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The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed is dedicated to all things fantasy, creative writing, and book marketing. It's created by fantasy writers for fantasy writers with the purpose of helping you overcome the obstacles and challenges that crop up on your writing journey. Expect general writing tips as well as discussions on the fantasy genre, such as on worldbuilding, fantasy tropes and fantasy names. And with regular guests including bestselling authors, historians, folklorists, mythologists, liter ...
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
Author DK Drake | Fantasy Author, Christian Author, Writing Coach, League of Adventurous Authors Leader
Hey, Christian Author! Wanna write great fiction *fast?* BUT you… - Doubt your writing ability - Have no idea how to write the kind of captivating stories you love to read - Wonder if human writing is pointless now that AI is taking over the world. Then welcome to The Author D.K. Drake Show, the podcast with short and entertaining episodes for Christian authors in high school, college, and beyond. Through these episodes, you will… - Gain confidence in your author identity - Master the proces ...
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The Author DK Drake Show | How to Write a Book, Creative Writing, Fantasy Books, Coaching for Christian Authors, Story Structure
Farewell, Published Before College. Hello, The Author DK Drake Show! Listen in to find out why the name of the show is changing and how this fresh direction will help you reach your writing goals faster. Your friend, DK Next Steps: Sign up for the FREE Revolutionize Your Writing Masterclass. The FREE Virtual On-Demand Virtual Experience launches Oc…
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As you may have heard, I have an audiobook coming out soon—in a few weeks in fact (called Pariah's Lament for anyone interested) I don't know much about audiobooks, so I decided to speak to someone who does—professional voice-over artist for movies, TV and audiobooks, Rachanee Lumayno. In our chat, we talk all about why audiobooks are so popular an…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
Today’s Fantasy fiction Friday episode is coming to you on storytelling Saturday just to shake things up a bit. In this chapter of The Dragon Collector, we see the first hint of romance for Javan, some backstory on the romance of his grandparents, and some foreshadowing about what’s to come in books two, three, and four. Here’s a storytelling tip f…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
Ever heard the terms "WPH" or "Words Per Hour" but had no clue what they meant? Then today's episode is for you. In it, you'll learn what this key writing metric is, six reasons why it's important, and how to calculate it. Listen in! Your friend, DK Next Steps: Sign up for the FREE Revolutionize Your Writing Masterclass. The FREE Virtual On-Demand …
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
Happy Friday! I’ve got chapter 34 of The Dragon Collector ready for you today. It’s not an action-packed chapter, but not every chapter in your book should be filled with non-stop action. Your characters need downtime to recover, and so do your readers. That’s why pacing in a book is so important. Go too fast and pack too much in and you exhaust yo…
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Book marketing is a thorn in many a writer's side, but here with a fine set ot tweezers is marketing whiz, Nicky Pecone. Nicky is the founder of Iron Age Marketing, a marketing agency that specialises in helping writers promote their books and build their brand. In our chat, we talk about the fundamentals of book marketing—what it is, what it invol…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
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076 // 3 Tips for Book Marketing Success with #1 Internationally Bestselling Author Lynda Sunshine West
17:11
If you’re worried that you won’t have a clue how to market your book once it’s finished and published, this episode is for you. I’m interviewing Lynda Sunshine West, and she shares three effective ways to market your book that don’t cost any money. Not only has she written and published her own #1 internationally bestselling books, she has also lau…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
Ever wonder how AI works and if you should use it to help with your writing? Then listen in to today's episode. In it, you'll hear a snipped of last week's live writing workshop where the League of Adventurous Authors combined ideas to feed chatGPT. The results of the experiment shocked us all. Enjoy! Your friend, D.K. Want to join the League of Ad…
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The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed
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[Panel] Creating And Developing Characters With Karen Heuler
1:01:45
1:01:45
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For our latest community panel, we had the pleasure of welcoming award-winning literary fantasy author Karen Healuer as our special guest. The topic centred all on characters—creating them, getting to know them, and how to grow them. We looked at specific strategies for character creation, discussed ways to understand what our characters want, the …
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
Feeling isolated as a teen author? Wondering if you’re the only one who thinks the way you do? Who dreams the way you do? Who understands this crazy desire you have to make up people and worlds and stories? I get it. I felt isolated for years. Decades, really. Which was unnecessary. I didn’t have to feel alone. And neither do you. Today I’m sharing…
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Editing is tough. There's so much to think about, so much to keep an eye out for, the whole process can just be exhausting. As a writer, it's probably the most important part of the writing process, yet so many of us despair at the thought. When it comes to enlisting the help of editors to make our lives that bit easier, there can be even more hurd…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
