The Novel Analyst Podcast: Creative Writing Advice & Author Interviews

Hey there! I'm stoked to finally reveal my latest podcast: Wizards, Warriors, & Words. Jointly hosted by myself, Michael R. Fletcher, Dyrk Ashton, and Rob J. Hayes, each episode we explore an element of writing, editing, publishing, and marketing, with a focus on fantasy stories. Between us, we've published around 25 books - in both the traditional and self-published worlds. The first 3rd episodes are available to listen to for FREE right now. New episodes every week.

In this particular Novel Analyst episode, I share episode 1 of the WWW podcast, where we discuss our best tips for writing great characters. Enjoy!

My in-depth thoughts on Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5) by Brandon Sanderson.

Email: jed@jedherne.com

I recently did a live video in the Grimdark Fantasy Readers & Writers group, answering Qs about my writing. It was a lot of fun! Here's the audio replay - enjoy!

S. Andrew Swann is the pen name of Steven Swiniarski. He has published over 26 novels since 1993. His recent works include Sword of the Slayer – an interactive fiction story from Choice of Games.   

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Red Country is an innovative and captivating work, merging the fantasy and western genres into something new and fresh. A big part of its success are Abercrombie's vivid and immersive descriptive language. This episode dissects how to write setting descriptions that make readers feel like they're part of your story's world. 

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Use this technique to generate compelling, flawed, three-dimensional characters. 

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Fires of the Dead - available in audiobook, ebook, & paperback. 

What does it take to write stories where readers' decisions affect the outcome? Kate Heartfield is an author of several historical fantasy and interactive fiction stories, including The Road to Canterbury, and The Magician’s Workshop, published by Choice of Games. Her fiction has won or been shortlisted for the Nebula, Locus, Aurora and Crawford awards.

Twitter: @kateheartfield

I normally analyse novels. On this episode, I'm pulling lessons from another storytelling form to see how it can improve our writing. Enjoy!

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My email - send me your comments/questions/queries - I respond to every message -> jed.herne1(at)gmail.com

Twitter: @jedherne

Rob J. Hayes is the author of the Amazon Best Selling The Heresy Within, the SPFBO-winning piratical swashbuckler Where Loyalties Lie, and the critically acclaimed Never Die. 

My fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead, is free on Amazon for the next 4 days! 

In this episode, I analyse the brilliant dynamics behind Rob J. Hayes' eclectic crew in his wonderful grimdark fantasy book, Never Die. Enjoy!

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An in-depth look at creating interesting, cohesive magic that improves your story in meaningful ways. 

It's been 8 years since I started writing in 2012. Here's the 8 biggest lessons I've learned.

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Cohesion and resonance. More than anything else, they're what will elevate your story above the rest, and leave readers thinking long after the final page.

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A masterclass in writing beginnings that make readers reach your endings. 

Science fiction space operas are stories told at an epic scale. How can you make such a vast world accessible to readers? How can you ground these fantastical and strange new worlds in a sense of realism?

Balancing the epic with the human is perhaps the greatest strength of Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (first book in The Expanse). Today's show dives deep into analysing how characters are they key to guiding readers through epic stories. 

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Hey podcast! Use this link to enter the Fires of the Dead giveaway (closes Oct 30th):

Subtly conveying information to readers is a delicate skill. It's one that Rowling mastered in the Harry Potter series, where all the information is available to readers well before it's needed, but only coalesces at the required moment. In today's episode, I describe the 4 M's of subtle foreshadowing, in relation to the Potter saga. Enjoy!

In today's episode, I outline a guide for world-building amazing fantasy cities - like the one Hanrahan created in The Gutter Prayer. Here's my key world-building lessons learnt from this book:

1. Consider the first scene as a microcosm

2. The first scene sets the tone

3. Explore your interests

4. Consider how different characters react to the same world.

5. More ideas is better than not enough

6. Layer it up!

7. Treat the city as a character

Hey podcast! My debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead, releases in 10 days on September 20th! It'll be available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook forms. I'm so stoked to share it with the world :). Can't wait to hear what you think!  Blurb:  Wisp is a Pyromancer: a magician who draws energy from fires to make his own flames. He’s also a criminal, one job away from retirement. And it can’t come bloody soon enough.

