Podcasts by The Novel Analyst Podcast: Creative Writing Advice & Author Interviews

48. The Magician's Workshop by Kate Heartfield - Lessons from Interactive Fiction from 2020-03-17T00:00

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

Show Notes:

My email - s...

47. [Interview] Rob J. Hayes on Viking Martial Arts, Achieving Success as a Self-Published Fantasy Author, and Turning Messy Drafts into Great Stories from 2020-03-03T00:00

Rob J. Hayes is the author of the Amazon Best Selling The Heresy Within, the SPFBO-winning piratical swashbuckler Where Loyalties Lie, and the critica...

Fires of the Dead is FREE for the next 4 days! from 2020-02-28T11:53:33

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

Check it out here: https://amzn.to/32BIwjC

During i...

46. Never Die by Rob J. Hayes - Choreographing Excellent Ensemble Casts from 2020-02-18T00:00

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

Show Notes:

Listen to ...

Book Launch Party for Across the Broken Stars by Jed Herne from 2020-02-12T13:55:31

Buy Across the Broken Stars here: jedherne.com/acrossthebrokenstars

Today's episode features the audio rec...

[Announcement] Across the Broken Stars by Jed Herne is out today! from 2020-02-04T01:00

Buy a copy here: https://jedherne.com/broken

And if you buy a copy before midnight Feb 9th, email your receipt to jed.herne1@gmail.c...

45. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin - Crafting a Slow-Burning Narrative from 2020-02-04T00:00

The Left Hand of Darkness is a visionary sci-fi story about a lone human ambassador to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants’ biology allows them to choose—and chang...

44. Master of Sorrows by Justin Call - Crafting Compelling Magic Systems from 2020-01-23T12:55:17

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

Show Notes:

My interview with Justin, author of Master o...

[Sneak Peek] - Chapter 1 of Across the Broken Stars - My Upcoming Space Fantasy Novel from 2020-01-19T12:48:20

To celebrate the upcoming release of my epic space fantasy novel, Across the Broken Stars, I'm sharing chapter 1 of the book. The actual book releases on Feb 3rd, 2020. Click here to learn more:...

43. [Interview] Justin Call - Author of Master of Sorrows - board games, fantasy, and the creative life from 2020-01-07T00:00

Justin Call graduated from Harvard University in 2012 with a Master's in Literature and Creative Writing. He has studied fantasy literature for almost two decades and is the author of Master of ...

8 Top Writing Lessons From 8 Years of Writing from 2019-12-24T00:00

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

Show Notes:

Across the Broken Stars - goodreads: Listen

42. A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix - The Triumph of Humanity from 2019-12-10T00:00

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.

Show Notes:

Send me your...

41. The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding - Nailing the Opening 48 Pages from 2019-11-26T00:00

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

Check out my shiny new instagram account for a behind-the-scenes look into my writing life: Listen

40. Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy - Writing an Amazing Series from 2019-11-12T00:00

For months, I’ve been struggling with how to write a series. See, most of my ideas come to me as stand-alone books, but this current project felt like something bigger than one novel.A few weeks ag...

39. Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey - Grounding Stories With Characters from 2019-10-29T00:00

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 o...

38 - Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson - Giving Readers Chills from 2019-10-16T02:23:18

Words of Radiance is the second book in The Stormlight Archive, an epic fantasy series of incredible ambition - and superb execution. What's remarkable about WOR isn't just the world building, t...

[Announcement] Win a signed copy of Fires of the Dead + send me your questions! from 2019-10-11T10:57:41

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

jedherne.com/win

And use this link to leave a question f...

37 - Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling – Disguising Exposition from 2019-10-01T00:00

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,...

36 - [Interview] Gareth Hanrahan: World Building, Writing Advice, and Creating a Successful Writing Career from 2019-09-19T12:42:01

Stoked to interview Gareth Hanrahan, author of The Gutter Prayer - which Listen

35 - The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan - World Building for Fantasy Cities from 2019-09-17T00:00

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:<...

Special sneak peek! Chapter one of my debut fantasy novella, FIRES OF THE DEAD from 2019-09-10T13:12:05

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 w...

34 - The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough - Creating Emotion from 2019-09-03T00:00

The Language of Dying is an elegiac, emotionally moving novella, about a woman whose father is dying. In today's episode, I dive deep into analysing how the author crafted such a profound emotio...

33 - A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. - Exploring Theme through Structure from 2019-08-20T00:00

My debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead, is available on amazon for pre-order! Get it here: https://amzn.to/31KMCUR

Or use this link...

32 - Gabriel Bergmoser Interview - lessons learnt from book deals, movie deals, and becoming a full-time writer from 2019-08-06T00:00

Gabriel Bergmoser is a Melbourne based author and playwright.  He's written the Boone Shepard trilogy (I analysed book 3 Listen

[Announcement] I'm giving away 7 Joe Abercrombie novels for FREE! from 2019-08-05T01:15:15

Enter the free contest to win 7 Joe Abercrombie fantasy novels: http://bit.ly/firstlawgiveaway (Contest ends on 12th August, 2019, so get in quick!)
...

