You’re Only Six Months Away from Finishing Your Fantasy Novel
14/04/2026 | 6min
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.
I Read 761 Fantasy First Chapters & Kept Seeing These 5 Mistakes
11/04/2026 | 22min
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.
Good vs Bad Fantasy Plots: The 5 Key Differences
31/03/2026 | 18min
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.
The 6-Dimension Framework That Creates Truly Realistic Fantasy Cultures
04/03/2026 | 12min
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.
What Pro Fantasy Authors Know That Amateurs Don't
14/02/2026 | 34min
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.
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.