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Joe Abercrombie (author of The Blade Itself and many other brilliant stories) joins me to discuss the opening chapters from his new book, The Devils. This is an in-depth deep dive into the techniques Joe uses to hook readers, introduce characters, and develop an interesting fantasy world.

Click here to get my free 5-day character course.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction

01:23 - Writing a great opening hook

10:59 - Does Joe read aloud during editing?  

12:05 - What makes 'good prose'?  

13:34 - Deep dive into Diaz’s character  

22:53 - Chapter transitions and pacing  

25:01 - Introduction of Alex 

30:03 - Using familiar tropes in fresh ways  

34:45 - Making metaphors multilayered  

41:00 - Worldbuilding through POV  

46:40 - Deductive vs inductive worldbuilding  

49:55 - Abercrombie’s anti-worldbuilding approach  

54:17 - How to introduce several characters at once

01:02:33 - Jed's favourite character from The Devils

1:04:55 - What is Joe trying to improve with his writing?

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Today I'm joined by Christopher Ruocchio, author of the Sun Eater series! I share my top 5 storytelling lessons from reading this excellent series, while Christopher shares his top 5 lessons from writing it. This will be a spoiler-free discussion for the first 40 or so minutes, and I learned SO MUCH from this wonderful chat. Enjoy!

00:00 – What is the Sun Eater series about?

02:31 – How to write a great hook

12:16 – The importance of outlining

26:49 – Creating complex characters

34:15 – Constraints as opportunities in writing

38:59 – Don’t be afraid to make bold choices

48:02 – Design to your strengths

1:02:06 – How to write soft magic

1:25:03 – Borrowing expertise to improve authenticity

1:27:50 – How to write a terrifying antagonist

1:41:59 – You don’t trust your readers enough

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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 publishing four fantasy books and coaching over 180 writers in my different programs) to walk you through the seven levels of this pyramid to perfect your prose, with lots of examples along the way.

Get ProWritingAid (my favourite editing tool) with a 20% discount: https://prowritingaid.com/pp/jed-herne?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=partner-influencer&utm_campaign=Jed-Herne-2025&utm_content=7-levels-of-prose-video&utm_term= (Use the code JED20 to activate the discount.)

Thanks to ProWritingAid for sponsoring this episode!

Note: The code 'JED20' is valid for 20% off Yearly Premium and Premium Pro licenses. It does not apply to monthly or Lifetime licenses. 

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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 writing.” - Christine

“It has been immensely helpful in ways that I couldn’t even imagine.” - Steph

So in this podcast, I’m going to show you how to use the Hourglass Outlining Method to plan your fantasy book, so that you can write captivating characters and gripping plots — along with enjoying a few other storytelling advantages that you might not expect.

Watch the video version of this on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6MwsZsjyoc&ab_channel=JedHerne

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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.

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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'd highly suggest watching the video version of this on my YouTube channel, because there's a lot of maps, artwork, and other graphics I use throughout. Click here to watch the video.

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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 me a lot of experience of using the SLED method to troubleshoot scenes and help to improve them.

So today, I’ll show you how to use it to make any scene more exciting, because knowing how to write great scenes is the foundation of writing a great novel.

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Get my free 5-day character development course: www.jedherne.com/character-course

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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 along the way.

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Get my free 5-day character development course: www.jedherne.com/character-course

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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. 

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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.com/guild

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