J.A. Ironside & M.E. Vaughan
Dissecting DragonsEpisodes
Episodes of Dissecting Dragons
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An interesting slant on both the animal companion and the soul mate tropes, is the 'soul bonded animal' trope. It's been popular in sci-fi and fantasy for many decades but is reaching new levels of popularity with the recent wave of new fantasy
Heroic fantasy better know as Sword & Sorcery, is one of the oldest forms of modern fantasy. It's arguably the progenitor or at least co-parent of both Noblebright and Grimdark, as well as influencing several other subgenres of sci fi and fanta
Have you ever noticed how often a lynchpin character is not, in fact, 'the chosen one'? Or how many times a simple, mundane skill or a knack for being friendly and straight forward saves the day while high powered, flashy characters flounder? T
Aesthetic movements becoming literary genres is not a new thing; nor is the waxing and waning in fashion of those aesthetics. One such example which is enjoying something of a renaissance is 'cottagecore'. The celebration of a back to basics si
The dragons are starting the year with the controversial take that sometimes the film adaptation of a story is better than the book. Obviously this is a bold take as any book worm will tell you, but is there any truth in it? How much is down to
For the final episode of 2023, the dragons are once again suggesting that the last year wasn't as bad as you might think. Certainly, it wasn't as bad as the 24hr news cycle would have you believe. This week, in a light and hopeful episode, Jule
Tis the season and this week the dragons bring you a festive episode that looks at how songs can tell surprisingly complicated and nuanced stories. Since it's almost Christmas, Jules and Madeleine have chosen well known Christmas songs for thos
The creation of graphic novels is not only a form of illustration but a type of story telling in its own right, and one with a far older history than you might guess. Despite an undeserved reputation for being a soft form of reading (something
There are many physical characteristics which, when used in storytelling, have ingrained concordances with less tangible traits. It's a code we imbibe through fiction starting with folktales and continuing through ever possible genre and storyt
Writing a book is hard. Ending a book in way that satisfies most of your readers is unbelievably hard - even before you factor in that you will never please everyone. This week Jules and Madeleine take a look at why this is true. Examining book
A SFF trope currently rising in popularity is that of the magical crime family. This is especially prevalent in conjunction with magic wielders and witches. This week Jules and Madeleine take a look at why mixing the popular 'gangster' trope wi
This week, the dragons bring you another fairy tales in focus episode. Rumpelstiltskin is a mixed bag when you really look at it, but this macabre and often funny tale of deception and trickery has always resonated with children. However, this
Regular listeners of the show will already know that very few tropes and writing trends are actually new. All of them have come from somewhere and often those origins are surprising. The fridging trope is one that bears a justifiable amount of
Gothic fiction may have started out as a sophisticated joke, but like so many initially unlikely genres, it picked up a following, developed rules and tropes and then continued to surprise and delight readers for the next two hundred and fifty
This week's episode in the October spookathon takes a look at horror films. Now, obviously creepy and strange things happen on the sets of horror films - that's sort of the point. But what about all those accounts of rum goings-on that aren't i
Part two of a two part episodeContinuing both the spooky season and their examination of how vampires in fiction challenge all standards of norm, the dragons delve further into our favourite fanged monsters. This week Jules and Madeleine tac
Part 1 of a two part episodeContinuing their month long spookathon, this week the dragons tackle aspects of the vampire genre. In narrative terms vampires have provided an excellent vessel for examining aspects of humanity, whether that's trau
It's October which means two things: Hallowe'en and the Dragons' traditional month long extravaganza of spooky episodes. Heading up the spookathon, Jules and Madeleine take a look at why so many horror films contain queer subtext or are fiction
There's a lot to be learned about serving your target audience exactly what they want from children's books, especially those which have become children's classics. This week the dragons delve into exactly what raises a children's book above it
There's still a lot of discourse around what makes a strong female character - an annoying qualifier which many writers feel we can do without - and much of this discussion is contradictory. One reader's good female character is another reader'
There's something very appealing about a moral outlaw character, Whether it's Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to give to the poor or a barely leashed Jack Reacher doing what's right rather than what the law defines as appropriate. Our fictio
If there is one skill that's essential for getting readers to keep reading and yet gets thought of last amongst writing advice, it's that of pacing. Nor is it an easy skill to master since it varies depending on genre, style, voice and reader t
This week the dragons present another 'fairy tales in focus' episode and they certainly couldn't have picked one with grimmer origins. Hansel and Gretel, though comparatively a young story in fairy tale terms, has its origins in some very real
It's hardwired into humans (and pretty much every other organism) to compete, which is why it should come as no surprise that 'competition' is one of the most 'buttery' tropes you can write into a book. This week, Jules and Madeleine take a loo
Fiction featuring the 'afflicted woman' trope is not a new subgenre but it's enjoying somewhat of a renaissance lately. The 'sad girl' of literary fiction has recently spent a lot more time hanging out in genre fiction which give the dragons th
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