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The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed

Fantasy & Science Fiction Podcasts

The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed is dedicated to all things writing, fantasy fiction, and building your author platform, all with the aim of helping you become a better writer. Expect general writing tips, techniques, guides, methods, ideas and plenty of fantasy-specific writing tips and techniques, such as on world-building, fantasy tropes and naming characters. Hosted by Richie Billing (https://richiebilling.com) and JM Williams (https://jmwilliams.home.blog). Write to us at any time with questions or queries: thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed is dedicated to all things writing, fantasy fiction, and building your author platform, all with the aim of helping you become a better writer. Expect general writing tips, techniques, guides, methods, ideas and plenty of fantasy-specific writing tips and techniques, such as on world-building, fantasy tropes and naming characters. Hosted by Richie Billing (https://richiebilling.com) and JM Williams (https://jmwilliams.home.blog). Write to us at any time with questions or queries: thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Location:

Liverpool, United Kingdom

Description:

The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed is dedicated to all things writing, fantasy fiction, and building your author platform, all with the aim of helping you become a better writer. Expect general writing tips, techniques, guides, methods, ideas and plenty of fantasy-specific writing tips and techniques, such as on world-building, fantasy tropes and naming characters. Hosted by Richie Billing (https://richiebilling.com) and JM Williams (https://jmwilliams.home.blog). Write to us at any time with questions or queries: thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Language:

English

Episodes

Episode 12.5 - Tips On Getting Stories Published

3/10/2021
In this episode, JM reflects on the first few months in his role as editor-in-chief for Of Metal and Magic Publishing. He discusses upcoming releases, including Pariah's Lament and Call of the Guardian, and provides some crucial tips and advice on when it comes to submitting stories to publishers. As always, get in touch if you have a question or query by clicking here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Duration:00:21:52

Episode 12 - How To Write Fight and Battle Scenes

2/16/2021
In this episode, we're picking up on fantasy weapons and armour and exploring how writers can employ them in fight and battle scenes. We cover some good rules to follow when writing fight scenes, tips on making the most of battle scenes, ways to maintain clarity amid the chaos, and the importance of doing your research. For more tips and advice on writing battle scenes, check out the guides we referred to in the episode below: + How to write fight scenes >...

Duration:00:52:23

Episode 11.5 - How To Create Conflict

2/6/2021
In this episode, Richie is talking all things conflict. What is conflict? Why is it important? How do you create it? And he discusses its close relationship with characterisation. To hammer home everything covered, we're finishing up with a writing exercise. And we're turning it into a competition. Submit your conflict-filled short stories to us and the winner will be published on the Of Metal and Magic Publishing website, plus they'll receive a bunch of free books! Closing date is...

Duration:00:16:38

Episode 11 - Fantasy Armor and Weapons

1/16/2021
In our first episode of 2021, we're diving into fantasy armor and fantasy weapons. We examine why the medieval period is so popular in the fantasy genre. And we look at what that means for writers when it comes to including the likes of swords, bows and plated armor in stories. We explore medieval history, looking at the development of weapons and armor, discussing insights into their crafting, use and practical applications throughout time. And we discuss a few weapons that you may not...

Duration:00:59:19

Episode 10.5 - Christmas Special

12/24/2020
In our first-ever Christmas special, we welcome two guests to the Writers' Toolshed - EA Robins and Douglas WT Smith, two fantastic writers who make up the rest of the Of Metal and Magic Publishing Team. We reflect on what's been a challenging year for a lot of us, as well as our writing journeys up to this point. And we take a look at what 2021 holds, including the release of JM William's novel, Call Of The Guardian, and Richie Billing's debut epic fantasy, Pariah's Lament. We also...

Duration:00:54:56

Episode 10 - Author and Book Marketing - Part 1

12/14/2020
In this episode, we're wading into the deep and murky waters of author and book marketing. We tackle every writer's least favourite job—marketing. And in this particular episode, we're dealing with setting yourself up for success—building a website and the debate around doing so, putting content on your website, SEO and blogging, creating and growing a mailing list, and making money from your writing, so you can spend more time doing the thing you love! We'll return to marketing in later...

Duration:00:51:17

Episode 9.5 - Writing Good Dialogue

11/29/2020
In this instalment, we're departing from our fantasy focus and getting down and dirty with dialogue—one of the key components of any great story. We tackle the do's and don't's of dialogue, ways you can write effective dialogue, saidisms, and answer the most common formatting questions, such as should you use speech marks or not. As always, we want to hear from you! Drop us an email by clicking here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Duration:00:22:59

Episode 9 - The Best Fantasy Books Of All Time

11/1/2020
In our ninth episode, we're taking a look at TIME magazine's recently published list of the top 100 fantasy books of all time. Click here to see the list. We take a look at the books on the list, discuss our favourite books, some of our least favourite, the influence some books have had on the genre, and the direction that fantasy is moving toward in the years to come. As always, we'd love to hear from you. What are your favourite fantasy books? Do you agree with the list, or perhaps you...

Duration:00:46:46

Episode 8.5 - Talking Anthologies with Transmundane Press

9/29/2020
Anthology: a collection of selected literary pieces or passages or works of art or music. In this not-so-mini episode, JM interviews the editors of Transmundane Press, who have made a name for themselves by publishing sci-fi and fantasy anthologies. Their current project is ON TIME, which JM was fortunate enough to get a story in. Here we discuss the appeal of the anthology, the benefit of writing and reading short stories, and the editors provide their tips for submitting your work to...

