Episode 5

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Published on:

8th Oct 2025

Why Your Fantasy Elements Feel Tacked On (and How to Fix It) | Ep 5

Do your fantasy elements ever feel like an afterthought? Like they exist in the world because they're cool or convenient? You're not alone. It's a struggle to weave a magic system, worldbuilding, and/or supernatural elements into the heart of the plot.

In this episode of The Fiction Refinery Podcast, we'll explore the concept of a fantasy plot line. It's a layer of storytelling that makes your fantasy elements integral to your protagonist’s journey rather than decorative details.

Drawing inspiration from Secrets to Writing a Fantasy by Stanley and Cook, I'm sharing how I'm applying this idea to my own work-in-progress. I walk through my external plot versus fantasy plot and break down an example from Fourth Wing.

Whether your story features dragons, curses, or quiet elemental magic, you’ll come away with a clearer understanding of how to make the fantastical matter.

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About the Podcast

Fiction Refinery
Storytelling for Romantic Fantasy Writers
Writing a book is exciting, messy, and sometimes overwhelming. I’m Jennifer, a writer and developmental editor, and on Fiction Refinery I’m pulling back the curtain on my own process as I work on my next story (romantic fantasy).

I'm not here to tell you how to write a book. Instead, I'm sharing the false starts, the breakthroughs, and the lessons I’m learning along the way from books, movies, and other writers. If you’re on your own writing journey and want some company on the road, you’ll feel right at home here.

Together we’ll trade ideas, share struggles, and make the creative process feel a little less lonely.

About your host

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Jennifer Flodin