C.M. Vazquez
Bio
She/Her. English Professor. Aspiring Novelist. 30+. Proud Latina.
I'm obsessed with my cat and fantasy fiction.
Stories (48)
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Lost in the Shuffle
Written in 2019. I feel guilty I do not remember as much about my little sister Itzel’s childhood as I do our other sister, Chelsey. Maybe it is because her childhood is still ongoing or because I was lumped with Chelsey all the time, despite her only being five years older. All three of us are closer than a lot of sisters. I talk more about Chelsey; I share more with Chelsey. Of course, she is nearly sixteen and Itzel is eleven, while I am twenty-five. Chelsey and I remember the harsher moments of our childhoods, working hard to protect Itzel from such gruesome matters. It made us good sisters, it made us close, but it also tore me apart from Itzel.
By C.M. Vazquez3 years ago in Confessions
What Stories Should We Tell?
What stories are we allowed to tell? I would argue this question is as old as what constitutes literature and is especially provocative in our current socio-political climate. Everyone has a story inside them, but what stories are you allowed to tell? How far are you allowed to share them? With fiction, this is a complicated question. It can lead to angry fans who claim you did not portray a culture or gender correctly. It can lead to backlash from individuals who find an experience too narrow, even if it relates to your own experiences. However, creative nonfiction comes with its own problems as well. In some ways, the questions are more intense because nonfiction writers are bearers of truth. They discuss real people and real stories, which creates ramifications about everything they write. So, the ramifications don’t just land on them, but on other people as well. The truth is enough, but when is the truth too much? When do we hold back? When do we plow forward? What are willing to give up to have our stories told? The truth is not simple. It is complicated. But, sometimes a story just needs to be told. We decide what stories we are allowed to tell by deciding what is most important to us in our pursuits of the truth.
By C.M. Vazquez3 years ago in Humans
The Magic of Writing
Created in 2019. There are several instances in my life that I have felt magic, but nothing quite feels like the first time I fell in love. It was with a book. I would go on to love other books, other stories, but nothing compares to the first one. That feeling of wonder is impossible to recapture. It was not one of the classics, one of those books every educator seemed to hold higher than the rest. It was not one of those books people pretended was their favorite because people wanted to feel smart and stopped believing in magic as adults. This is unfortunate since all writing, no matter the type, is magical.
By C.M. Vazquez3 years ago in Geeks
A Falling Star
Concept: I wanted to create a science fiction story that also included witches. The idea behind it is that a witch ends up in a distant land and meets a rebel fighter. She adjusts to the new worlds she is now a part of. The issue? She was once like the very beings her new love is fighting.
By C.M. Vazquez3 years ago in Fiction
Queen of Demons
Prologue The land of Desmonia was known as the land of the demons. Every generation, a king would have as many children as possible. Then, when they came of age, they were charged with murdering their siblings. The survivor would become the ruler. The cycle repeated until the first and last queen. Queen Natalia was not complacent to wait until her father’s death. On her seventeenth birthday, she slaughtered her entire family.
By C.M. Vazquez3 years ago in Fiction
Bottom of the Deep Blue
Inspired by a trip to SeaWorld and my love of Encantados. The entirety of Dolores Milagros’ life was spent wishing she were somebody else. Unfortunately, life was not a fairytale and there were no genies, eager to free her from the confines of adulthood, and no wizards looking to send her home. However, today she was given a brief reprieve. Her stepmother had company over and wanted everyone out of the house. So, Dolores was tossed a handful of bills and told to make scarce.
By C.M. Vazquez3 years ago in Fiction
Llorona
My little sister was the chosen savior of the magical world, the one meant to unite the unicorns in a battle that would cement their reign on the Mountains of Cosmas against the invading hordes of minotaurs and grant them peace for the next thousand years. They had waited millennia for her. Unfortunately for them, I was about to strangle her.
By C.M. Vazquez3 years ago in Fiction
Fireheart
Trigger Warnings: Mental Illness, Kidnapping My body was made of trauma and bone. I had broken apart so many times, there were remnants of me scattered across my floor. However, for the first time, I was terrified I would not be able to put myself back together again. Blood screamed in my ears as the attack overwhelmed me.
By C.M. Vazquez3 years ago in Fiction
Immortal Darlings and Why It is Okay to Kill Them
Note: "Kill your darlings" is a popular piece of writing advice that encourages writers to be ruthless when it comes to editing their work. The idea behind this advice is that sometimes writers become so attached to a particular idea or section of their writing that they are unwilling to cut it, even if it doesn't serve the overall purpose of the piece.
By C.M. Vazquez3 years ago in Journal
