The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed

In this episode, we're donning our helmets and hefting our axes and shields before diving headfirst into battle with a look at medieval warfare. We'll tell you everything you need to know about making your fantasy battles as realistic and gritty as possible, as well as giving you a few neat ideas to use. We're also looking at folklore, one of the main inspirations for the fantasy genre. We share our favourite folkloric tales and discuss how you can use these as inspiration for your own fantasy stories and worldbuilding. And we've also got the latest calls for submissions, community announcements, and some very interesting news on creating book covers using artificial intelligence. Write to us at thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.comSupport us on Patreon and get fantasy writing books and writing classes, workshops and courses - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshedLearn more about the podcast - https://richiebilling.com/welcome/the-fantasy-writers-toolshed-podcastRESOURCESA Guide To Writing Fight and Battle Scenes - https://richiebilling.com/welcome/the-writers-toolshed/fantasy-writing/how-to-write-fight-scenesFantasy Writing Classes - https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing-classesWOMBO Dream - https://www.wombo.art/JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITYJoin our community here - https://mailchi.mp/be6082d43b39/the-writers-toolshedOUR GUESTSJanina Arndt and Lucy Atkinson from the Fey Fellows podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/3fZb25t8f4KdW6x7y5zv6v?si=e74e177759d3422eAidan Mattis from The Lore Lodge podcast - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheLoreLodgeSounds and editing by Odysy - https://www.youtube.com/c/OdysyxLearn more about Richie Billing - http://richiebilling.com/

In this episode, we take a look at the interesting relationship between magic systems and science with fantasy author Rachel Emma Shaw.We also take a look at day to day life in the medieval period to provide you with ideas and inspiration for your worldbuilding and fantasy stories.And I reveal the early results from my Book Blogger Survey, essential listening for anyone pitching to book reviewers and book bloggers right now.Plus, I also have some news from the world of writing and our community announcements.The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed is a bi-weekly fantasy writing podcast with new episodes out on 14th and 28th of each month.Our purpose is to create a show that’s as helpful, interesting and entertaining for fantasy writers as possible.Write to us at thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.comSupport us on Patreon and get fantasy writing books and writing courses - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshedLearn more about the podcast - https://richiebilling.com/welcome/the-fantasy-writers-toolshed-podcastRESOURCESThe Lives Of Medieval Lords - https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing/the-life-of-the-medieval-lordThe Pesky Peasantry Of The Middle Ages - https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing/lives-of-medieval-peasantsThe Lives Of Medieval Women - https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing/maidens-wives-and-widows-the-lives-of-women-during-the-middle-agesThe Book Blogger Survey - https://forms.gle/TC59tvLFEMXTJT776Article - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/27/a-dirty-secret-you-can-only-be-a-writer-if-you-can-afford-itList of 250+ Book Reviewers - https://richiebilling.com/welcome/writing-tools/list-of-book-reviewersJOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITYJoin our community here - https://mailchi.mp/be6082d43b39/the-writers-toolshedOUR GUESTSAidan Mattis from The Lore Lodge podcast - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheLoreLodgeRachel Emma Shaw from the Science In Fantasy YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/RachelEmmaShawSounds and editing by Odysy - https://www.youtube.com/c/Odysyx

