Showing the Told

As a writer of fiction, my priority is to make what is unseen easy to visualize. I do so by simplifying the concepts and generalizing the descriptions.

What things look like is important. This is a problem as words, however. Elaborate descriptions are inappropriate. An illustration should be provided if the exact details are so important. The story is brought to a halt otherwise.

Some ideas cannot be illustrated. They are matters of preference. For example: “The most beautiful woman in the world” can be contradicted by a picture, no matter the picture. If a subjective concept is important, what is visualized should be left to the imagination of the reader.

Pacing is especially important in action scenes. The gist of what is happening should be described, not the details. The emotions and sensations of the characters involved are what make action in prose dramatic. Exact measurements and positioning are generally irrelevant. No one in such a situation would mind such things anyway, instead acting reflexively or intuitively.

Less is more in reading or writing prose. The gist is what makes everything imaginable. Generalizations give the feel that makes things seem as they are. If a detail is mentioned, it should be important, such as to hint at significance. Extraneous details should be omitted entirely. The mind of the reader should not be overwhelmed by irrelevancy.

A picture speaks a thousand words, yes, but using a thousand words to draw a picture is not only inefficient, it is too much. A book should never be longer than its actual story.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Shawn-OToole/author/B07C28S75Z?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Saint Christopher

Late in the night of January 13, 2025… or in the wee hours of January 14th, I was adjusting my sheets and mattress when something strange happened: The tip of the middle finger of my left hand was bent backwards. It did not hurt. It did not discolor or swell. It simply looked quite odd. I massaged it and felt no pain. I was confused. I turned on my computer and investigated. I learned that what I have is called “mallet finger” and is treatable. I went to bed and slept soundly. 

I went to stores the next morning and bought a splint and other things. I had not been using glucosamine chondroitin because I ran out, so resupplied. I hurt my left hand on Christmas Eve 2024 by swinging my little nieces around, but in the palm and wrist, not my fingers.

I went to the doctor on January 14th. Dr. Wilson was friendly and helpful. He wrapped my finger after hyperextending it. I must wait 8 weeks for it to fully heal. I shall have a checkup on January 30^th.

I have been washing my laundry by hand for months. My washer stopped working but my dryer still works. I cannot wash my laundry by hand for 8 weeks. I asked my friend Chris Buffaloe for help. He is on the road and has been for months.

I went to work on January 14th. I have two jobs. My evening job is at a grocery store called Food Lion. It was difficult to do with less than two hands, but I managed it. I came home early because of plumbing problems at the store.

I came home to a big surprise. My washer was in the backyard. A new washer was already installed. I called my friend Chris Buffaloe. He hurried from Fayetteville NC to Newport NC to do what he did then he hurried back to Fayetteville. His wife Anna chose a machine and had it ready for him to pick up.

NOTE: Fayetteville is over a 150 miles from Newport, where I live. It is over two and a half hours away. My friend acting above and beyond for my sake… and asked for NOTHING in return. I wept.

I have been cynical for a while. People are always annoyed with me or simply disinterested. I write books and illustrate the covers but no one cares to read them. I was very sad, not angry. I was tired emotionally and psychologically. Chris Buffaloe, my friend, rid me of my cynicism in a single day. He gave me hope. I am no longer sad, because of him.

Villainous Humanity

I write fiction. My thematic specialty is ordinary people as antagonists. Their hostility is impersonal. Their villainy is unwilling. Their lives are not their own, however, and neither are their thoughts.

HUMANITY AS THE ENEMY is not uncommon in fiction, especially nowadays. My version of the idea is unusual, however. It is not misanthropic. On the contrary: It celebrates humanity asserting itself against the will of inhuman entities.

Devils are real, and I do mean literal devils. Evil angels and their demonic offspring rule the world. Their underlings are humanity itself. Women are the cannon-fodder of the Enemy, and have been since the beginning. Men are the captains of wickedness, and have been since the beginning.

Humanity is the willing slave race of false gods.

Atheism is a satanic doctrine meant to empty hearts and minds, to be clear. Unlike false religions, it purges belief entirely. It is easier for the Father of Lies to deceive from scratch than to change what is already believed.

The world is a democracy, and has been since the beginning. The hell on earth is because we are governed by the supermajority. Every tyrant is elected by the will of the people, one way or another.

Satan is the God of this World… but this is a world of fakery. Its god is false. There is still a yearning for truth in the world, however. There is still a sense of justice. The few sometimes inspire the many… and that is really what my fiction is all about.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/528774

Somewhat Talented

Very few people are excellent. Very few people are pathetic. The vast majority of people are simply… average… in every way.