31 - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - Using the Relationship Axes to Create Interesting Character Dynamics from 2019-07-23T00:00

 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 betwee...

30 - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - Writing Twists from 2019-07-09T00:00

After Dale from The Reading Gorilla podcast sent in a listener request, who was I to ignore it? This is an episode about Orson Scott Card's sci-...

29 - The Way of Kings - Stormlight Archive book 1 - by Brandon Sanderson - Crafting Epic Fantasy from 2019-06-25T00:00

What does it mean to craft epic fantasy? How is it different that other forms of fantasy? What are it's unique strengths, and potential pitfalls? All those questions and more answered in today's...

Talk isn’t cheap - Quick Storytelling Tips 005 from 2019-06-17T00:00

Let me know what you think of these short bonus episodes by emailing jed.herne1@gmail.com.

Also, if you want free...

28 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling - Meaningful Supporting Characters from 2019-06-11T00:00

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?

...

… But really, I hated them - Quick Storytelling Tips 004 from 2019-06-10T00:00

Let me know what you think of these short bonus episodes by emailing jed.herne1@gmail.com.

Also, if you want free...

Truth in writing - Quick Storytelling Tips 003 from 2019-06-03T00:00

Let me know what you think of these short bonus episodes by emailing jed.herne1@gmail.com.

Also, if you want free...

27 - Skulduggery Pleasant - Death Bringer by Derek Landy - The Gap from 2019-05-28T00:00

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 o...

Theme is not preaching - Quick Writing Tip 002 from 2019-05-27T00:00

Let me know what you think of these short bonus episodes by emailing jed.herne1@gmail.com.

Also, if you want free...

Stay off the nose - Quick Writing Tip 001 from 2019-05-20T00:38:52

Starting a new series! In addition to your normal Novel Analyst episodes, for the next month I’ll be posting a Quick Writing Tip episode every Monday. Let me know what you think and if you want ...

26 - Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J. K. Rowling - Ring Structure from 2019-05-14T00:00

 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 ...

25 - Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - The Art of Setting Descriptions from 2019-04-30T00:00

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 ...

24 - The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams pt. 2 - How to Write Funny from 2019-04-23T00:00

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 technique...

23 - The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams pt. 1 - Why Characters Don't Matter from 2019-04-16T00:00

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 ...

22 - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Finding your Perfect Prose from 2019-04-02T00:00

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 exa...

21 - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - Meaningful Endings and the Truth from 2019-03-19T00:00

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 t...

20 - Elantris by Brandon Sanderson - Avalanche Endings from 2019-03-05T00:00

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...

19 - Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy - The Art of Naming from 2019-02-19T00:00

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!
...

18 - Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson - Misfit Characters from 2019-02-04T23:00

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 Warbreake...

17 - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - Crafting Compelling Narrators from 2019-01-21T23:00

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 ...

16 - Boone Shepard - The Silhouette and the Sacrifice by Gabriel Bergmoser - Writing Awesome Endings from 2019-01-08T00:00

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 t...

15 - 2018 in review - Everything I Read, Favourite Books, and Top Writing Lessons from 2019-01-04T00:38:02

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 lesson...

14 - Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes - 6 Steps to make the reader cry from 2018-12-25T00:00

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 thoug...

13 - The Martian by Andy Weir - Problem and Response Story Structure from 2018-12-11T00:00

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 ...

12 - Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson - Controlling Pacing using Chapters from 2018-11-27T00:00

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...

11 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling - Narrative Misdirection from 2018-11-13T00:00

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 t...

10 - Mistborn The Final Empire - by Brandon Sanderson - Mastering the Grand Skill of Worldbuilding from 2018-10-30T00:00

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 perfec...

9 - The Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester - Grounding the Future in the Past from 2018-10-16T00:00

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 qualitie...

8 - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - Creating Empathy for the Hero from 2018-10-02T00:00

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 reade...

7 - The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie - Exploring Theme from 2018-09-18T00:00

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....

6 - Neuromancer by William Gibson - 6 Lessons for Writers from 2018-09-04T00:00

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: @JedHern...

5 - Gabriel Bergmoser Interview - Windmills, Boone Shepard, Movie Maintenance, and Red Dragon by Thomas Harris from 2018-09-01T01:35:38

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

Today I'm changing things up from my normal analysis format by interviewin...

4 - The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - Writing an Amazing Midpoint from 2018-08-21T00:00

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.

Tw...

3 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling - Creating Suspense Using Question Arcs from 2018-08-07T00:10

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,...

2 - The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie - Characterisation through Contradiction from 2018-08-07T00:02

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...

1 - The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - Making Every Scene Interesting from 2018-08-07T00:00

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: @Je...

0 Novel Analyst Teaser from 2018-08-06T23:59

Welcome to the Novel Analyst podcast! I’m Jed Herne and each episode I analyse a story to help you become a better writer. In this teaser, you'll learn about my writing journey and what I want to a...