The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed

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 anthology calls. You can find Transmundane here: https://www.transmundanepress.com/And you can read one of JM's flash fiction pieces on the Transmundane blog, here: https://transmundanepressblog.wordpre...

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 look at a range of examples of different magic systems found in fantasy too, and debate whether your story needs one at all. What are your thoughts on magic systems? Drop us an email or a comment. And if you enjoyed this episode, why not follow and subscribe for more?

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 all about making your own audiobooks. He talks us through ways to get your novels turned into audiobooks, discussing prices and all the different ways you could potentially fund a project. Chris also tells us all about Tall Tale TV and what the future has in store for this thriving audiobook platform.And as a little bonus, Richie previews his exclusive audiobook snippet of the first chapter of Pariah's Lament. Start listening to Tall Tale TViTunes -http://bit.ly/TTTV_iTunesPodcast -http://talltaletv.com/subscribe/Twitter -https://twitter.com/TallTaleTVYoutube -https://www.youtube.com/c/talltaletvWebsite -http://talltaletv.comWatch the YouTube video of Pariah's Lament, Chapter Onehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDydWpyw3fI&t=84sListen to some of Richie's and JM's stories narrated by ChrisNoodlin - Richie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htu-Q9wNnic&feature=emb_titleThe Adventures of Jaron and Bren - JM - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3v19jC-YyY

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 up such an enviable following and how you can do the same.As always, get in touch with us on Facebook, or drop us an email at thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com!

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 adverbs. This is a topic in which people aren't short of an opinion, and as always we want to hear from you. Get in touch by emailing thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com!

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. RachaelHardcastle has a website for her book label: https://www.curiouscatbooks.co.uk/A massive thank you to both Niels and Rachael for visiting the Toolshed! It was lovely to have you on and we hope you all enjoyed it too.In our next episode we'll be looking at writing 'rules'. Should you really never use the passive voice? Must you always show instead of tell? Is there even such a thing as a writing 'rule'? What so-called rules do you hate most? Send us your questions at richard.e.billing@gmail.com.

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 CoverBook Smugglers - COVER MATTERS: THE SURVEY RESULTSData Analytics and Practical Theory for BooksHolly Rollins - A Conjoint Analysis of the Value of Book Covers in E-Book Buying DecisionsBoth Richie and JM have just gone through the process of designing book covers in recent weeks. Richie's new book, Thoughts On Writing, is available to purchase by clicking here. All of the money raised from book sales is being used to help those impacted by Covid-19, from food banks to care homes. As always we'd love to hear from you with your comments and requests. Drop us an email at thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com!

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.

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 EgriStein on Writing - Sol SteinThe Art of Fiction - John GardnerLetters to a Young Writer - Colum McCannThe First Five Pages - Noah LukemanOn Writing - Stephen KingA Fantasy Writers' Handbook - Richie BillingAs always, we want to hear from you! If you have any topics or questions you want us to tackle, drop us an email at thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com.Stay safe everyone!