Today on Fantasy Writing for Barbarians, we’re breaking down a first‑page excerpt from the fantasy writing subreddit and asking a deceptively simple question: what actually makes an opening work? Jon reacts in real time to a dark fantasy opening, unpacking why beautifully written prose can still fall flat without momentum, stakes, or a clear scene engine. And how to avoid starting your novel with pages of nothing happening.

Have a question or topic you want me to get into for the show? Email us at fantasywritingforbarbarians@gmail.com or join our Discord (https://discord.gg/wG5g8RR4m2) and let us know what's on your mind.

Fantasy Writing for Barbarians‘ host is Jon Negroni, author of The Pixar Theory, Killerjoy, and more. You can read some of his original short fiction for free over on Cetera Magazine. Our producers are Natalia Emmons and Bridget Serdock. You can find all our episodes and various podcast app options here.

Intro music: "Adventures in Adventureland" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Fantasy Writing for Barbarians, we're responding to an email from a listener who wants to know how they can incorporate humor and levity in their dark fantasy novel. They specifically reference Terry Pratchett, so I take a close look at how this works and why it seems far more effortless than it actually is.

Check out my latest short story, out now in the anthology "If I Die Before I Wake Vol. 10: Tales of Cryptid Chaos" in hardcover and paperback (https://us.amazon.com/If-Die-Before-Wake-Cryptid-ebook/dp/B0G34VBT41)

Have a question or topic you want me to get into for the show? Email us at fantasywritingforbarbarians@gmail.com or join our Discord (https://discord.gg/wG5g8RR4m2) and let us know what's on your mind.

Fantasy Writing for Barbarians‘ host is Jon Negroni, author of The Pixar Theory, Killerjoy, and more. You can read some of his original short fiction for free over on Cetera Magazine. Our producers are Natalia Emmons and Bridget Serdock. You can find all our episodes and various podcast app options here.

Intro music: "Adventures in Adventureland" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Fantasy Writing for Barbarians, we’re digging into a question a lot of fantasy writers are quietly wrestling with: has modern fantasy been reshaped by short attention spans? Using Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness as a jumping‑off point, Jon talks about why “hook them on page one” isn’t a universal law, how slow and challenging books earn their payoff, and why contemporary craft advice often confuses market pressures with actual storytelling quality.

Check out my latest short story, out now in the anthology "If I Die Before I Wake Vol. 10: Tales of Cryptid Chaos" in hardcover and paperback (https://us.amazon.com/If-Die-Before-Wake-Cryptid-ebook/dp/B0G34VBT41)

Have a question or topic you want me to get into for the show? Email us at fantasywritingforbarbarians@gmail.com or join our Discord (https://discord.gg/wG5g8RR4m2) and let us know what's on your mind.

Fantasy Writing for Barbarians‘ host is Jon Negroni, author of The Pixar Theory, Killerjoy, and more. You can read some of his original short fiction for free over on Cetera Magazine. Our producers are Natalia Emmons and Bridget Serdock. You can find all our episodes and various podcast app options here.

Intro music: "Adventures in Adventureland" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.