Chasing Monsters in Storytelling
Depending on which type of novel you're writing there will be many different monsters you can weave in to make it more interesting...
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Cynthia Vespia
Fantasy novels with bite
- Jul 18
- 3 min
Storytelling Makes the Idea
When is the storytelling more important than the idea itself? They say that there are only a handful of story ideas and that they are...
- Mar 26
- 4 min
Fantasy Warriors Based on Books
As authors the first place we often draw inspiration from is other writers. After all if you don't have time to read then you shouldn't...
- Mar 14
- 3 min
Animated Fantasy Warriors
When I was growing up my first exposure to strong, capable women warriors came from cartoons or animation. These characters were always...
- Feb 27
- 3 min
Comic Book Fantasy Warriors
A look at the fiercest female warriors in comics
- Feb 12
- 2 min
TV Fantasy Warriors
Fantasy and the warriors who fill those worlds have always been influential in the type of writing I create. So, I thought it would be...
- Feb 4
- 2 min
Meet the Hero from A Time of Dragons
As authors we often write characters that embody characteristics of people we know or of what we aspire to be like. Mine are a mix of...
- Oct 31, 2022
- 1 min
Exploring Villains: The White Witch
One of the first novel series I ever got into was the Chronicles of Narnia. Within that series Queen Jadis, the White Witch, is...
- Oct 30, 2022
- 3 min
Exploring Villains: The Lannisters
House Lannister is one of the richest and most powerful families in Westeros, the fictional land in the Song of Ice and Fire book series...
- Oct 16, 2022
- 2 min
Exploring Villains: Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort a.k.a. Tom Marvolo Riddle, is the main antagonist in the blockbuster series of Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling. The...
- Oct 14, 2022
- 2 min
Exploring Villains: Sauron
In every epic fantasy story there must be at least one villain who appears to be all powerful. This foe is meant to make the characters...
- Oct 4, 2022
- 2 min
Exploring Villains: Annie Wilkes
As I mentioned in my first post in the exploring villains series, antagonists or villains drive the story just as much...if not more...
- Sep 25, 2022
- 2 min
Exploring Villains: Hannibal Lecter
I've always said that a well-written villain is equally as important to the hero. Villains should have as much personality, background,...
- Sep 11, 2022
- 3 min
Reviews: House of the Dragon and Rings of Power
I debated on whether to write reviews on either House of the Dragon or Rings of Power because it is still early on. However, the fact...
- Aug 28, 2022
- 2 min
Fan Casting G.I. Joe
For anyone who grew up in the 80s, the battle cry of "Yo Joe" still gives us chills! Unfortunately, every time Hollyweird has tried to...
- Aug 15, 2022
- 3 min
Exploring Anti-Heroes
What is an anti-hero? In the simplest terms, an anti-hero is the protagonist of a story but they go about their business in a more...
- Jul 30, 2022
- 3 min
Review: Thor Love and Thunder
Let me preface this review by stating that I am almost always on the opposite side of critics and review sites...which is why I lend them...
- Jul 17, 2022
- 3 min
Why We Love Underdog Stories
In almost every story about "the chosen one" it inevitably comes down to a hero who starts the story down on their luck. This chosen one...
- Jun 17, 2022
- 2 min
Why we need more female big bads in fiction
By now, the big reveal for Dr. Strange in the Multiverse should be common knowledge. If not, be warned there are spoilers ahead.......
- Apr 28, 2022
- 4 min
Behind the Mask: Why Vigilante Stories Endure
Superhero stories have erupted over the past few years. An argument can be made that the original Batman film directed by Tim Burton was...
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