[On warrior women in fantasy]

Has Phony ever hit a woman? Has he ever seen a woman's head snap back, seen her knees buckle, and stood over her as she lays crumpled on the floor? Has he ever bloodied a woman's nose or blackened a woman's eyes? Has he ever toyed with a woman desperately trying to lay a hand on him before stepping forward and flattening her with a single jab?

I have. It wasn't even amusing because it was so easy. I had a harder time fighting a well-trained eleven year old boy. I wasn't even throwing any combinations or throwing my strikes at more than half-force, and that was still enough to lay them out. If you are a man who hasn't ever hit a woman in the face, or if you are a woman who hasn't ever been beaten up by a man, your opinion on the subject is guaranteed to be irrelevant. The cumulative difference in speed, strength, and mass simply has to be experienced to be believed.

I sincerely encourage anyone who wishes to write about women warriors to visit a full-contact dojo and ask to spar a few rounds with the opposite sex. They will accommodate you and it will be an eye-opening experience.