The Storyteller’s Saga & Kat’s Quest

Kat Vancil - Autistic Storyteller & Writing Educator

Just your friendly neighborhood storytelling Kat here to help you vanquish your story construction obstacles, slay the imposter syndrome clawing at the back of your brain, and stomp your boredom flat with heart-pounding Queer Fiction. Join the Saga and choose your inbox obsession. Whether it’s helpful advice with your storytelling or my twice-monthly newsletter featuring book recommendations & chapters of my ongoing magikal Dark Academia series, ExSpelled to devour during your coffee break.

‘Let’s face it, we all want to be that writer speedily banging out words like they’re possessed by a muse. But sometimes we’re like, “Words. Words would be nice.”’ — Kat Vancil, “The dreaded Blank Page Syndrome”, The Storytellers Saga

The dreaded Blank Page Syndrome 😱

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 64 Well hello there, Reader! Right before we kicked off our bi-monthly D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) game this past Saturday, our friend asked me for some storytelling advice. “You’ve had writer’s block before, right? So how did you handle it?” She looked beyond frustrated and a bit defeated. But she’s far from alone in that regard. Because if you type “writer’s block” into Google you’ll get about 18,500,000 results. No joke. So clearly a huge amount of...

over 1 year ago • 3 min read

‘The title should clearly hint at the story’s plot and genre without revealing too much. You don’t want your book to get lost on the shelf, but you also don’t want it to stick out in a negative way.’ — Kat Vancil, “A book by any other name…”, The Storytel

A book by any other name… 📚

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 111 Well hello there, Reader, While at the bookshop this past weekend (we were meeting some friends for lunch, and we always stop in to the bookstore beforehand), I picked up a book off the shelf purely because of the title. I mean, come on—My Husband and I sleep in a Coffin—that’s definitely a title that’s gonna make me do a double take. And it got me thinking about selecting titles for some of my upcoming story projects. So if you’ve ever struggled...

17 days ago • 4 min read

‘Statistically, failing in front of random strangers doesn’t bother us quite as much as failing in front of our loved ones. So treat it like a learning experience to level up from, instead of a Hunger Games-style life-or-death match where all but the “win

I got 99 projects 📚 and…

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 110 Hey, Reader, quick question: Is the idea that your story has to be a perfect, NY Times Best Selling Great American novel that will go on to be featured on school reading lists for the next century, keeping you from actually reaching The End? 😬 Be honest now. It’s okay if it is. You’re not alone in that. Trust me. Our culture constantly feeds us this notion that if we’re not THE BEST THAT EVER WAS, then we’re nothing. It’s exhausting. 😮💨 And with the...

25 days ago • 3 min read

‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if all your notes were in one place, itemized and easy to access when you needed them? That’s what I thought too. So I created the Story Quest Log.’ — Kat Vancil, “Is your story lost in a junk drawer?”, The Storyteller’s Saga

Is your story lost in a junk drawer? 🗃️

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 109 So I was going through my iPhoto library the other day, Reader. Looking for something specific. But I got distracted deleting random photos that were hogging space. Bad selfies. 🤦🏻♀️ Accidental recordings 🎥 of the ground. A DMV appointment verification number. 🚙 The epic spiderweb 🕸️ on the trunk of my brother’s car. Flight info from 6 months ago. ✈️ A cake decorated with a “turkey.” 🦃 The bath soap soap 🧼 I use, so my husband could buy the correct...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read

‘Adversaries are any character whose actions put them in opposition to the Legendary Character.’ — Kat Vancil, “Make me your villain”, The Storyteller’s Saga

Make me your villain 🦹

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 108 If you’re like most storytellers, Reader, you spend a good deal of time creating your Legendary Characters. But what about the other guys. You know the ones. I’m talking about the… The Bad Guys The bad guys of the story we know so well. They’re your evil scientists Your human rights violators Your… …love interests? That’s right, Reader, antagonist does NOT equal villain. So let’s dive into why and how to use 1 or all 3 of these in your next story....

about 2 months ago • 3 min read

‘However your magic system works, make solid rules and NEVER violate them… And your magical school will feel a lot more solid and real if what your characters learn has applications outside of the classroom.’ — Kat Vancil, “It’s back-to-school time. Back

It’s back-to-school time. Back to MAGIC school 🪄 that is!

