I Helped a Stranger Write & Publish a Fantasy Novel (Full Case Study)
19/06/2026 | 29 mins.
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.
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I Wrote a Fantasy Novel in 42 Days (And You Can, Too)
08/06/2026 | 19 mins.
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.
How to Write the Middle of Your Fantasy Novel (Detailed Guide)
02/06/2026 | 55 mins.
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.
You’re Only Six Months Away from Finishing Your Fantasy Novel
14/04/2026 | 6 mins.
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 | 22 mins.
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.
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.
New Zealand