It's Fantasy Fiction Friday! Today's episode features chapter 33 of The Dragon Collector. Tune in to find out why I wrote the chapter in this specific way, and how it kept me from being bored with my own story. Your friend, DK Next Steps: Sign up for the Writing Workshop on August 23! During this workshop, you will learn the basic principles of the…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
Sometimes your imagination needs a jumpstart. So I’m going to share — with the assistance of AI — 5 creative writing prompts you can use to start your next story. Let’s dive in! Your friend, DK Next Steps: Sign up for the Writing Workshop on August 23! During this workshop, you will learn the basic principles of the three-act story structure. This …
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
On today's Fantasy Friday episode featuring chapter 32 of The Dragon Collector, Javan encounters a BIG problem. Tune in to find out how he responds. Your friend, DK Next Steps: Sign up here for the Writing Workshop on August 23! Connect: dk@authordkdrake.com Snag your freebie: Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Autho…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
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070 // 2 Recent Discoveries that Verify the Bible is True (Why Believe the Bible series, part 5)
14:42
Hello, hello! As a Christian author, it’s important to know how to write well. It’s far more important, however, to have a strong faith foundation. The more you know about God, the more you learn about you. And people. Such knowledge allows you to write rich characters that connect with readers. The foundation of our faith is the Word of God. So we…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
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069 // 1 Unlikely Source Outside the Bible that Helps Prove the Bible is True (Why Believe the Bible series, part 4)
13:06
Welcome to the fourth episode in the Why Believe the Bible series taught by my awesome dad Harry Schaefer. The underlying premise of the series is that we can verify the truth of the Bible by looking to outside sources such as the historical record to see if what’s in the historical record aligns with scripture. And we find that it does. In episode…
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Religion, belief systems and spirituality are huge topics in the fantasy genre. When we create our fictional worlds, so often they feature gods and goddesses or some kind of faith system. And in many tales, there are characters who are devout or devote themselves to their faith. Recreating these things in our fantasy worlds isn't easy. The religion…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
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068 // 3 Evidence-Based Reasons to Believe the Bible is True (Why Believe the Bible series, part 3)
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Hey, Christian Author! Get ready to enjoy the third episode of the three-day, five-episode Why Believe the Bible event hosted by my dad, Harry Schaefer. In episode 66, we learned that one way to confirm the truth of any book, including the Bible, is to compare it to outside sources. We take what’s written, compare it to known facts, and see if it m…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
As a Christian author, have you ever wondered why you should believe the Bible? Or how you can know the Bible is true because you have proof as opposed to blind faith? Welcome to the second episode of the three-day, five-episode Why Believe the Bible event hosted by my dad, Harry Schaefer. In episode 66, we learned that one way to confirm the truth…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
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066 // How Can You as a Christian Author Know the Bible is True? (Why Believe the Bible series, part 1)
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As Christian authors, you and I have the awesome privilege of writing fantastic stories told from a godly perspective. And what’s the basis of that perspective? The Bible. The Bible should establish the foundation and framework for our lives and our stories. The Bible should be our ultimate source for absolute truth in the midst of a world that doe…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
It's Fantasy Fiction Friday! Today I'll be reading chapter 31 of The Dragon Collector. Enjoy your trip to the Land of Zandador. Your friend, DK Next Steps: Snag your freebies: D.K. Drake Starter Library Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Buy the Books Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Pu…
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Daniel Polansky is a Hugo-nominated author and writer of scores of acclaimed books, including his most recent: March's End (Angry Robot). In this jovial interview, Daniel tells us how he wrote March's End, how he crafted its unique world and the gripping conflict between his characters. And we discuss Daniel's writing journey and processes—how he c…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
You've done the hard work. You've gotten your novella's foundation written, and now it's time to write that first draft. If you want to write that draft fast and get it done in six weeks or less, listen in to learn three things you should do and four things you shouldn't do. Signature Links Your friend, DK Connect: dk@authordkdrake.com Next Steps: …
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
It's Fantasy Fiction Friday! Today I'll be reading chapter 30 of The Dragon Collector. Enjoy your trip to the Land of Zandador. Your friend, DK Next Steps: Snag your freebies: D.K. Drake Starter Library Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Buy the Books Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Pu…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