Leading his misfit crew, Wisp ventures into a charred and barren forest to find a relic that could change the realm forever. But they aren’t the only ones on the hunt, and the forest isn’t as barren as it seems …

A jaded gang leader longing for retirement

A bloodthirsty magician with a lust for power

A brutish fighter who’s smarter than he looks

A young thief desperate to prove herself

A cowardly navigator with secrets that won’t stay buried

Together, they must survive fights, fires, and folk tales that prove disturbingly real – if they don’t kill each other first.

Fires of the Dead is a dark fantasy novella with a unique magic system, perfect for anyone wanting a fast-paced read.  

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 Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is a gritty YA fantasy heist story. It's got a racing plot, an interesting setting, and amazing characters. In this episode, I analyse the relationship between Kaz and Inej, using Mary Robinette Kowal's 6 relationship axes:

Today’s episode is all about secondary characters. What constitutes a great secondary character? How can us writers create amazing side characters that improve the quality of our stories?

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27 - Skulduggery Pleasant - Death Bringer by Derek Landy - The Gap

Backstories matter, but they can be hard to execute. This episode deconstructs how Landy uses the idea of the Gap to create intriguing character backstories that readers crave to learn. Enjoy!

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 26 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling - Ring Structure 

I've wanted to do this for a long time, and it's finally here: an analysis of one of my top novels of all time ... In this episode, I dive super deep into the circular structure of Rowling's masterpiece. Be warned: you won't look at Harry Potter the same way after hearing this dissection ... Enjoy!

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25 - Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - The Art of Setting Descriptions. 

In this fantastic YA fantasy novel, the town of Ketterdam is a living, breathing, three-dimensional creation: as much a character as any of the other (brilliant) characters in this story. Bardugo is a master of making a setting come to life. In today's in-depth episode, I analyse a scene to extract key techniques writers can use to improve their setting descriptions.

No mourners, no funerals. 

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Twitter: @JedHerne

Email: jed.herne1 [at] gmail.com

24 - The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams pt. 2 - How to Write Funny. 

In the second part of my analysis of Hitchhikers I extract micro and macro techniques for creating comedy. (You don't need to have listened to the 1st part for this to make sense). Enjoy!

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23 - The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams pt. 1 - Why Characters Don't Matter.

This absurdly funny sci-fi comedy is a fantastic example of how you don't always need amazing characters to create an amazing story. Buckle up as we use Orson Scott Card's MICE quotient to analyse what makes this novel work. And remember: don't panic!

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22 - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Finding your Perfect Prose. 

Fitzgerald's classic chronicle of the Jazz age is often praised for its wonderful prose. In this episode, I examine what makes his prose so stylistically appealing - and we look at how you can write better prose. Keep beating on, boats against the current!

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Twitter: @JedHerne

Email: jed.herne1 [at] gmail.com

21 - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - Meaningful Endings and the Truth. 

Truth. It's one of the most important aspects of story - especially of stories that are fantastical. In this episode, I explore how Gaiman created a truthful, meaningful, and emotional resonant ending to his Hugo and Newberry award-winning novel: The Graveyard Book. (Includes bonus singing from yours truly) Enjoy!

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Twitter: @JedHerne

Email: jed.herne1 [at] gmail.com

20 - Elantris by Brandon Sanderson - Avalanche Endings. 

If you want to learn how to write explosive, fast-paced, balastic endings, Elantris is an excellent novel to study - which is what I do in this episode! Enjoy!

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Twitter: @JedHerne

Email: jed.herne1 [at] gmail.com

19 - Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy - The Art of Naming. 

In this episode, I look at how Derek uses names to craft compelling, fleshed-out, interesting characters. Enjoy!

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18 - Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson - Misfit Characters.

Sometimes the key to compelling characters is to make them NOT fit neatly into your plot. That's what Sanderson does in Warbreaker - a stand-alone fantasy book (that he also gives away for free on his website!). 

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17 - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - Crafting Compelling Narrators.

This historical World War II novel by Australian author Markus Zusak has compelling characters, an engaging plot, and wonderful writing. But it's biggest strength is the narrator: the personification of Death. In this episode, I use The Book Thief to break down the key qualities of a compelling narrator. 

