Henchwomen Are Sexy Pawns

I am a writer and an artist. My specialty is the "useless henchwomen" theme. The gist of my fancy is the idea of armed and uniformed women being easily subdued. These fictional victims are "henchwomen" because I cannot enjoy the plight of innocent bystanders. As armed antagonists, however, their fate is to my delight.

Soldiers are people meant to overcome other people. Victims are those who are overcome. Useless henchwomen are both. Because they are meant to be instruments of force, they are made mockery of when proven helpless. Because they are plentiful and weak they are expendable to their leaders. They are amusing to their enemies. The henchwomen are pawns: being sacrificed is the part they play.

My fancy is uncommon. Few understand it. Villains as victims? Why women? Why not? Seriously: why not? Should every antagonist be formidable? Heroes have their damsels in distress. Why should villains not have their useless henchwomen? Sex and violence are the vim and vigor of adventurous fiction. Useless henchwomen are but passive partners in sensually violent character interactions. Why not? I ask but my question is never answered: why not?

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ShawnOToole

Untruth Be Told

Fiction is the honest telling of things untrue: storytelling. At its best it is imaginative, eloquent and relevant: a fanciful, poetic parable. Alas, even something untrue may be truthful.

A storyteller must believe what he is telling or else he is a liar. He must be honest and mindful of what he believes or else he is a fool. His story must be deeper than its ideas or it is shallow and lifeless. His characters must be motivated beyond their niche in the narrative or else they are flat. A good yarn is always more than the sum of its parts.

Telling people what is right and wrong is presumptuous and boring. A good story is honest yet unassuming. The best characters are moved by personal motives. The best narratives are about personalities dealing with the flow and balance of cause and effect. The better storyteller relinquishes control in favor of simplicity and sincerity. Honesty itself shall cleanse a work of its fallacies and strengthen its telling.

Everyone loves a good story. Few of us ever tell one. When you read, hear or watch a good story be sure to judge it on its own merits. Discount what you anticipated or hoped for. Appreciate what is actually presented. Taste may be subjective but quality itself is what it is whether noticed or not. There is no wisdom in being oblivious to what is good.

Fiction is the crafting of fancies into art. It is notions and ideas shaped and fashioned into a story. Its characters are the people we imagine. Fiction is from within.

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ShawnOToole