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 107 It’s back-to-school time, Reader. Back to magic school 🪄 that is! While working on the cover design and artwork for my Boys Love short story collection Walk Me Home, I’ve been taking a break by writing chapters for my ongoing free series ExSpelled and reading Love At Second Sight by F.T. Lukens. The latter is Magic Realism that features paranormal teenagers at an East Coast high school. And ExSpelled is my magical Dark Academia set in an alternative...

about 2 months ago • 5 min read

‘People too often focus on what they haven’t accomplished or achieved or what they haven’t created. They’re like a little mouse running on a wheel squeaking more, more, MORE!’ — Kat Vancil, “Are you currently floundering in project paralysis?”, The Storyt

Are you currently floundering in project paralysis? 😵‍💫

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 106 Well hello there, Reader, Last week, when I was upstairs folding laundry, (it’s a never-ending side quest 😩) our friend called. After a good 15 mins of her meandering through a wide array of topics, she finally ventured into what she really wanted to talk about. Her struggles with project paralysis. A struggle that I—and many other storytellers—have suffered from. One where you have too many great ideas and partially drafted stories. And you’re not...

3 months ago • 3 min read

‘You should try writing the book that delights YOU first. Then find the people who adore EXACTLY that.’ — Kat Vancil, “A goth girl living in a Barbie world”, The Storytellers Saga

A goth girl living in a Barbie world 👱🏻‍♀️💅

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 105 Well hello there, Reader, My cousin’s daughter is in her “Barbie Phase.” 💅 Which might make it seem like buying her the perfect birthday present would be easy. But you’d be dead wrong. Because not every doll-loving little girl is the same. In much the same way, not every goth is the same. Case in point, yours truly. I’m what is typically referred to as a “Happy Goth.” 90% of my clothing is black, I have the complexion of a sparkly vampire, and I own...

3 months ago • 3 min read

‘A Beach Read should require minimal mental effort to consume, making them ideal vacation reads. The sort of thing you could read while kids screech and splash in a pool, dogs bark on a scorching hot day, and fireworks explode in the near distance.’ — Kat

What the frisbee IS a beach read anyways? 🏖️📖

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 104 Walk into any big box store or small-town indie book shop from May to the last embers of August and you’ll find displays dedicated to the Beach Read, Reader. But what the frisbee IS a Beach Read? Well, the designator was first used as a marketing tool by publishers in the early 90s. Now it’s become so commonplace that, come May, the “Beach Read” is featured on the new release lists of every magazine and book site. Beach Reads are usually light,...

3 months ago • 3 min read

‘Does recasting a character from a classic story as queer heighten the emotional impact of the original? Not always, but it definitely CAN.’ — Kat Vancil, “But what if it was queer…?”, The Storytellers Saga

But what if it was queer…? 🤔 🏳️‍🌈

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 103 Fellow fairytale lover Liz Gotauco is quoted as saying, “Looking for gay characters in fairytales can feel like a fruitless endeavor.” Prince of Endless Tides By Ben Alderson And she’s not wrong. Though the sexuality of the authors of many fairytales and classics is constantly debated, what is plain to see is that fairytales and classics have a serious diversity problem. So how do we fix it, Reader? By adapting the stories to make them more queer...

3 months ago • 4 min read

‘When it comes to writing, you’re routinely told: “Write what you know.” But that advice can often be too vague to be helpful.’ — Kat Vancil, “THEY say ‘Write what you know’”, The Storytellers Saga

THEY say “Write what you know” ✍️

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 102 Lights. Curtain. Dancers, take your place. Cue music. This upcoming weekend will be a team effort as the 49th annual dance showcase of the studio I attend comes together. And if you’ve never performed on stage, Reader, here’s a small taste… It’s sequins and sweat. Runs in your tights and running to grab your prop in time to reenter the stage on cue. It’s bruises and bows. Ankle braces and applause for a job well done. It’s the exhilarating thrill of...

4 months ago • 5 min read

Just your friendly neighborhood storytelling Kat here to help you vanquish your story construction obstacles, slay the imposter syndrome clawing at the back of your brain, and stomp your boredom flat with heart-pounding Queer Fiction. Join the Saga and choose your inbox obsession. Whether it’s helpful advice with your storytelling or my twice-monthly newsletter featuring book recommendations & chapters of my ongoing magikal Dark Academia series, ExSpelled to devour during your coffee break.