Have an interesting fantasy idea for your novel? A lot of us do! The problem comes when you try to write the dang thing into an actual story with well-rounded characters, exciting plots, and all the other nitty gritty details. A lot of folks will tell you to "just write." Or "just outline." But there's another way to avoid the revision churn, which is where this episode of Fantasy Writing for Barbarians comes in.

I start by exploring the common struggle writers have when trying to transform numerous ideas into cohesive stories. I discuss the importance of outlining, crafting compelling pitches, and understanding character motivations and conflicts. I get into the need for intentionality in writing, the balance between discovery writing and structured outlining, and the pitfalls of burnout.

Email your show feedback to fantasywritingforbarbarians@gmail.com or join our Discord. Check out our prompt for this week 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.