My fantasy series WIP, The Myth-Keepers, is a teamwork-driven story, and as I’ve worked on it, I’ve reflected on some of the best teams in fiction. Now, I certainly could talk about nonfictional teams as well, such as the Minnesota Vikings, which would be a well-deserved shoutout, but I’ll stick to fictional ones. After all, …
Author: Madelynn Orion
Writing Lessons: Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive
Leading up to the release of Wind and Truth, I reread Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive (abbreviated to “Stormlight” throughout).Along the way of revisiting one of my favorite fantasy series, I made some mental notes on how to apply Sanderson’s mastery of fantasy world-building into my own tales and what my fellow fantasy writers might …
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Of Kings and Prophets
After years of putting it off, I finally achieved a long-time goal of mind: read through the Kings & Prophets of the Old Testament chronologically. It took me all of 2024 and was such a sweet, rewarding way to engage with Scripture last year. So, I wanted to share some of the main insights and …
Writing Update January 2025: A New Year Full Of New Excitement
Happy 2025! Wow, can’t believe I haven’t written on the blog since last year… (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) Anyways, terrible joke aside, I have some exciting progress to report. Since my last writing update, despite starting a Ph.D. program in the Fall, I managed to write a rough draft for not one, but TWO novels! …
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Reading Recap 2024
In 2024, I read 52 books across a wide range of genres and interests: fiction and nonfiction, fantasy and YA thriller, sci-fi and mystery, classics and writing advice—and more. I finally finished reading The History of Middle-earth series, a major achievement that took me about a decade. I also reread a few favorites, like Andrew …
My Top Ten Christmas Movies
I absolutely love the Christmas season, and one of my favorite things to do during December is watch all the classic, beloved Christmas movies I can. It’s been a bright spot in the middle of wrapping up the Fall semester! While my favorites are probably ones you’re familiar with, there are a couple of somewhat …
Thanksgiving Post 2024: Hope
Earlier this Fall, my brother and I checked off a bucket list item: going to our first Imagine Dragons concert. We road-tripped out to middle-of-nowhere Missouri with a plan for my brother to drive us through the night so I could make it back home in time to teach my 8am class the next morning. …
So, Let’s Talk About Rings Of Power
As a Tolkien fan, maybe it’s surprising I haven’t brought up Rings of Power yet. The truth is, I haven’t talked about the showbecause I didn’t think I had anything to add to the conversation that wasn’t out there. But as I’ve considered the series—and the conversation surrounding it—I finally landed on something I want …
On Tolkien and Encouragement
This year, I finally finished The History of Middle-earth series, a 12-book dive into the development of Tolkien’s writing of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings across the span of his life, edited and with commentary from Tolkien’s son Christopher. It took me ten years to read through them all; as much as …
The Gospel & Gaming: Xenoblade Chronicles
As a Christian, I’m wired to view things through the lens of the Gospel. Every book I read, every movie I watch, whatever content I engage with, I’m looking for the redemptive qualities—the Gospel Truths I believe—reflected in media. So it’s only natural that I do the same with video games, including one of my …
By Madelynn Orion 