How to Write the Middle of Your Fantasy Novel (Detailed Guide)

About this episode

In this episode, Jed Herne provides a detailed guide on how to effectively write the middle of a fantasy novel, addressing common pitfalls and offering practical strategies.

Writing the middle of your fantasy novel is hard. Lots of people talk about how to write a great opening, or how to write a great ending. Yet hardly anyone discusses the middle, and that’s a massive problem, because not knowing what to do with your middle is maybe the biggest reason why you’ll get stuck with your story. But that won’t happen to you, because in today's episode, I’m going to show you how to master the middle, so that you can confidently get from the start to the finish of your first draft, without giving up halfway through! Here's what we'll cover today: First, I’ll explain the two common pieces of writing advice that are secretly sabotaging your middles. Then, I’ll explain the better approach (which I’ve taught to many of my students, helping them master the middles of their stories). Next, I’ll plot a new fantasy novel in real-time, so that you can see how to actually build the middle of your own story. Lastly, I'll cover some important mindset and troubleshooting tips for getting through the middle of your first draft. Want to improve your writing even further? Read my new book, Plotting Your Fantasy Novel . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more…

People in this episode

Host: Jed Herne

Topics covered

• writing the middle of a novel
• fantasy writing
• story structure
• writing advice
• mindset tips

Keywords

• fantasy novel
• writing tips
• story development
• middle of a story
• novel writing

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Plotting Your Fantasy Novel

More episodes of The Fantasy Writing Show with Jed Herne

• I Wrote a Fantasy Novel in 42 Days (And You Can, Too) · June 8, 2026 · 19 min
• You’re Only Six Months Away from Finishing Your Fantasy Novel · April 14, 2026 · 7 min
• I Read 761 Fantasy First Chapters & Kept Seeing These 5 Mistakes · April 11, 2026 · 23 min
• Good vs Bad Fantasy Plots: The 5 Key Differences · March 31, 2026 · 18 min
• The 6-Dimension Framework That Creates Truly Realistic Fantasy Cultures · March 4, 2026 · 12 min
• What Pro Fantasy Authors Know That Amateurs Don't · February 14, 2026 · 35 min