Duration:00:36:44

Episode 8 - Magic Systems in Fantasy

9/13/2020
Magic systems play an important role in fantasy. Many people associate wizards, witches, magical weapons, creatures and worlds with the genre. In this episode, we look at what magic systems are and how you can build them and utilise them in your own stories. We look at ways to introduce the background detail for your magic system, the extent to which it's necessary to do so, and also explore magic's relationship with religion, the latter also playing a major role in many fantasy systems. We...

Duration:00:47:46

Episode 7 - Talking Audiobooks with Chris Herron of Tall Tale TV

7/31/2020
In this episode, we're thrilled to have Chris Herron from Tall Tale TV in the Shed! And we're talking all things audiobooks - trends, how to make your own, how to convert your novels, plus an exclusive audio snippet of Richie's upcoming novel, Pariah's Lament. There's been massive growth in the audiobook market. Last year they turned over money money than eBooks. We chat about what that could mean for writers, and how you could take advantage of this new lucrative market. Chris tells us...

Duration:00:28:53

Episode 6.5 - Writing Humour with Comedian Ant Campbell

6/27/2020
In this episode, Richie is joined by the hilarious Scouse comedian, Ant Campbell. Ant has developed a significant following on social media over the past few years, at one point having more followers on Twitter than a small town, and that was all down to his ability to write great content. Richie and Ant discuss writing humorous stories, scenarios, dialogue and jokes, as well as their experiences of writing their sitcom, "Stalled". Ant also shares some priceless insights into how he built...

Duration:00:11:41

Episode 6 - Writing 'Rules'

5/25/2020
So-called writing rules have been a touchy subject in the writing world of late. It all exploded after a list of rules by Jonathan Franzen re-surfaced, provoking a wave of ire not just against Franzen, but against so-called writing 'rules', the do's and don't's of the craft. Around the same time, Richie conducted some research on the rules that writers hate most of all, and in this episode, we chat about some of them, namely passive voice, showing instead of telling and using adjectives and...

Duration:00:44:16

Episode 5.5 - A Conversation with Cover Artists

5/5/2020
JM goes solo in this episode, which is a continuation of our previous topic: book covers. JM interviews a couple of artists to ask them why they think covers are important, and how to develop a good working relationship with your artist. Niels can be found here: https://www.ncartbox.net/?fbclid=IwAR... If you'd like a sample of his work, he did the cover for my short-story-novel, In the Valley of Magic, which is available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G9ZPXMR/ E. Rachael Hardcastle...

Duration:00:35:37

Episode 6 - A Guide to Book Covers

4/13/2020
In this instalment we're tackling book covers. We delve into everything you need to know, from the science behind typography and imagery to artist fees and designing them for free! Links to some of the resources mentioned: www.canva.com How cover design can increase book visibility by 50% (or more) Revealed: The Real Marketing Value of a Professional Book Cover Book Smugglers - COVER MATTERS: THE SURVEY RESULTS Data Analytics and Practical Theory for Books Holly Rollins - A Conjoint...

Duration:00:53:14

Episode 5 - Flash and Nano Fiction with Charles Remington

3/28/2020
Writer and editor Charles Remington joins Richie in the Writers' Toolshed to talk about nano fiction, a niche of flash fiction. How do you write nano fiction? Where do you find ideas? Why should you try it? Uncover the answers to all in this episode. Plus, we discuss marketing books, and Richie tells us about his meeting with Raymond E. Feist. The book, Nano Nightmares, edited by Charles and featuring stories by Richie, is available now on Amazon. You can get it by clicking here. See...

Duration:00:13:31

Episode 4.5 - Writing - Making the Most of Self-Isolation

3/21/2020
Coronavirus craziness has gripped the globe. How can writers make the most of all this free time? In this episode, Richie discusses a few ways writers can help people in this time of great need, as well as a few ways you can make the most of this abundance of time. Richie mentions a few books you may find helpful, which are: The Art of Dramatic Writing - Lajos Egri Stein on Writing - Sol Stein The Art of Fiction - John Gardner Letters to a Young Writer - Colum McCann The First Five...

Duration:00:14:33

Episode 4 - How to Write Short Stories and Get Them Published

2/29/2020
In this episode, Richie struggles to say hello, JM’s cats make a few guest appearances, and somewhere in between, we talk about short stories—why you should write them, how to write them, and how to get them published. As always, we want to hear from you! Drop us an email at thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com, or message us on Facebook. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Duration:00:55:38

Episode 3.5 - Historical Fiction with Paul Cunningham

2/1/2020
In this episode, JM interviews historical fiction author Paul Cunningham. Paul is the author of the book "Contention," which details "the most chaotic year in Roman history" following the death of Nero. Following our previous episode on fantasy world-building, it seemed a good idea to talk to someone who has to deal with the same issue in a different way. Paul is a master at rolling back time, bringing the reader right into a foreign world from our shared past. As always, leave your...

Duration:00:20:59

Episode 3 - World-Building: Practical Tips

1/19/2020
In this episode, Richie and JM tackle a source of joy and frustration for perhaps every fantasy writer: world-building. They discuss their favourite bits of advice on introducing those juicy world-building details into the story, the best times to introduce those details, and the most effective means of doing so. As always, if you have comments, queries or questions, get in touch at thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Duration:00:39:00

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