Against the odds of graduate school’s rigor and demand, I’ve actually read books for fun this year! Some of the books I’ve read were old favorites of mine I took the time to revisit: The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quintet, and The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee …
Category: Fantasy
Rereading The Chronicles of Narnia
A couple of years ago, I started a series of “Story Studies” that covered some of the most influential childhood stories that shaped my writing. In the process of writing that series, I came to realize something: I don’t remember a lot of the books I would consider my “all-time favorites” and “major influences.” Because …
Story Study: Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – Part 2
Coincidentally, this post was published on the birthday of the greatest father in the galaxy… Darth Vader! Just kidding. It’s my Dad’s birthday. And he loves Star Wars, as I mentioned in Part 1 of my Star Wars story study. Happy birthday, Dad! * I don’t know what’s more controversial these days, the prequels or …
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Story Study: Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – Part 1
Since The Rise of Skywalker recently brought the 9-episode Star Wars: Skywalker Saga to an end, I decided to rewatch all of the main films as a study in story during my break from school in May. Though I am extremely familiar with Star Wars, as my dad is a huge fan, I hadn’t seen …
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Reading Recap: January – April 2019
I’ve already read over ten books in 2019. For some of you, ten books in four months is nothing, but for me, it’s an achievement—in my adult years, at least! I used to read all the time as a kid and constantly needed to more books to meet the demands of my voracious reader’s appetite. …
Story Study: The Thor Trilogy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
My last Story Study is appropriately timed, considering Avengers: Endgame's release this week! The subject of today's post not only introduced me to the MCU, but also is the reason I now enjoy the science fiction genre. ~ My first encounter: As the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies began to release, leading up to The Avengers in 2012, …
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Story Study: The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
This next Story Study features the fantasy tale that impacted me the most as a writer and will forever be my favorite fictional story. ~ My first encounter: The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien has the distinction of my favorite book of all time, and is perhaps the work that, above …
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Story Study: The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
Today’s Story Study is all about my second fantasy favorite as a kid! ~ My first encounter: As with the early Harry Potter films (based on J. K. Rowling’s series), the 2000s movie adaptation of C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe revealed a world of wonder and fantasy that captivated me …
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Story Study: The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
To begin my series of Story Studies, I turn to one of the most beloved book series of the past couple of decades and one of the earliest fantasy works I encountered as a child. ~ My first encounter: My exposure to J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series was gradual. I did see the movies …
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By Madelynn Orion 