can be hard. But after publishing four of my own fantasy novels, and after helping lots of other writers finish their books, I’ve found 10 simple cheat codes that make the process easier and more enjoyable — while also helping you craft better stories. *** Join the Fantasy Writer's Guild : my community where fantasy writers get weekly accountability, peer feedback, and my direct support - so that you can write a better book and have more fun along the way: www.jedherne...
Apr 11, 2025•15 min
The fantasy genre is full of brilliant mentor characters who force protagonists to grow, teach us valuable life lessons, and serve as deeply memorable, emotionally compelling figures. These characters often become the moral spine of a story, shaping how protagonists see the world. But despite their power, mentor characters are rarely discussed. They’re either written as tired tropes, or treated as story furniture: there to deliver wisdom, die early, and disappear. What a wasted opportunity! Beca...
Apr 08, 2025•14 min
In the last two years, I’ve coached over 170 fantasy writers in my various programs, passing on everything I’ve learned from publishing my own four fantasy novels. This has helped a lot of writers finish their first drafts, achieve major breakthroughs with their stories, and some of them — like Peter Christensen and Michael Johnson — are even planning to publish their debut novels in the next few months. I recently surveyed these 170 writers to ask: What’s the most useful writing lesson you gain...
Apr 04, 2025•33 min
If you’re writing a fantasy novel, there’s a good chance you’re making one of these nine critical worldbuilding mistakes — and the problem is that any one of these could ruin your story. I know that because after working with over 90 fantasy writers in my coaching programs, I see the same worldbuilding mistakes come up again and again — and from my own experience as an author, I’ve had to learn about these mistakes the hard way. But the good news is that once you know how to avoid them, you can ...
Feb 07, 2025•20 min
In this episode, I share my full step-by-step process for writing a great fantasy novel. After publishing four fantasy books (and after helping many other writers finish their own stories), I've got a lot of share when it comes to the craft of storytelling. This podcast compresses the most critical lessons I've learned from 12 years of experience so far. Enjoy! Join my accountability & support community for fantasy writers: https://bit.ly/fantasy-guild Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:...
Feb 01, 2025•2 hr 16 min
In this episode, I share a 7-step framework for writing interesting character relationships in your fantasy novel. If you would like my personal help to write a great fantasy novel, check out my Fantasy Outlining Bootcamp: https://jedherne.com/outline Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 21, 2024•21 min
In this episode, Jed Herne shares five principles to write better antagonists in your fantasy novel. Want to write better characters? Check out Jed's free 5-day course: https://jedherne.com/5-day-course Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 08, 2024•13 min
To celebrate my YouTube channel reaching over 100,000 subscribers, I'm answering 42 of your fantasy writing questions. Enjoy! Join my free 5-day course to write better fantasy characters: https://jedherne.com/5-day-course Join my First Chapter Mastery program: https://firstchaptermastery.com/ Apply for my 7-week Fantasy Outlining Bootcamp: https://jedherne.com/outline Join my Easy Writing Habits course: https://easywritinghabits.com/ Freewrite Traveller (distraction-free writing laptop): https:/...
Oct 25, 2024•2 hr 12 min
I surveyed 367 fantasy readers to ask: what's the worst way to start a fantasy novel? In this episode, I share the top 10 most common responses - along with my tips for avoiding these bad opening mistakes. Want to write a great first chapter in your fantasy novel? Then check out my First Chapter Mastery program: https://firstchaptermastery.com/ This program also includes the option to get my personal feedback on your writing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 08, 2024•30 min
In this episode, I cover seven principles that will make sure readers love your magic system. This is based on my experience of publishing four fantasy novels, and from critiquing hundreds of magic systems from other writers over the last few years. Get my 'Limitations, Weaknesses, & Consequences' inspiration resource: https://jedherne.com/magiclimits Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Aug 07, 2024•18 min
In this episode, I share 15 advanced worldbuilding techniques I learned from publishing four fantasy books, along with my interactive fantasy novel, Siege of Treboulain. I consider these techniques ‘advanced’ because I don’t often hear them discussed. However, I have found them extremely powerful, so by the end of this podcast, you should have lots of inspiration for your own writing. Get my free 5-day character writing course: https://jedherne.com/5-day-course Get ProWritingAid (10% discount wi...