Some ordinary people are better than others… but still ordinary. They are smarter but not geniuses or stronger but not strong or faster but not fast. They may be prettier but not gorgeous or richer but not rich or popular but not famous.

I write fiction. My genre is usually action-adventure. The stories are about heroes and villains. A hero is not merely someone who is brave or virtuous. He is superhuman, one way or another. His excellence may not be obvious at first, but is revealed by his adventure.

A fiction does not prove its hero is extraordinary by having him outmatch fantastic baddies. On the contrary: If everyone is fantastic then the setting is simply ridiculous.

The foot soldiers of villainy set the standard of ordinary. The hero’s excellence is measured by his effectiveness against them. Some of these nameless baddies are better than others, however. Though hopelessly outmatched by the hero, it takes fewer of them to give him trouble.

NOTE: A type of soldier twice as formidable as a common soldier is indeed elite. He is still slaughtered in droves by a hero who kills common soldiers by the hundreds, however. The ordinary is still ordinary. The best of the insignificant are still insignificant.

The Man of Every Year

NOT AS BAD is not a measure of goodness.

Sincerity is immeasurable. It is insincere otherwise. Every evil is but a partial goodness, for evil is a lack and “pure” evil would be nothing at all, thus, pure indeed.

The sins of others do not justify your own. You do right or not and shall be judged accordingly, regardless of your reasons.

“To have loved but lost” is not better than “to never have loved at all.” The sacrifice of Jesus was meaningless till he rose again. What is lost must be found… or it is gone.

Most people are “not as bad” and this is their supposed goodness. They assume evil always wins because they confuse lukewarm as better than cold against.

The evils of the world are not inequality or inequity or racism or sexism or homophobia or any other of the countless things deemed sins by the sinners themselves. Those who make excuses for themselves are unworthy to judge others. Their social commentary is insincere.

The best of the world are NOT AS BAD as most everyone else. They are not good. They are evil, as evil as anyone else.

A good man is not of the world. His love is not lust. His fear is not cowardice. His wealth is not money. His power is not control. He is sincere. He prevails by his sincerity. His every failing is a success. His every defeat a victory. Jesus conquered death accordingly.

Innocence

I live in a world of sin. It is assumed I am a sinner too, since I look like everyone else. I am as powerless as everyone else.

People are annoyed by my quirks. Am I a sinner because I annoy them? People expect of me. Am I a sinner because I have my own priorities? I am accused of hate because I judge people. Is it hate if my judgments are sound? I am accused of profanity because my speech is sometimes colorful. What of it? I am accused of perversion because I fancy strange ideas. Am I a pervert if my life is wholesome?

I judge a tree by the fruit is bears. I judge myself accordingly, first and foremost.

I do not deem people sinners because their quirks annoy me… or I expect them to abide by my agenda… or because they discriminate… or they have weird fantasies. Sin is actual sins, not matters of opinion or convenience. It is indifference and malevolence. The self-righteous rationalize their sins… but they are not righteous. They are indifferent and malevolent. They are sinners.

I am sacrificed by the wicked for the sake of others, themselves specifically. I am accused of being selfish when I resist being expended. Sacrifice yourself if need be. I am not your lamb and shall not be gathered to the slaughter.

https://www.deviantart.com/yellowplasma

My Historical Fiction

I imagined a world where speech was never confounded into languages. Contagions are unheard of. Weapons of mass destruction are obsolete.

Do you prefer our world as it really is? Is it better because people literally cannot understand each other? Are we blessed with illness? Are weapons of mass destruction what make war interesting?

You have the world as it really is. It is so inspiring that its history is legends and propaganda. Its best fiction is about other worlds.

I did not change things to make anything better. It was to make the world more interesting. A character is humanized by its dialog, so I want the reader to understand the dialog. The stories are supposed to be thrilling, so giving them diarrhea or making them bedridden were bad ideas. I fancy warrior prowess so am uninterested in weapons that indefensibly negate it.

The world changes its history, to make it more interesting or to indoctrinate us. I changed history without pretense. Unlike the non-fiction, it is overtly fiction.

The Sorcerer tetralogy is about a world where the Confederacy won the War Between the States and aligns with Nazi Germany. The title character is the villain: a senior leader in the SS who uses magic, technology and armed force to commit atrocities. The mother of his daughter (or son) is the hero, and fights to stop him.

How would language barriers make the stories more interesting? What about disease or nuclear weapons? Do tell… or forever hold your peace.