Have you ever been slapped by a tree? I have. But it’s usually because someone in front of me on a hike in the woods moved a branch out of the way only to have it snap back and slap me. So annoying when that happens. That was the start of the inspiration for the action that happens in the chapter from The Dragon Collector that I’ll read for you tod…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
When I decided I wanted to be a writer, I realized I needed some training. Since I learn best by reading, I did what made sense and what was within my budget to get that training. I bought a book. But it wasn’t a book about novel writing. Frankly, I didn’t think I had the patience to write a novel. I wanted to be able to write a manuscript fast tha…
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The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed
We're thrilled to welcome Laura Bennett as a special guest for our latest community panel discussion on working with literary agents and navigating the world of traditional publishing.With scores of questions asked and informatively answered, you're bound to learn something new about writing query letters, perfecting a blurb and synopsis, how to fi…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
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060 // Fantasy Fiction Friday: Author DK Drake Reads Chapter 28 of The Dragon Collector, a YA Fantasy Novel
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It’s Fantasy Fiction Friday! After about a four month pause, it’s time to resume the reading of The Dragon Collector. Today I’ll be sharing chapter 28, Mertzer. In this chapter, you’ll get to witness a Dragon Stalker at work hunting his prey. You’ll also be introduced to new animals like raxens and gorzelles. I totally made these creatures up, and …
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
Today we’re continuing the Write a Novella in 18 Weeks series. Here in week 5, the challenge is to write a full outline in 15 steps. In the past, I would write this step outline by jotting down the action steps in scene one, then the action steps in scene two, then the action steps in scene three. I thus ended up with a lot of steps after this outl…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
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058 // Write a Novella in 18 Weeks: How to Outline Your Entire Story in 30 Minutes Max (Week 4)
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The summer writing season is officially upon us! If your writing plans include busting out a novella this summer, then this episode is for you. I’m picking up where we left on in the write a novella series, and we are on week four. If you missed the action steps for weeks 1-3, check out episodes 43, 45 and 47. Those episodes focused on getting the …
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Award-winning literary fantasy author Karen Heuler stops by the Toolshed to talk about pantsing and writing in the literary style. Karen's new book, The Splendid City, published by Angry Robot, offers a fantastic example of the style and approach, and we dive into it to understand how to write literary fantasy fiction. Karen is also a massive pants…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
These two things I’m about to share with you don’t cost a dime but have the power to change the way you feel and how fast you write. Ready for today’s fun episode to learn two weird things you can do to speed up your writing success? Let’s get to it! Your friend, DK Next Steps: Snag your freebie: Super Simple Overview of the Publication Process Rat…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
I've got a super short episode today to highlight the super simple overview of the publishing process. If you've ever wondered what it takes to get your book published, you can secure your super simple overview of the publishing process here. Connect with me: dk@authordkdrake.com.Από τον Author DK Drake | Fantasy Author, Christian Writing Coach, Mentor of Bold & Adventurous Authors
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The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed
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Worldbuilding 101 With Stephen Aryan
1:07:39
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Over in our Discord community, we were thrilled to host our very first panel discussion with the brilliant bestselling author, Stephen Aryan. Also joining me on the panel were three great writers from our community, Isa Ottoni, Joshua Parker and Jonny Altair. Our chat focused all on worldbuilding. We discussed our challenges and headaches, took que…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
To succeed as an author, you do need to build the character muscles of diligence and discipline so that you sit and write at specific, consistent times each week. How do you do that? What do you work on during these weekly writing practices? Who will keep you accountable? You start by following a five step process that we’ll explore in today’s epis…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
From one author to another, I have a theory. That theory is this: setting aside 30 minutes on Monday to debrief the week before and dream about the week ahead will help us reach our writing goals faster. But what do we review during the debrief? How do we set achievable targets with actionable tasks for the week ahead? How do we make sure what we w…
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In this episode, I welcome three members from our writing community, Isa, Josh and Jonny, for a chat about our community writing groups. Not so long ago, Josh approached me about setting up some writing groups through our Discord community. These small groups of around 5 or 6 people meet regularly and are matched by genre, time zone and how regular…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
