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, …
Category: Themes
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 …
How Video Games Changed My Novel Writing
(Or, A Chance To Gush About Xenoblade Chronicles 3) Once upon a time, I used to be a “story purist.” In other words, I used to believe that books were the unquestioned superior form of storytelling, and dismissed movies, TV shows, and video games as inferior stories. I never thought those visual mediums could come …
A Christian Writer’s Confession, Part 1: Kingdom of Self versus Kingdom of God
Confession is a lost rhythm of modern life. In modern American culture, we’re quick to ignore our own faults and shortcomings, justify vice or less-than-good behaviors, and not cast judgment on others’ mistakes—unless we disagree with something they stand for. I’m grateful to be a part of a church that regularly practices confession, and it …
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A Decade of Myth-Keepers: My Oldest Story
"Mythics" was the original series name - I brainstormed different names for the series in my planner. It's on a November calendar page, but I didn't commit to writing and working on the series until December 2013. The Myth-Keepers, my longest actively worked on series, turns ten years old this month. It is very surreal …
The Powers & Perils of Nostalgia
Nostalgia is such an interesting emotion. It brings out longing for the past, but a very idealized version of the past. It makes us overlook flaws in books or other media from our childhood, tinging it with rose-colored glasses. Because it’s a powerful emotion, lately, marketing seems to be saturated with appeals to nostalgia. This …
My Villain Manifesto: Reflections on Antagonists in Fiction
Back in my old theater days, I was typecast as the villain. I played Cinderella’s stepmother (twice), Shere Khan in the Jungle Book, and—one of my favorites—Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty. I’ll admit, it feels rather empowering to be the bad guy, gliding across the stage, robed in black, the other actors trembling before you… Me …
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Where Did Whitman Court Come From?
Great question. It’s a bit of a murky journey. Here’s a fun fact about me as a writer: most of my story ideas that I’m actively working on came to me in high school or earlier. Unfortunately, though, it’s difficult to determine when an idea first occurred to me or when I started working on …
The End: Writing Farewells & Finales
I’ll admit, I’ve written more beginnings than endings, to the point that I’m tempted to say that writing the first chapter of a book is significantly harder than writing the last. I don’t necessarily disagree with that statement—I myself struggle most with how to best start a book—yet I do certainly think that a misstep …
How Our Company of Fools Changed My Writing
Fueled by an explosion of inspiration and angst, I wrote Our Company of Fools at the beginning of January 2016. I’d never written a book of that length that quickly. I’d never written a more personally emotional book. I never wrestled so much with a story through the ebbs and flows of editing and revision. …
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By Madelynn Orion 