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Twitter: @JedHerne

16 - Boone Shepard - The Silhouette and the Sacrifice by Gabriel Bergmoser - Writing Awesome Endings.

I recently read the third and final book in Gabriel Bergmoser's Boone Shepard trilogy - and I loved the ending so much that I'd outlined an episode within hours of finishing the book. Here's my thoughts on how to write great endings. 

15 - 2018 in review - Everything I Read, Favourite Books, and Top Writing Lessons.

With 2018 in the rear view mirror, I recap all 61 books I read last year, and extract key writing lessons I learnt from them. Enjoy this special bonus episode!

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Twitter: @JedHerne

14 - Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes - 6 Steps to make the reader cry.

After reading this amazing book twice (my fave read of 2017!), I finally figured out how to articulate my thoughts about it. It's an amazing read, full of emotion, and in this episode I break down HOW Daniel Keyes achieves this. Enjoy!

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Twitter: @JedHerne

13 - The Martian by Andy Weir - Problem and Response Story Structure.

I've read this book multiple times and love it more with each re-read. In this episode, I try to figure out why it's so engaging, and end up categorising problems/conflict into 6 distinctive archetypes which can benefit any story. 

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Twitter: @JedHerne

12 - Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson - Controlling Pacing using Chapters.

This was the first Brandon Sanderson novel I read, and boy did it get me hooked. This YA Superhero story is a masterclass in pacing, and pulls readers through the novel at a ridiculous speed. Today, I'll analyse how Sanderson achieved such a fast pace. 

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Previous Brandon Sanderson Episode:

Twitter: @JedHerne

11 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling - Narrative Misdirection.

This is one of my favourite books, and in today's episode I dive deep into how you can use the 2+2 rule to misdirect readers. If you want to learn more about how Rowling writes plot twists, this is the episode for you!

Twitter: @JedHerne

10 - Mistborn The Final Empire - by Brandon Sanderson - Mastering the Grand Skill of Worldbuilding.

Sanderson is a master of creating compelling fantasy worlds. Mistborn is a perfect example - and it's one of the best novel's I've read this year. In this episode, I'll analyse different techniques Sanderson uses to craft an amazing world. 

9 - The Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester - Grounding the Future in the Past. 

This golden age sci-fi novel has a lot to teach - oddly enough - about realism. Bester extracts qualities from historical eras to ground his world in a sense of truth, and in this episode I explore how he does this and how you can do the same. 

Twitter: @JedHerne

8 - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - Creating Empathy for the Hero. If you want readers to keep turning pages, empathy is crucial. In this episode, I examine how Cline uses goals to make readers care about Wade Watts. 

Twitter: @JedHerne

7 - The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie - Exploring Theme. 

This is one of the best books I've read this year, and what made it strong was Abercrombie's masterful control of theme. Today, I examine how The Heroes doesn't cram a moral down readers throats, but instead uses characters, structure, and symbolism to explore how in a war it's impossible to be a hero in every way and at every time ...

Twitter: @JedHerne

Neuromancer was a 1984 genre-defining novel - and it still has a lot to teach writers today. Settle in as I pull 6 key lessons out of this ground-breaking sci-fi novel. 

Twitter: @JedHerne

5 - Gabriel Bergmoser Interview - Windmills, Boone Shepard, Movie Maintenance, and Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. 

Done poorly, midpoints can bog down your story with annoying slowness. That's not the case in today's novel, which showcases one possible solution to avoiding the dreaded soggy middle.

Twitter: @JedHerne

Harry Potter is successful (amoung many other reasons) for Rowling's fantastic use of suspense and mystery. Today, I analyse how you can use question arcs to create suspense in your own writing, and how suspense destroys 'soggy middle syndrome.' 

Twitter: @JedHerne

Joe Abercrombie writes some of the most realistic, fleshed-out, and interesting characters in modern fantasy. Today, I'll analyse what makes his characters so complex. 

Twitter: @JedHerne

Pat Rothfuss' fantasy novel blew me away. In this episode, I analyse how he made every scene interesting - no mean feat given that this novel is over 600 pages long!

Twitter: @JedHerne