Today on Fantasy Writing for Barbarians, we’re answering an email from a listener deep in the weeds of writing their dark, grimdark high fantasy series. It’s got all the makings of a brutal, layered epic: tangled character histories, world-shifting subplots, and the ever-haunting question...how do you keep hope alive in a story designed to crush it?
In this episode, I break down the key challenges of writing dark fantasy without losing your readers to despair. We talk about how to weave deep character history into the page without lore dumps, why subplots shouldn’t hijack your story’s spine, and how to make hope feel like a hard-won prize.
Have a question or topic you want me to get into for the show? Email us at fantasywritingforbarbarians@gmail.com or join our Discord 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. 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.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!