The biggest lesson South Jordan resident Madigan Thompson learned while studying at The Author Conservatory is rejection is the pathway to growth. During her studies at the three-year online college-alternative program for gifted writers, Thompson, 21, honed her writing skills. She knows becoming a full-time writer isn’t easy, but she thinks it’s totally worth it. 

“As we go through the three-year program, we write two full-length novels, and we do a short story,” she said. “We have classes by award-winning authors, professional editors and successful entrepreneurs. By the time we graduate, we’ll be able to pursue publication and already be earning money.”

Part of the school’s curriculum includes writing a short story for the anthology, “Voices of the Future,” which features nine graduating students. “Obsidian Wings” is the story penned by Thompson about Cor, a dragon girl, who lives alone on her mountain until a carriage crashes into her life and the people inside shake her world. 

It’s not the first time she’s written about the main character and Thompson found the short story assignment to be a great opportunity to revisit Cor’s character and give her a unique story. Thompson hopes to rewrite the first novel written about Cor and plans to create a novel that features Cor as a Mary Poppins-like character, but she’s a dragon.

Tompson’s writing is influenced by many writers including J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Andrew Peterson. She also connected with the “How to Train Your Dragon” series by author Cressida Cowell.

“On the surface, it’s a kid’s book, with the humor and a wacky world,” she said, “but when we look deeper, it has such deep themes about growing up, and how growing up isn’t always pretty. But you have your friends and your family with you. It surprised me in the best way.”

Thompson, who graduated from a homeschool high school, is attracted to science fiction and fantasy writing because she believes it’s a gateway to imagination and it’s a way for many children to get drawn into reading for fun. 

“It helps us grow and gives us an escape from reality and also to learn more about reality through these characters,” she said. “Even though they’re not real, quote, unquote, they’re real and we can connect with them and enjoy the world through their eyes and experiences.”

Thompson schedules three hours each day for her writing, even when she’s working a full-time job. Along with writing, Thompson also creates digital fan art based on anime, science fiction and fantasy shows. She also collects her favorite books and enjoys binge-watching TV with her dad. 

“Voices of the Future” was released in December and is available on Amazon in paperback and ebook versions. It has already been named a #1 New Release in Teen and Young Adult Short Stories. For more information about Thompson, visit MadiganThompson.com.

“My goal for all my stories, no matter what the genre, is to tell a story about family, whether it’s found or blood, and about hope in dark times,” she said. “And of course, it has to have a nice dash of humor mixed in there.”λ