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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.

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‘Whether we exist in real life—or merely on the page—we’re all a sum of our memories and the things we’ve experienced in our lives.’ — Kat Vancil, “Give me that tragic backstory baby”, The Storytellers Saga
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Give me that tragic backstory baby

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 25 Well hello there, Reader! Today we’re talking about tragic backstories. Click to watch the full Reel You know those things that are common in D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) and pretty much every other role-playing game. I guess because happy well-adjusted people aren’t thrill-seeking adventurers? The backstory is usually some page-long saga the player hands over to the GM (game master) and then info dumps to the rest of the party at a tavern in the first...

12 months ago • 4 min read
‘We learn through the media we consume, and a story like this teaches autistic children that it’s their own fault when others misunderstand them.’ — Kat Vancil, “Maybe we SHOULD talk about Bruno”, The Storytellers Saga

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 58 Well hello there, Reader, I hope you’ve been enjoying this month’s focus on autistic representation in stories. We’ve covered a brief history of autistic-coded characters in visual media. And seen 3 stories that perfectly capture the autistic experience. But now let’s talk about when a story really misses the mark, vilifies an autistic person, and makes a catchy musical number out of it. Bet you can’t guess which story I’m going to pick. Want to...

2 days ago • 3 min read
‘A leopard will always recognize another leopard by the quality of their spots.’ — Kat Vancil, “I feel so seen”, The Storytellers Saga

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:...

9 days ago • 4 min read

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...

17 days ago • 3 min read
‘DREAM BIG. Dream that seemingly impossible dream. Because the only person who’s allowed to say it’s impossible is you.’ — Kat Vancil, “Sure to give you anxiety at your 1st book signing”, The Storytellers Saga

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...

30 days ago • 4 min read

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 54 I’m curious, Reader, do you write every day? I didn’t used to. I used to be like a lot of new, fresh-faced aspiring storytellers out there and would wait to put fingers to keys until inspiration struck me. I’d also carry around a pretty little notebook too, “just in case” the Goddess of Storytelling decided to bop me on the head while I was out and about. But… You want to know the awful truth, Reader? When you wait for the Muse of Inspiration, she...

about 1 month ago • 3 min read

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 53 She came up to me in the chaos of screaming children and said, “You right stories, right? She said you write stories.” “Yes…I do,” I answered cautiously. Because I didn’t know this woman at all. Cautiously. Because I was sitting in the middle of my nieces’ 3rd birthday party wearing velveteen mouse ears while a live-action version of Encanto played in the background. And I happen to write 16+ Boy + Boy Romance. Definitely not for pre-K. “Oh, awesome....

about 1 month ago • 3 min read

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 52 Well hello there, Reader, Just the other week it was National Fairytale Day, which got me thinking about my own WIP, This Fair City. But more so, how you can’t take a step in the Fiction section of any bookstore or library without your gaze landing on a fairy tale retelling. You’ve got Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses, Marissa Meyer’s Cinder, and who can forget Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted. I mean, it was a Newbery Honor book and a...

about 2 months ago • 3 min read

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 51 It was probably the worst week of my life, Reader. Just a simple mistake. One of my fellow dance classmates stepped backward out of our final formation and put her heel squarely onto my foot with all her weight. It hurt a lot, but I thought it would get better. Long story short, it didn’t. Just a little bump on the road. My husband wasn’t even going that fast. But my car was already 14 years old and had seen better days. Yep, totaled. Goodbye,...

about 2 months ago • 3 min read

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 50 Well hello there, Reader! Do you ever get to the end of the week and you’re just tired? So tired that all your bright and shiny plans for Sunday just go right out the window? So tired that you can’t even bring yourself to change out of your PJs despite the fact it’s long past noon? I was that kind of tired this past Sunday, Reader. It probably didn’t help that I was woken up way too early by our neighbor’s “valiant” attempt to train their dog not to...

2 months ago • 3 min read
‘Romance is about two people seeing the world their own way, with their own shards of glass wedged deep into their hearts, that by the last page end up completing one another.’ — Kat Vancil, “Looking to write that love story this Palentine’s Day?”, The St

KAT VANCIL THE STORYTELLER'S SAGA QUEST 49 Well hello there, Reader! Have you got a special someone on this 💝 filled day? Did they get you something sweet? In the days leading up to VDay, sales of chocolates and flowers have been massive. But what about… Books? Yep, you heard me correctly. Over 2.2 billion books are sold each year worldwide. And of those billions, 25% were Romance books. That number jumps to 40% if you’re just counting books within genre fiction. Crazy right? And that’s only...

2 months ago • 4 min read
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