In this episode, we take a look at worldbuilding, specifically the scientific side, and how writers can make use of the likes of biology to create unique and interesting worlds.We also take an in-depth look at archery, particularly from the medieval period.And we also explore Norse mythology, something that's grown in popularity over recent years.We also share the latest calls for submissions and our community announcements.The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed is a bi-weekly fantasy writing podcast with new episodes out on 14th and 28th of each month.Our purpose is to create a show that’s as helpful, interesting and entertaining for fantasy writers as possible.Write to us at thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.comSupport us on Patreon and get fantasy writing books and writing courses - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshedLearn more about the podcast - https://richiebilling.com/welcome/the-fantasy-writers-toolshed-podcastRESOURCESNatural Worldbuilding - Richie's comprehensive guide to building a fantasy world - https://richiebilling.com/welcome/the-writers-toolshed/fantasy-writing/natural-worldbuilding-guideFantasy and Archery - The Ultimate Guide - https://richiebilling.com/welcome/the-writers-toolshed/fantasy-writing/archery-and-fantasy-a-complete-guideJOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITYJoin our community here - https://mailchi.mp/be6082d43b39/the-writers-toolshedOUR GUESTSJanina Arndt and Lucy Atkinson from the Fey Fellows podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/3fZb25t8f4KdW6x7y5zv6v?si=e74e177759d3422eAidan Mattis from The Lore Lodge podcast - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheLoreLodgeRachel Emma Shaw from the Science In Fantasy YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/RachelEmmaShaw and check out Rachel's latest book, Sacara Nights - https://amzn.to/3F9eLIJSounds and editing by Odysy - https://www.youtube.com/c/OdysyxLearn more about Richie Billing - http://richiebilling.com/

In this episode, we look at how to edit a novel, the mythologies and folkloric tales that have inspired the fantasy genre, and we take a look at the diseases that ravaged the medieval era.We also share the latest calls for submissions and our community announcements.The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed is a bi-weekly podcast with new episodes out on 14th and 28th of each month.Our purpose is to create a show that’s as helpful, interesting and entertaining for fantasy writers as possible.Write to us at thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.comPlease consider supporting us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshedLearn more about the podcast - https://richiebilling.com/welcome/the-fantasy-writers-toolshed-podcastRESOURCES[Download] - Step by step guide on how to edit a novel - https://bit.ly/how-to-edit-a-novelKiller Diseases Of The Middle Ages - https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing/killer-diseases-of-the-middle-agesHow To Edit A Novel - https://richiebilling.com/writing-tips/how-to-edit-novelJOIN OUR WRITING GROUPJoin our community - https://mailchi.mp/be6082d43b39/the-writers-toolshedOUR GUESTSJanina Arndt and Lucy Atkinson from the Fey Fellows podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/3fZb25t8f4KdW6x7y5zv6v?si=e74e177759d3422eAidan Mattis from The Lore Lodge podcast - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheLoreLodgeSounds and editing by Odysy - https://www.youtube.com/c/OdysyxLearn more about Richie Billing - http://richiebilling.com/

Today, we're delighted to welcome Evan Gow to the Writer's Toolshed for a very special chat about Story Origin, the book marketing platform Evan's created by hand.Story Origin brings together a host of different book marketing services, such as group promotions, newsletter swaps, advanced reader copy distribution and book reviews.Evan has built this all with user feedback and continues to add new features, as well as develop existing ones. He and Richie chat about the creation process, Story Origin's key features, and Richie explains how he utilises its features to grow his mailing list each month.To learn more about Story Origin head here - https://storyoriginapp.com/Or to read Richie's guide on 5 reasons why every writer should use Story Origin, go here - https://richiebilling.com/welcome/the-writers-toolshed/writing-tips/5-reasons-why-every-writer-should-use-story-originPlease consider supporting us on Patreon! (https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed). You can join our community of writers, get access to exclusive fantasy writing workshops, and copies of acclaimed books on how to write fantasy.

In this mini-episode, JM gives his editor’s perspective on submissions and short stories in particular.He provides some quick tips on manuscript format and cover letters, and then he identifies some of the recurring issues he sees in the short fiction submissions he’s been receiving, namely point of view, character arcs, and length.JM’s tips on short stories: https://ofmetalandmagicpublishing.wordpress.com/2021/05/30/on-writing-short-fiction-writing-in-short/Tips on cover letters (for short fiction): https://www.janefriedman.com/perfect-cover-letter-advice-lit-mag-editor/Richie's tips on writing cover letters: https://richiebilling.com/writing-tips/a-quick-guide-to-cover-letters Please consider supporting us on Patreon! (https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed). You can join our community of writers, get access to exclusive fantasy writing workshops, and copies of acclaimed books on how to write fantasy.