Here to help you vanquish those story construction obstacles, slay that imposter syndrome clawing at the back of your brain & stomp boredom flat with heart-pounding Boys Love fiction. Join the Saga and choose your inbox obsession, whether it’s helpful advice to get your writing unstuck or an episode of my weekly Boys Love Fantasy series to devour during your coffee break.
I’ll have the soap 🧼 with a side of honey 🍯
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Hey, Reader! It was a hot summer day last year and me and my husband were walking down the street in downtown Burlingame. We’d just left one of my two favorite ice cream shops—Salt & Straw—after picking up a birthday gift for my cousin’s daughter from a local indie toy shop. The street was unrecognizable in its post-pandemic state, now lined with street-side permanent dining instead of parked cars. But it was nice to see people enjoying the activities they loved while making masks a new part of their everyday fashion. The Bay Area’s new normal. We’d each gotten a different flavor at Salt & Straw—me, my tried and true favorite—lavender honey, and him, whatever struck his fancy that day. My husband looked over and made the glorious mistake of asking for a bite of my ice cream. I knew he would hate it. He hates anything flower flavored. And I did try to warn him. But…“Bleugh! OMG! What is this, soap?!” He shoves the cone back at me as he starts to paw at his tongue. “Uck I can’t— Give me something to wash the taste out of my mouth!” I can’t help it. I bust up laughing right there on the sidewalk and everyone who wasn’t already watching our spectacle of unintentional comedy sure is now. “Why would you even like something like that?” he demands, chugging the drink that I hand him. “Why did you even want to try it? You knew it was flowers,” I counter, laughing and gasping for breath. “I thought it would be more mild.” “I hate bland flavored things,” I remind him. “And why would it be mild? Then it would just taste watered down.” “Yeah like soapy water.” I roll my eyes and give my cone a dramatic lick to spite him. I love my lavender ice cream. He thinks it tastes like soap. He loves dark chocolate. I think it tastes like dirt. No one’s tastes are exactly the same. Which means…What you write might not be the flavor of choice for every reader, but you know what? That’s ok. In a world of vanilla, you want to be the champagne sherbet The butterscotch swirl… …the lavender honey. The sort of story people will cosplay. Or stay up till 2 AM having arguments with their friends about. You don’t want to be the meh selection on the shelf. You want to be someone’s ride-or-die favorite. Because remember: If you try to appeal to everyone you end up appealing to no one.So, Reader, what’s your flavor of choice? Your cohort in storytelling, Kat Vancil 🐱 PS 👉 I’ve started a Youtube channel which you can check out here. Right now it’s just a few shorts but there will be more awesome content in the future.   |
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I’m Kat! Professional Storyteller & Neurodivergent Creative
Here to help you vanquish those story construction obstacles, slay that imposter syndrome clawing at the back of your brain & stomp boredom flat with heart-pounding Boys Love fiction. Join the Saga and choose your inbox obsession, whether it’s helpful advice to get your writing unstuck or an episode of my weekly Boys Love Fantasy series to devour during your coffee break.
KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 57 There is nothing that hits right to the heart of readers more, Reader, than to feel truly seen. Because it is one thing to be represented at all in a work of fiction. But another thing entirely to feel as if you and your experiences on this big ball or dirt in space, have been understood. And so, since we’re still in the midst of Autism Awareness Month, here are 3 stories that perfectly capture the autistic experience in a way you wouldn’t expect:...
KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 56 Alien. Robot. Psychopath. Um…what? 😟 Let me explain, Reader. It’s a joke among autistic individuals. Because until recently, the only representation we got in visual narratives such as movies or television, came in the form of autistic-coded characters. Which were—you guessed it— aliens, robots, or psychopaths. Which as you might understand, isn’t the greatest. It’s dehumanizing, to say the least. And deeply problematic, especially if you’re a young...
KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 55 Well hello there, Reader, Earlier this week over on threads a soon-to-be author asked: “When you sign copies of your books, what do you write on the title page?” It’s the sort of thing to at least give you one sleepless night. Should I just sign my name? Should I pick my favorite quote from the book? Maybe something inspiring? What should it be?!!!😰 How I chose mine is a bit of a long story. It all started on a rainy spring day in 1997… I was home...