The Pillars of Popular Fiction

Adventuring warriors. Lurking horrors. Comely women. Sleek technology. Magic. These things are the glorious hallmarks of popular genre fiction. Whether one, some or all, they are the things that stir our imaginations most.

Traditionally, the adventuring warrior is a manly man who exemplifies the ideals of masculine prowess. Women are excited by him because he is dangerous. They love him because he is a relentless rescuer and a fearless protector. Men admire him for every reason women desire him. As for the adventurous female warrior, men desire her and women admire her for her feminine strength and graceful prowess.

Fear is thrilling. A lurking horror fascinates because it is an entity that arouses such a strong, primal sensation. Even if the thing is ugly, it is somehow beautiful in its terrifying ugliness.

Comely women are visually appealing whether weak or strong, heroic or villainous. Their very presence is a sexual ambiance, to both men and women. Whether helpless damsel or formidable dominatrix the comely female is more "comely" than anything else. Whether we like it or not, we would have her no other way.

Magic and technology are spurred by the same impetus: empowerment by extraordinary means. They are will made manifest. Magic is viewed as "mysterious" and is associated with antiquity. Technology is the industrial "magic" of the presumed future. Both fascinate. Both illicit fear. Either way, even when vilified, magic and technology are glorified as awesome.

We like what we like whether we like it or not. Our fancies are what they are whether we entertain them or not. Our best fiction makes sense of our nonsense and does so by being exciting. Sex, violence and the fantastic make our stories vibrant, exotic and simply fun.

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Fantastically Realistic

A believable story is a stronger story. Honesty and realism are the best way to achieve such verisimilitude. That said, reality falls short of inspiring. Yes, history and the news tout moments of glory but such fanfare is prone to embellishment.

Fantasy is whatever we imagine. Reality is all things as they truly are. The best fiction is the honest yet colorful expression of the human condition. The "things" in the story should never be more than the characters. The fictional people should think, feel and act as real people would in their circumstances. So long as the characters are "real" real people shall believe the story, no matter how fantastic the story may be.

A narrative is nonsense unless its characters make sense. What of the world these fictional people live in? Even the most fantastic setting can be "real" if all its fantastic elements are grounded in reality. Cause and effect, flow and balance: always. A strength must be its own innate weakness. Inertia and entropy must be factored into every aspect or else the suspension of disbelief is dispelled. Even if the particulars are not overtly explained, if the author was mindful of them then the story shall resonate an air of credibility.

The mood of a tale can prove decisive in whether or not the telling is believable. If all is always well or nothing ever goes right then the story shall not ring true. If a character is glorified for spouting the author's views or shamed for disagreeing then what is touted is dismissed as subjective. The author must move everything and everyone in the story by honest consideration of cause and effect. Even right and wrong or good and evil must be demonstrated within the context of sheer reality... or prove deservedly ridiculous.

Fantasy allows us to think beyond our limited experiences. Realism challenges us to contemplate things as they truly are. Fantastic realism is the most difficult fiction to craft. When accomplished and maintained, however, it proves both enlightening and inspiring: it stirs our minds to see the possibilities within the impossibilities.

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Sensual Mortality

Human beings are thrilled by the killing of people. Something about the grim notion simply resonates. Perhaps the demise of another is a stinging affirmation of the inescapable finality of death. Then again, many experience a euphoric sense of fortune when death is the misfortune of another. Slayers are known to enjoy a sensual thrill of empowerment by slaying. Others envision themselves being slain and relish the release granted by their imagined helplessness. Regardless, mortal humanity is fascinated by human mortality.

Good fiction is the eloquent sublimation of passionate thoughts and feelings. Humanity's fascination with death and our innate reproductive impulses naturally influence those thoughts and feelings. Sex and violence are provocative because they are intense and primal. Sexual violence is especially powerful, especially if done with sensual finesse. Alas, such intensity stirs us by rousing the natural fibers of our being. As a writer and an artist my favorite theme is this ultimate theme of sensual mortality.

As I was saying: humanity is thrilled by the killing of human beings. We delight in the fancy of what we dread. Our desire to propagate stirs our passions for life and death. I wondered why. I still wonder why, though I have found the answer. The question itself thrills me to ask.

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

Measuring Heroes and Villains

I am a writer of action-adventure fiction. My stories are parables. My characters are examples of personalities interacting. Life and death are the themes my characters demonstrate. The struggle of good against evil is the defining aspect of these themes. Evil against evil is relevant in that such is entirely contrary to the nature of good. How a character measures the value of lives determines whether that character is "heroic" or "villainous."

A "hero" in modern fiction is a good person of uncanny prowess. A "bystander" or "Red Shirt" is an inconsequential nonentity character presumed to be "good." The "hero" is inclined to protect and avenge, whether reluctantly or wholeheartedly, the helpless "bystander." The "hero" cares about the expendable "Red Shirts" who accompany him into danger and is upset when they are expended.

A "villain" in fiction is an evil person as an antagonist. His indifference becomes malevolence and must be dealt with. Such a character may or may not employ minions. His thugs may vary in prowess between formidable elites and plentiful cannon-fodder. Regardless, those who serve him are an expendable resource in the pursuit of his agenda.

A "hero" is a "hero" when the lives of others are what he is fighting for. A "villain" is a "villain" when the lives of others are an expendable resource. Even if a hero is reluctant to help, if he helps, he is a hero. Even if a villain believes in the righteousness of his agenda, his willingness to sacrifice others vilifies him. Yes, a hero may lead other men to their deaths but only to save lives. A villain esteems notions more precious than the lives that serve him. Alas, good and evil are demonstrated beyond the subjective fancies of "right" or "wrong."

