Beyond the Pale

Imagination has its limits. Much of them are self-imposed. We fret whether an idea is “ridiculous” or “blasphemous” or “hateful” or “indecent” or whatever else. We are proud and want our thoughts to be intelligent. We are social creatures and hesitant to even imagine what is socially unacceptable.

I write fiction. My craft is all about imagination. I provide it. When people read my books, they are daydreaming what I imagined for them.

My stories are supposedly ridiculous, blasphemous, hateful and indecent.

1^st EXAMPLE:

My novel Sorcerer of the Realm is “ridiculous” because it is an alternate history with magic and the names of places are unfamiliar. It is “blasphemous” because it suffers witches to live. It is “hateful” because the title character is a sympathetic though genocidal Nazi. It is “indecent” because his teenage daughter is in love with him.

2^nd EXAMPLE:

My novella The Black Death of White Women is “ridiculous” because it is about black women who casually murder white women in broad daylight… and get away with it. It is “blasphemous” because the killers go to church and thank God for the endless supply of victims. It is “hateful” because the killings are racially motivated and "indecent" because they are sexually gratifying.

3^rd EXAMPLE:

My novel The Wayward School for Girls is “ridiculous” because it is entirely dreamlike. It is “blasphemous” because mainstream religion in the story is satanic. It is “hateful” because the institutions of the world are vilified. It is “indecent” because the villains rape and murder children. The foot soldiers of villainy are children and they are slaughtered in droves by the protagonists.

My work is imaginative… because I bother to imagine. I do not narrow my thoughts to keep them “sensible” or “clean” or any other such common insincerity. I mean what I write. The stories are not to trick you into believing anything untrue or to turn you against God or society or to vilify anyone real or to pervert or disgust you. They are dreams to be dreamt… for whatever mysterious reason we dream at all.

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Death-White-Women-ebook/dp/B0C14VBGPP/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2I1Z5L6CKG6A&keywords=shawn+o%27toole&qid=1680400033&s=books&sprefix=shawn+o%27toole%2Cstripbooks%2C112&sr=1-8

The Glory of Fiction

If our reality was a fictional universe, it would not be as it is shown in our actual fiction. The wars would not be good against evil. The heroes would not be heroic. There would never be last minute justice in the courtroom.

Things would not be as bad as it often is in fiction, either. Tragedies would rarely be as tragic. Evil would never triumph, despite it countless victories.

Our reality is not as we perceive it. Even when our views are correct, things are never quite the way we assume. We never fully know those whom we know. We never quite understand ourselves, either.

Our reality is the first fiction. God wrote it. When he said “Let there be light” he illustrated it. The story began and shall end. It is already written. We have only to wait for God to finish reading what he wrote. He is editing as he goes along. The final edition shall be the new heaven and the new earth.

I write fiction. I create universes and populate them with characters. I finish writing stories then read what I wrote, editing as I go along.

Humanity was made in the image and likeness of God. We can write and illustrate fiction because of this. We are capable of an insight beyond the otherwise superior perception of the angels. Like our Father in Heaven, we can edit our reality. This is why our sins can be forgiven.

Jesus is the Word of God. It is because of him that I can imagine and create. I write books and illustrate the covers. I create the title fonts. I love what I do. I love what I make. His father, your Father in Heaven is love. My fiction is divine accordingly.

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