Jed Herne | I Helped a Writer Fix His First Chapter @Jed_Herne | Uploaded October 2023 | Updated October 2024, 10 hours ago.
Today, I'm helping a new writer edit the first chapter of his fantasy novel.
Want me to coach you? Apply for my Fantasy Outlining Bootcamp: jedherne.com/outline
⏲️ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction
01:05 - Ethan's goals for the call
01:49 - Correct manuscript formatting
02:57 - The opening sentence
03:23 - Character backstory
03:41 - Ground us within the setting
04:56 - How can substances impact the magic
05:37 - Scene transitions
06:36 - Dialogue formatting
07:41 - Paragraph spacing
11:40 - Action beats with dialogue
12:33 - Speaking names in dialogue
13:24 - Understanding punctuation
16:04 - Fix foreshadowing later in the edit
16:48 - How to describe coughing
19:24 - The importance of intention
20:06 - The Emotion Thesaurus
23:02 - Back to expressing coughing in dialogue
24:21 - Lean into the apprentice trope
25:59 - Formatting interjections
26:32 - An industrialising fantasy world
29:55 - Writing accents
31:29 - Creating a culture inspired by leafcutter ants
32:52 - An easy worldbuilding win
34:09 - Be cautious about this
34:47 - Learning from The Name of the Wind
36:03 - Writing songs
36:38 - Where the chapter becomes interesting
38:22 - Shortening the chapter
40:11 - Conveying the magic system
43:13 - Dealing with a tone change
47:12 - Picking the right character for exposition
48:16 - Establishing promises
48:41 - Series or standalone?
✏️ MY FREE WRITING ADVICE BOOK:
Get my free book: '5 Lessons That Transformed My Writing': jedherne.com/lessons
🚀 BUILD BETTER WRITING HABITS:
Join my Easy Writing Habits course: easywritinghabits.com
💌 MY NEWSLETTER:
Get a free fantasy story when you sign up to my free, fortnightly author newsletter: bit.ly/jednewsletter
📙 MY BOOKS:
Across the Broken Stars: jedherne.com/acrossthebrokenstars
The Thunder Heist: jedherne.com/thethunderheist
Fires of the Dead: jedherne.com/firesofthedead
🎮 MY VIDEO GAME:
Siege of Treboulain: jedherne.com/siege-of-treboulain-details
🔨 MY FAVOURITE WRITING TOOLS:
Freewrite Traveller (distraction-free writing laptop): getfreewrite.com/?rstr=6485 - use this affiliate link for a 5% discount.
MailerLite (best email newsletter software for authors): mailerlite.com/a/awmq7yimghg9
ProWritingAid (editing software that helped a lot with my early books): prowritingaid.com/?afid=4301
🧑 ABOUT ME:
Hi! My name's Jed. I'm a fantasy author with three published novels and a bestselling video game. On this channel, I draw from my 10+ years of writing experience to help you become a better writer.
💬 CONNECT WITH ME:
Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/jedherne
Send me an email: jed(at)jedherne.com
(Note: I don't always get a chance to reply to every email. However, I do my best to read as many of them as possible, and it's my preferred method of communication.)
Today, I'm helping a new writer edit the first chapter of his fantasy novel.
Want me to coach you? Apply for my Fantasy Outlining Bootcamp: jedherne.com/outline
⏲️ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction
01:05 - Ethan's goals for the call
01:49 - Correct manuscript formatting
02:57 - The opening sentence
03:23 - Character backstory
03:41 - Ground us within the setting
04:56 - How can substances impact the magic
05:37 - Scene transitions
06:36 - Dialogue formatting
07:41 - Paragraph spacing
11:40 - Action beats with dialogue
12:33 - Speaking names in dialogue
13:24 - Understanding punctuation
16:04 - Fix foreshadowing later in the edit
16:48 - How to describe coughing
19:24 - The importance of intention
20:06 - The Emotion Thesaurus
23:02 - Back to expressing coughing in dialogue
24:21 - Lean into the apprentice trope
25:59 - Formatting interjections
26:32 - An industrialising fantasy world
29:55 - Writing accents
31:29 - Creating a culture inspired by leafcutter ants
32:52 - An easy worldbuilding win
34:09 - Be cautious about this
34:47 - Learning from The Name of the Wind
36:03 - Writing songs
36:38 - Where the chapter becomes interesting
38:22 - Shortening the chapter
40:11 - Conveying the magic system
43:13 - Dealing with a tone change
47:12 - Picking the right character for exposition
48:16 - Establishing promises
48:41 - Series or standalone?
✏️ MY FREE WRITING ADVICE BOOK:
Get my free book: '5 Lessons That Transformed My Writing': jedherne.com/lessons
🚀 BUILD BETTER WRITING HABITS:
Join my Easy Writing Habits course: easywritinghabits.com
💌 MY NEWSLETTER:
Get a free fantasy story when you sign up to my free, fortnightly author newsletter: bit.ly/jednewsletter
📙 MY BOOKS:
Across the Broken Stars: jedherne.com/acrossthebrokenstars
The Thunder Heist: jedherne.com/thethunderheist
Fires of the Dead: jedherne.com/firesofthedead
🎮 MY VIDEO GAME:
Siege of Treboulain: jedherne.com/siege-of-treboulain-details
🔨 MY FAVOURITE WRITING TOOLS:
Freewrite Traveller (distraction-free writing laptop): getfreewrite.com/?rstr=6485 - use this affiliate link for a 5% discount.
MailerLite (best email newsletter software for authors): mailerlite.com/a/awmq7yimghg9
ProWritingAid (editing software that helped a lot with my early books): prowritingaid.com/?afid=4301
🧑 ABOUT ME:
Hi! My name's Jed. I'm a fantasy author with three published novels and a bestselling video game. On this channel, I draw from my 10+ years of writing experience to help you become a better writer.
💬 CONNECT WITH ME:
Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/jedherne
Send me an email: jed(at)jedherne.com
(Note: I don't always get a chance to reply to every email. However, I do my best to read as many of them as possible, and it's my preferred method of communication.)
