The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed

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.

If you've ever struggled with coming up with names for your fantasy characters, fantasy worlds and towns and cities within those worlds, you can find some answers here. JM Williams and Richie Billing discuss the do's and don't's of names in the fantasy genre, covering everything from overly complex names (including them damn apostrophes!) to good principles and guidelines to keep in mind.As always, get in touch with us by heading here to share your questions, comments and curses - https://richiebilling.com/welcome/the-fantasy-writers-toolshed-podcastIf you'd like to check out Richie's very own fantasy name generator, head here - https://richiebilling.com/welcome/the-writers-toolshed/fantasy-writing/fantasy-name-generatorAnd to read Richie's guide on creating names in the fantasy genre, click here - https://richiebilling.com/welcome/the-writers-toolshed/fantasy-writing/creating-names-for-fantasy-charactersPlease 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 episode, Richie is joined by PR guru and award-winning writer, Alex Greenwood, who shares some fantastic marketing tips that writers can utilise as lockdown begins to ease. From book launches to signings, we cover it all.As well as chatting about marketing, Alex also shares lots of great insights on writing mystery and thriller novels, two genres quite similar to the fantasy genre in some respects.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.Links:Alex Greenwood's website > http://alexgpr.com/PR After Hours podcast > https://prafterhours.com/Mysterious Goings On podcast > https://mgopod.com/Learn more about the John Pilate Mysteries > https://www.amazon.com/gp/kindle/series/B07PQM8HVM/Richie's guide to growing a mailing list > https://richiebilling.com/book-marketing/fast-way-to-grow-your-mailing-listOf Metal and Magic Publishing > https://ofmetalandmagicpublishing.wordpress.com/

Richie welcomes fantasy author and real-life world builder, John Tarrow, to the Writer’s Toolshed.Over the past 25 years, John has converted his 3 bedroom home into a magical fantasy world. We chat about the building of Talliston House and Gardens, how it’s influenced John’s worldbuilding approach when it comes to writing, and John shares his top tips on how to build a fantasy world—in reality and on the page.Find out more about Talliston House > https://www.talliston.com/Learn more about John > https://www.tarrow.co.uk/Check out Richie’s latest worldbuilding guide, Natural Worldbuilding > https://richiebilling.com/welcome/thewriterstoolshed/fantasy-writing/natural-worldbuilding-guidePlease 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 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. 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.

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 > https://ofmetalandmagicpublishing.wordpress.com/how-to-write-fight-scenes/+ A guide to sieges for fantasy writers > https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing/the-siegeTo join our virtual party on Saturday 20th February to celebrate the launch of Call of the Guardian, head here > https://fb.me/e/52VuZYectPlease 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.*Audio Attribution Notes*All audio effect used with open attribution license.Sound Effects from Freesound.org:“Ambient battle noise: swords and shouting”, by Pfranzen, https://freesound.org/s/192072/“Unsheathing the sword”, by Ihitokage, https://freesound.org/s/395364/“Laugh 1 pun dad joke”, by Jayfrosting, https://freesound.org/s/333403/Music from YouTube Audio Library:“Chariots of War”, by Aakash Gandhi“Yonder Hill and Dale”, by Aaron Kenny“Lord Of The Dawn”, by Jesse Gallagher