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

Humanity's Humanity

"Life is hard" and "the truth hurts." It is often mentioned "it could be worse." Humanity languishes. Prayer is useless. Atheism is a vainglory. Money can buy anything but happiness. Fornication and drugs are pleasures without joy. Humanity is desperate. Wracked with lust, fear and pain it becomes frantic. We suffer wars and wonder why.

All is as it has always been whether better or worse. Why? How is it everything changes yet nothing changes? Everyone asks what few truly wonder: Why? Would knowing the answer truly change anything? How could it? Truth itself never changes.

Humanity is the best and the worst of all creatures. The few who care are the light of our world. The many who do not are its festering darkness. Truth is despairing without justice. Life is meaningless without freedom. Wisdom is sinister without sincerity. Love is selfish without compassion. The few who care are those who cry out for justice. They shall not be ruled nor do they seek dominion over others. Their every thought is to do what is best for all. They are loving of those who love them and a friend unto all who prove friendly.

The few who care are neither a race nor a culture. They have no tribe or nation. They are not a religion nor an ideology. They cannot be tallied by the scribes of men. Alas, the few who care are beyond the reckoning of the world they live in. Their warmth is felt by all but only those with eyes to see can discern their light. The few who care are the only ones worth caring about for they alone give life to our dying world. Those who care are beyond precious for they are everything that makes anything worthwhile. Rejoice, for those who care shall endure even as our world burns to dust and ashes. They shall be cleansed of the many who do not.

For the Better

Most people are aimless, drifting wherever the currents of life take them. They are like sheep, grazing wherever they are herded. Yes, they may wander but such is the way of mindless sheep. Like all animals, they know only hunger, lust, pain and fear. They cannot distinguish what they want from what they need. They cannot discern the selfishness of love from the sincerity of compassion. Such people simply do not care. In their emptiness, they fail and perish as all flesh does. Their lives are a shameful vainglory.

Good is not measured by evil for evil is but a lack of good. The vice of one is not the virtue of another. Being greater than the mindless sheep does not make you better than them. You must care. Separate the wheat from the chaff. Sift through the trash to find what is treasure. Tend the sick and wounded but burn or bury the dead. Life itself is the war of good against evil. Fight it! Live your life as a blessing in action.

A meaningful life is one for the better of all who care. It does nothing for those who do not. Casting pearls before swine is a waste of pearls. Tossing money to the dogs is a waste of money. Feeding pigs gourmet food forsakes the more appreciative palate. Doing things for the best requires they be done for the better people. Only those who care shall care what you have done for them. Only they shall fashion a blessing from your grace and generosity. The indifferent shall despoil you. The malicious shall rend you to pieces.

Those with eyes to see shall see the light of good and be enlightened. Those with ears to hear shall hear wisdom and made the wiser. As for the aimless masses: many a friend has crawled out from under their muck. Be there for them.

Inglorious Glory

"Mooks" are a class of plentiful, expendable, villainous cannon-fodder. Few appreciate them. Some dismiss them entirely. As for myself, I am an avid connoisseur of this lowly archetype.

The skeleton warrior, battle droid, Imperial Stormtrooper, Delmo and Silent Hill Nurse are among popular culture's favorite mooks. What is their appeal? The skeleton is eerie, the battle droid is funny, the Stormtrooper is sleek and the Delmo and Nurse are sexy. Yes, even the expendable cannon-fodder can be interesting... if there is something interesting about them.

I am a writer of action-adventure fiction. My mooks are my favorite characters. I make them interesting. How? I am mindful of what makes popular fiction's mooks interesting.

*A MOOK NEEDS A PROPER NAME: No name, no identity, collective or otherwise. A mook cannot make a name for itself unless it has one.  (The Imperial Stormtrooper is a character of many that rivals the characters of one... because he has a distinct identity.)  TAKE HEED: the largest Star Wars fan club is dedicated to the Imperial Stormtrooper specifically!

*A MOOK NEEDS AN ADMIRABLE TRAIT: No one can care about a person or thing devoid of merit. A mook without a likable quality is "lackluster" by definition. (The Imperial Stormtrooper is loyal, relentless and obedient. He never fails for lack of trying.)

*A MOOK NEEDS A SIMPLE YET INTERESTING LOOK: Groups look best in streamlined uniformity because it gives their collective aspect a singular aspect. Complexity among its individuals blurs the collective aspect  into an obscurity of clutter.  (Ranks of Stormtroopers standing at attention in the docking bay of the Death Star is a favored scene.)

*A MOOK NEEDS A MOTIVE FOR SERVICE: A character is not a character at all unless motivated by thoughts and feelings. Even a selfless, loyal and obedient mook should have a personal reason for being so.  (The Delmos of the anime Agent Aika are henchwomen who follow their leader believing he shall save the environment by cleansing the Earth of corrupt human civilization.)

*A MOOK MUST PROVE USELESS AGAINST HEROES: Villainous masterminds and elites are exceptional, hence, they should be the exception, not the standard. Mooks are distinct in that they set the standard of villainy. Heroes are exceptional, thus, they are beyond the standard in prowess. A protagonist even remotely on par with mooks is not a hero in the classical sense.  (The Imperial Stormtrooper is popular culture's greatest mook because he is everything a good mook should be: has a proper name, an admirable trait, a simple yet interesting look, an established motive for service, an origin story... and is fatally useless against heroes.)

The best mooks are the pure and complete mooks, because they are the only characters than can fill their fun, exciting, inglorious niche. Those who rightfully love them love them for what they are: villainous, expendable and useless. Enjoy their many misadventures!