The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed
A practical podcast for fantasy writers, blending author interviews with solo craft deep-dives and a unique 'Fixing Bad Writing' segment.
A UK-based podcast aimed squarely at aspiring fantasy authors that splits its time between two formats. Half the show consists of long-form interviews with successful authors and publishing insiders, focusing on their journeys and daily processes. The other half is a solo-host show, most notably the 'Fixing Bad Writing' series, where the host takes an AI-generated story and live-edits it to teach core principles of plot, character, and prose.
“The 'Fixing Bad Writing' segment, where the host deconstructs and rewrites a weak story, is a unique and practical highlight. This 'show, don't tell' approach to teaching craft sets it apart from more conventional interview-only writing podcasts.”
Who hosts this show
Hosted by British dark fantasy author Richie Billing, The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed offers practical advice on the craft and business of writing. Billing, a former lawyer, now works as a writer, editor, and digital marketer, and teaches creative writing. The podcast features interviews with bestselling authors and industry experts, alongside solo episodes where Billing analyzes and rewrites poorly written stories to demonstrate editing principles.
Credentials & credits
- Author of 'Pariah's Lament' and 'Together We Rise'
- Author of the writing craft book 'A Fantasy Writers' Handbook'
- Editor and digital marketer
- Creative writing teacher
- Former lawyer
Other ventures
- Fixing Bad Writing (YouTube series)
- Writing classes on richiebilling.com
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- uk
When new episodes drop
- 01
- 02Fixing Bad Romantasy Writing: Enemies to Lovers Edition | Fixing Bad WritingMay 26, 2026 · 29 min
- 03
- 04Can I Save This Terrible High Fantasy Story? | Fixing Bad WritingApr 27, 2026 · 32 min
- 05How To Write A Query Letter Literary Agents Will Love (With Stephen Aryan)Apr 13, 2026 · 45 min
- 06
- 07How To Build A Successful Author Business (Without Burning Out) | Joanna PennFeb 14, 2026 · 57 min
- 08Email Marketing for Authors in 2026: How to Grow Your Audience and Sell More BooksJan 14, 2026 · 1h 06m
Notable episodes
- 01Fixing Bad Romantasy Writing: Enemies to Lovers Edition | Fixing Bad Writing
A prime example of the podcast's unique and practical 'Fixing Bad Writing' format, where the host live-edits a story to teach craft.
- 02How Michael Chatfield Built a Bestselling Author Business | Writing Process, Patreon & Reader Growth
Provides a detailed look into the business and habits of a prolific, successful indie author, covering topics from daily process to monetization.
- 03How to Get Your Short Stories Published & Find a Literary Agent | Benjamin Davis (Chill Subs)
Offers actionable advice for writers on a key career step—getting short stories published—by interviewing the founder of a major submissions platform.
What you'll be asked on this show
The show is not exclusively an interview format, but when interviews occur, the host Richie Billing takes a structured and appreciative approach. He typically opens by asking for the guest's origin story to establish their background. He then uses their answers to smoothly transition between pre-planned topics like craft, business, and daily routines. His questions are open-ended, encouraging guests to share detailed stories and processes, and he often allows them to speak for long, uninterrupted stretches. He frequently seeks actionable advice that his audience of writers can directly apply.
The show alternates between solo-host craft episodes and guest interviews. Interviews are conversational and well-structured, with the host often outlining the episode's key topics upfront. The solo 'Fixing Bad Writing' episodes involve the host reading a poor story, analyzing its flaws, and then walking through his rewriting process.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
8 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.
origin
1- Q.01
“What has your writing journey been like and how did you get to where you are today?”
This is a standard opening question used to establish the guest's background and credibility for the audience.
process
3- Q.01
“What does an average writing day look like for you?”
The host asks this to provide listeners with a practical, day-in-the-life look at a professional writer's routine.
- Q.02
“How do you balance the creative writing with the business and marketing tasks?”
This question probes the common struggle of balancing art and commerce that many authors face.
- Q.03
“Are you still actively writing, or is your main project absorbing all your time?”
This question explores the balance between a guest's primary venture and their personal creative work.
advice
1- Q.01
“What are the main things for an author to pursue first?”
He asks this to get foundational, prioritized advice for aspiring authors in the audience.
craft
1- Q.01
“What is your process for bringing characters to life on the page?”
A direct question about the mechanics of writing, seeking specific techniques on character creation.
money
1- Q.01
“How did you go about outsourcing a specific task like marketing?”
This drills down into the business specifics of hiring help and delegating non-writing work.
personal
1- Q.01
“You have a new book coming out; can you tell us about it?”
A straightforward prompt that gives the guest a clear opportunity to promote their latest work.
Signature segments
- · Fixing Bad Writing
- · Calls to join the Patreon/Discord community
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The podcast books a mix of bestselling indie and traditionally published authors in the fantasy genre (Michael Chatfield, Stephen Aryan) and founders of writer-centric platforms (Benjamin Davis of Chill Subs). Guests are chosen for their practical, first-hand experience in writing, marketing, and navigating the publishing industry.
- Benjamin Davison How to Get Your Short Stories Published & Find a Literary Agent | Benjamin Davis (Chill Subs)
- Michael Chatfieldon How Michael Chatfield Built a Bestselling Author Business | Writing Process, Patreon & Reader Growth
- Stephen Aryanon How To Write A Query Letter Literary Agents Will Love (With Stephen Aryan)
- Rym Kechachaon Writing the Fae, Present Tense Storytelling and Confined Fantasy Worlds | Rym Kechacha on The App...
- Joanna Pennon How To Build A Successful Author Business (Without Burning Out) | Joanna Penn
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast primarily promotes its own Patreon and Discord community to listeners. Based on its audience of aspiring writers, estimated appropriate sponsors would include writing software (Scrivener, ProWritingAid), author service platforms (IngramSpark, Reedsy), and educational courses for authors.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch this show
People also ask
- What is the host's name?
- The host is Richie Billing, a British author of fantasy fiction and writing craft books.
- What is the podcast's format?
- It's a mix of two formats: interviews with authors and industry experts, and solo episodes focused on writing craft, including the 'Fixing Bad Writing' series.
- Is the podcast still running?
- Yes, it appears to release new episodes at least monthly.
- Who is this podcast for?
- It's aimed at aspiring and early-career fantasy writers looking for practical advice on craft and the business of being an author.
- How can I support the show?
- You can support the podcast by joining its Patreon or Discord community, which is mentioned at the end of episodes.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on YouTube and major podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Richie Billing - Author Bioaudible.com
- [02]Interview with fantasy author: Richie Billinggclatworthy.com
- [03]The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed - Official Website pagerichiebilling.com
- [04]The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed on Pocket Castspca.st
- [05]The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed on Podnewspodnews.net
- [06]Richie Billing - Goodreads Author Pagegoodreads.com
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