Today on Fantasy Writing for Barbarians, we’re kicking off the new year with a live critique! I take a close look at an excerpt from an aspiring fantasy author and go deep on what works, what doesn’t, and how all of you can better sharpen your first pages.

The main theme of this particular critique is atmosphere, specifically when it comes to using vivid prose and natural dialogue to establish the vibe of your fantasy. How much do you reveal early on? How do you keep the reader invested without overloading on exposition? Hopefully you'll get some useful answers to these questions and more in this episode.

Got a story you’d like Jon to critique? Reach out via email, Discord, or YouTube, and you might just hear your work on a future episode!

Email your show feedback and/or advice prompts to fantasywritingforbarbarians@gmail.com or join our Discord. You can find the first discussion prompt we referenced on the show right here.

Fantasy Writing for Barbarians‘ host is Jon Negroni, author of The Pixar Theory, Killerjoy, and more. Our producers are Natalia Emmons and Bridget Serdock. You can find all our episodes and various podcast app options here.