In Defence of Storytelling
In short: because we deserve better stories.
Not louder ones. Not flashier ones. Not the same origin tale in new colours, with a tragic backstory stapled on for emotional effect. You can only reheat the same plot so many times before it stops tasting like story.
Why This Site Exists
The BeardedQuill was born from frustration and reverence in equal measure. Far too much of what passes for storytelling today is noise with good lighting. We’re handed the same arcs, the same hollow beats—sometimes with a change in skin tone or gender, but rarely with a change in substance. That’s not representation. That’s replacement casting.
I love superhero films. I love a tight pop chorus. I’ve devoured long-running fantasy series with the enthusiasm of someone who just wants it all to hold together. But there’s a difference between telling a familiar story well—and phoning it in because the audience will probably show up anyway.
I started The Bearded Quill because writing deserves better than that.
And so do readers.
What We Stand For
This isn’t about gatekeeping. It’s about craft.
It’s about knowing why something works—or why it doesn’t, even when it sells. It’s about resisting the urge to sprint past structure, substance, or originality in pursuit of a viral moment or a market-tested beat drop. The Bearded Quill stands for stories that are built, not assembled. That evoke, not perform.
Stories that mean something.
What You’ll Find Here
I’ve spent years studying storytelling—across genres and mediums: fiction, thrillers, sci-fi, poetry, music. Anything with a pulse and a point. And what I’ve learned is this:
The best stories aren’t always loud.
They don’t always shout.
But they always know what they’re doing.
This site exists to share that knowledge. To teach. To question. To provoke. To laugh at the clichés, sidestep the formulas, and think deeply about the writing craft. Not as an academic exercise—but as a practical rebellion.
Because if we’re going to keep telling stories—and we are—then we might as well tell them well.
Chris Michaels
The BeardedQuill