Today I have three quick tips to help you write stellar stories. I didn’t learn these tips from a book or a course or a podcast or some random social media post. I learned them while backpacking in South America. What does backpacking have to do with writing? Tune in to find out! Join the League of Adventurous Authors email list here!…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
Today I am bringing you some entertainment in the form of an interview. This is the third and final piece of the chat between me and my friend Becky on night seven of our eight day hike. We interviewed each other about the trek while in our tent on that cold night, and now I’m sharing it with you. You can also watch it here. Listen in to find out h…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
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051 // Enrich Your Writing With Adventures! Author DK Drake and Becky Interview Each Other (part II)
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I’ve got another just for fun episode for you today. I’m sharing part 2 of the interview my friend Becky and I recorded while sitting in our tent in Torres del Paine in Chile. It was night seven of our eight day hike. We chat about food, friends and life lessons learned while on the trail. If you ever want to go on a backpacking adventure of your o…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
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050 // Are You an Adventurous Author Who Likes to Hike? Author DK Drake and Becky Interview Each Other While On Their Hiking Adventure
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If you are an adventurous author who likes to hike, I've got a fun treat for you today. While on my own hiking adventure with my college buddy Becky, we interviewed each other about our trip. This is part one of the interview where we discuss tips, tricks and highlights that can help you on your own hiking trips. You can also watch the video here i…
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In the second episode of our mini-series on magic systems, Janina and Lucy from The Fey Fellows Podcast rejoin me for a deeper look at two big examples of magic systems: witchcraft and the systems found in Dungeons and Dragons. We look at their origins and how they've evolved over time to help spark some new ideas. And we also take a look at some k…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
Today I don’t want to talk to you about writing or publishing. Don’t get me wrong. Those topics are still close to my heart and will continue to be core topics of the show. Just not today. Or next week. You see, while on my two-month sabbatical, a lot happened in this magnificent little life of mine. I went on an epic backpacking adventure, finishe…
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One thing that I haven't covered an awful lot of, both in blogging form and on the podcast, is magic systems. I'll admit, I'm not a massive user of magic in stories (my current work in progress aside). However, I do love a good magic wielder with Pug from The Riftwar Cycle my all-time favourite. So given this lack of coverage, I decided to tackle t…
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I'm delighted to share with you an insightful interview with legendary fantasy author, Juliet E. McKenna In our chat, we discuss Juliet's new book, The Cleaving, which is a retelling of the Arthurian legend from the female perspective. We chat all about character creation, worldbuilding, plotting, theme and the writing process as a whole. Juliet is…
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In this episode, we're thrilled to welcome one of the world's top-selling fantasy authors, Amish Tripathi. The BBC has described Amish as "India's JRR Tolkien and Asia's Paulo Coelho" and, for the first time, the books of India's fastest-selling author have been translated into English. We have a very open and honest chat about writing, discussing …
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
Why do I want to take a break from producing this podcast in March? Listen in to find out. I'll be back on April 5. Until then, keep writing! Connect: dk@authordkdrake.comΑπό τον Author DK Drake | Fantasy Author, Christian Writing Coach, Mentor of Bold & Adventurous Authors
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We're absolutely thrilled to bring you a very special interview with bestselling author and former FBI special agent, Joe Navarro. Joe is a world-leading expert on body language. In his career, he conducted over 13,000 interviews and oozes a passion for the subject that you can't help but admire. Body language plays such a huge role in storytelling…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
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047 // Write a Novella Series: 5 Random Questions to Help You Develop Interesting Characters in Week 3
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We’re in week three of our write a novella in 18 weeks series. In week one and episode 43, we did some initial market research and sketched out our covers. In week two and episode 45, we came up with our plot premise and purpose premise. We also did some work on imagining our place or setting. This week, we’re going to start working on developing o…
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Write Great Fiction Fast | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Writer’s Block, Creative Writing, World Building, Fantasy Books
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046 // Fantasy Fiction Friday: Author DK Drake Reads Chapter 27 of The Dragon Collector, a YA Fantasy Novel
10:48
It’s Fantasy Fiction Friday! Today I’m bringing you chapter 27 of The Dragon Collector entitled The Zandadorian Portal. Do you ever wish you could transport yourself from one place to another with merely a thought? Think of the time you would save and the traffic you would avoid. Plus money would no longer be a barrier to travel, so you could exper…
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