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Andrea Cerasoni

I'm Andrea, a Software Engineer and aspiring Fantasy Author. In my newsletter, Fantasy Sunday, you can expect free resources on writing Fantasy fiction based on my experience and the most reputable online sources. I also share updates on my novels and valuable life hacks!

Featured Post

Fantasy Sunday: Change of Focus 🎯 Subverting Fantasy Characters 🧙‍♂️

Hi all, As part of my continued effort to expand the platform, I regularly review what I'm putting out each month, what works, and what doesn't. There are always plenty of ideas floating around in my head, and although they all seem worthwhile, I know that to bring high-quality content to my following, I must sometimes shift my focus away from certain things and onto others. I recently found myself in the unfortunate position of having to decide what not to do, and refocus the time I have to...

Hi all, Today's issue will be a short one. The first item on the line is my most recent article, Find the Balance: Showing vs. Telling in Writing Dialogue, which has been published in partnership with the Campfire Learn blog! Campfire is a tool for writers and storytellers; check it out if you're a fellow writer! This is my first guest post and I am proud and grateful to the Campfire team for partnering with me on it. The second piece of news is that the Fantasy name generator I previewed in...

Hi all, In this week's article, we speak about The Little Book of Ikigai by Ken Mogi, a short book that summarizes, with plenty of examples, the pillars of the Japanese-born philosophy. Ikigai, in short, is your reason to live. It is about achieving a happier, more fulfilled life. Ikigai re-focuses your attention on what's important, and I think it can offer something to everyone. It's a complex topic, deeply connected to Japanese society, but Ken Mogi does a good job of making it accessible....

Hi all, After a few weeks off on holiday, I am back with regular newsletters and lots of news to share! First off, there are two new Blog posts I invite you to check out: Read How to Write Dialogue in a Story to learn how to write good and useful dialogue and balance showing versus telling. Hard vs Soft Magic Systems explores magic systems with plenty of examples and a deep dive into Sanderson's Laws of Magic. Secondly, during the holiday, I had some time to complete Chapter 2 of A Wizard's...

Hi all, This week we delve into one of my favorite topics: Stoicism. I also share some juicy updates regarding the platform and the work I'm doing. Stoicism Stoicism is a philosophy of life — a collection of mental frameworks, strategies, and ideas aimed at improving our lives and making us better members of society. In my latest blog, Best Stoicism Books, I introduce the philosophy and talk about the best books on Stoicism. I highly recommend checking this one out. Website Enhancements On a...

Issue #5March 17th, 2024 Hi friends, Stories have "bad people" who are often driven by greed for power, and a morally questionable agenda. They are necessary to make a story exciting. They create conflict in the plot. Except, sometimes they're not people. A tidal wave crashing into a city, or a meteor striking the planet. They're not people at all. In my latest, blog, Villain vs Antagonist in Fantasy Fiction, I explain the difference between Villains and Antagonist and why, as readers and...

Issue #4March 10th, 2024 Hi all, This week has been a productive one! I've finally come around to writing one of the most challenging but satisfying blog posts I had planned. In How To Write A Fantasy Novel, I give a step-by-step approach to starting your own novel, reflecting on what I did wrong in my past attempts, and what I'm doing differently now. I wrote it as a way to clarify in my head how a novel can be written, and to reassure myself that in fact, it's not impossible. I also reflect...

Issue #3March 3rd, 2024 Hi friends, Today marks a major milestone in my author journey. My blog has finally ranked on Google! Yes, you heard it right: you can find my articles via Google searches! Not only that, but I'm ranking for 7 keywords, 4 of which are in the US. Thrilled to see a Harry Potter keyword in there too! Organic Keywords for andreacerasoni.com in the USA Search appearance for andreacerasoni.com in the UK Despite the ranking positions being relatively low (33rd result being...

Issue #2February 24th, 2024 Hi all, Welcome to Fantasy Sunday, the newsletter where I share the progress on my books, my recent learnings and life hacks, and introduce new blog articles. This week, I've not been too well 🤒When I felt ok, I spent time on my recent article What Is a Website? which covers some very simple concepts behind websites and the internet. Given you are receiving this newsletter, I will assume that you are a savvy internet user. If you've ever wondered what websites are...

Issue #1February 18th, 2024 Hi all, Welcome to the second issue of Fantasy Sunday, the newsletter where I share the progress on my books, my recent learnings and life hacks, and introduce new blog articles. For anyone who noticed, yes, I am counting the issues beginning from 0. That's how we count in Software Engineering! So the first issue is #0, the second #1, and so forth. This week, I've spent a beautiful weekend in nature with my partner and her family, caught up on my day job, and...