Jul 28, 2024•40 min
In this episode, I'll show you how to lengthen a fantasy novel that's too short, without making it feel boring or slow-paced. Join my free course on writing better fantasy characters: https://jedherne.com/5-day-course Watch my 70-minute video on writing character arcs: https://youtu.be/wfoV-e7RMRo?si=sGnBX1m9HkyzEZ0E Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 18, 2024•15 min
There’s six huge mistakes that will kill your fantasy novel on page one. I know this because I’ve edited fantasy novels for 34 writers over the last year and half. Plus, I’ve read through hundreds of opening pages from other writers who have applied to work with me — and I see these same mistakes over and over again. I've also personally published four fantasy novels, and over the 12+ years I’ve been writing, I’ve had to learn about many of these mistakes the hard way. The good news? Once you kn...
Jun 25, 2024•31 min
In this episode, Jed Herne explains a simple 1-minute habit that helped him write over 1 million words as a fantasy author. Get my Writing Tracker here: https://jedherne.com/tracker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 09, 2024•8 min
This is a full guide to writing captivating character arcs in your fantasy novel. Apply for my Fantasy Outlining Bootcamp: https://jedherne.com/outline Get my '5 Days to Better Fantasy Characters' course: https://character-course.carrd.co/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jun 03, 2024•1 hr 12 min
If you're a new fantasy writer, you're probably making critical conflict mistakes in your novel that are killing the tension and making your story fall flat. In this episode, Jed covers the five most common conflict mistakes he sees new writers making, along with how to fix them. Apply for Jed's Fantasy Outlining Bootcamp: http://jedherne.com/outline Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 02, 2024•18 min
I asked 348 fantasy readers about their favourite story elements. In this episode, I share the top 10 most common responses, and provide my own analysis and thoughts on each 'love.' Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/W2ZR5UT3OUo Apply for my Fantasy Outlining Bootcamp: https://jedherne.com/outline Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
May 03, 2024•23 min
I asked 348 fantasy readers about their least favourite story elements. In this episode, I share the top 10 most common responses, and provide my own analysis and thoughts on each 'hate.' Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LU4Z33YshcU?si=O5VfY5hSnJHhVdR1 Apply for my Fantasy Outlining Bootcamp: https://jedherne.com/outline Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 14, 2024•29 min
This simple technique will add tremendous depth, complexity, and realism to your fantasy characters. Get my free writing craft book, '5 Lessons That Transformed My Writing': https://jedherne.com/lessons Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 26, 2024•5 min
Avoid these mistakes to write better antagonists in your fantasy novel. Apply for my Fantasy Outlining Bootcamp: https://bit.ly/fantasy-bootcamp Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oS1Tu-Cg4sg?si=cXnjafZiaEsdTrvH Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 16, 2024•18 min
In this episode, I explore a simple 6-step process that you can use to easily structure the scenes in your fantasy book. Get my Notion Scene template: https://bit.ly/scene-template Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3XxhIGd5R4o?si=g6k8veO1nLs_2Xd3 Apply for my Fantasy Outlining Bootcamp: https://bit.ly/jed-bootcamp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 09, 2024•21 min
This is a full masterclass on writing better sentences in your fantasy novel, drawing from my experience of editing around 800,000 words over the past year. Get ProWritingAid (20% discount with my affiliate link): https://jedherne.com/prowritingaid Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hWGBJQxqHkM?si=PwIgA_2fx2SuD4lv Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 03, 2024•34 min
"There are four main reasons why you're struggling to finish your fantasy novel, and here's how to fix them." Today, I'm helping you break through your creative blocks and set yourself up to finally finish your debut novel. Apply for Jed Herne's Fantasy Outlining Bootcamp: https://bit.ly/outlining_bootcamp Get my Easy Writing Habits course: https://easywritinghabits.com/ Get my word count tracker template: https://jedherne.gumroad.com/l/tracker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...
Dec 27, 2023•24 min
"Studies show that smell triggers more emotion than any other sense. This is just one of the keys to writing great descriptions in your novel." In today's episode, I share the most common description mistakes I see new fantasy writers making, based on my experience of editing over 751,000+ words of fantasy stories so far this year. Tools mentioned: ProWritingAid - get the software here: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=4301 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 20, 2023•20 min
