(Sometimes, I play devil’s advocate, but I try to do it with friendly debates. Not when someone is talking about their dreams unless they ask me to do so. The devil’s advocate role gets used by so many people to stop others from attempting anything that may come with a risk. It blocks ambition and dreams under the guise of constructive criticism and wanting to help. Hence, this poem.)
The hell is wrong with you?
You stand there
Tearing me down
Whenever I soar among the clouds
As if I have already failed
And you merely state the truth
The hell is wrong with you?
You sit there
Pushing me to rise
Whenever I embrace the abyss
Condemning my misery
As if I did this to myself
The hell is wrong with you?
My constant opposition
The dagger to my optimism
The dove to my pessimism
Both aided by your interference
Just pick a fucking side
Let’s be clear. There really aren’t many solid rules to monster making. At least when it comes to fiction. In reality, you have to struggle with the ethics of creating a monster and hope it doesn’t kill you when it escapes. Anyway, let’s dive into some general advice that can help you along.
Have a reason for this creature existing. Not just in terms of story, but of the world in general. Monsters are basically the animals of another world. Just like on Earth, they will have some kind of niche. Maybe they’re an apex predator or they keep another creature’s population in check. It doesn’t have to be that scientific, but figuring out their role can guide you in designing their abilities.
Be careful altering established monsters. You do have some leeway, but you have to retain some aspects of the original. Otherwise, you’re slapping a known name on an unrelated creature. This can come off as lazy or full-blown lying. For example, you can have a dragon that is covered in feathers and doesn’t breathe fire as long as it still has the form of a dragon type. You can’t slap feathers on a dragon and call it a roc. It doesn’t work that way.
Naming your monster doesn’t have to be right on the first try. Many times, your initial name for a creature might be a placeholder. You’ll write them in a scene and realize that the name doesn’t roll off the tongue. Maybe it fails to capture the essence of what you have created. Just go back and change it with a ‘find/replace’.
Size isn’t everything! Many authors think that they have to go big with monsters. The thought of a giant beast barreling towards the heroes or crashing through a wall has a lot of appeal. Yet, there is something to be said for smaller creatures. Large monsters need a lot of room and they are huge targets, which are not known for speed. The advantages of smaller ones is that they can be placed in small locations without sacrificing mobility. One can believe that they will be faster, harder to hit, and maybe even harder to notice. So, consider going tiny instead of huge.
Not every monster has to be aggressive and a threat. If you want to paint a vast world of magical creatures, you should consider those that are passive. Consider how some real animals will runaway instead of attack, which can guide you to create these ‘window dressing’ beasts. They might not be essential to the plot, but it shows that the world has more than dangerous monsters. It shows that you have an actual ecosystem out there.
If you’re going to use a real world animal for a base, try to keep the main form intact. It isn’t a requirement, but you picked the initial animal for a reason. If you change it so much that it isn’t even close, the monster might no longer work for what you initially intended. For example, if you take a bear then it’s best to keep the animal stocky and strong. If you change so much that it is now slender and agile with not much in the way of strength then there was no point in the bear starting point. You’ve basically gone with a cat, but you don’t have that in your mind enough to give your monster the benefit of that form.
Try to maintain a list of creatures you’ve created. This is mostly for those who are going to do a series. You never know when you’ll find a place where your monster will work out again. This saves on time since you already have something to fit that niche and it makes the creature feel more widespread. It’s no longer alive in that single area, but it has a range like any animal.
This teaser comes from Legends of Windemere: Path of the Traitors. I really liked writing this book because it allowed me to focus on several secondary characters. This book also helped get a bunch of non-champion characters in position for the final book. So, it definitely holds an important position in the series. You can pick it up for $2.99 as an eBook or $13.00 on paperback. Enjoy.
Fairly certain that I’ve tackled this topic before. I felt like doing it again because the question still comes up. Since fantasy authors are known for having strange creatures in their stories, people wonder how they design them. Is there a trick? Do you need a special kind of mentality for it?
I’m going to be doing a 7 Tips post tomorrow and going over the 3 big methods of creation on Friday. What does that leave for today? Not much beyond a basic introduction to the topic. Sorry that this won’t be that deep a dive, but monster creation isn’t that easy to explain.
Audiences take it for granted and think it’s easy to toss in a few dragons here and there. I’ve seen people complain about fantasy depending so much on monsters too. Well, they are a staple of the genre just like horses and cows are commonly found in Westerns. It is strange how often fantasy gets criticized for its monsters being there and torn up for being unrealistic when that’s the genre. The amount of times I’ve seen people explain how a dragon cannot exist in our world is frustrating. Especially since:
These stories don’t happen in our world!
This is a key point to monster creation. You don’t have to follow real world laws of nature if you need your monster to do something. If it needs to breathe fire or eat metal then you have it do so. No explanation needs to be given either because they simply could have evolved to be like that or been magically created. With magic being around, it would be rather strange that there aren’t any weird animals. At least one person would have tried to create new species and ‘improve’ on ones that existed. So, a key point is to not let reality and the criticism of those who can’t step out of reality drive you to avoid adding monsters at all.
Monster creation is a key aspect of world building in high fantasy. You can get away with not doing it in a world that is low magic, but it’s hard to resist. The moment you introduce a non-human character, an animal that has a fantasy ability, or a beast that doesn’t exist, you’re doing monster creation. Yes, even elves, dwarves, gnomes, and orcs would fall under this category. They aren’t real beings, so they need to be created from imagination, which requires using the same methods as one would use for wilder monsters. So, you can see that it is very hard to avoid this aspect, especially if you don’t want your fantasy story to come off as fairly empty. People who enjoy the genre tend to expect at least one fictional being.
Personally, I like creating monsters. It’s one of the more interesting parts of writing fantasy for me. I can’t even explain why. There’s just something fun and exciting about building a beast that doesn’t exist. You mold it to what you need and unleash it on your characters. Sure, it will probably have to get killed off, but you can bring back another for a later story. Once you create a monster, it’s yours to use whenever you need it. There’s no rule that every monster has to be one-of-a-kind, so you can gradually build up your own bestiary. This adds a great dimension to the world because now it has its own unique flora and fauna.
It’s time for the Super Bowl, which I’m sure most people who read my blog don’t care about. For those who don’t even know, it’s the last football game of the season between the two conference champions. Most people watch it for the commercials. My family usually has a party, which was more consistent before Covid. This year, something else came up that I couldn’t resist. You’ll see at the bottom. Now for the funnies:
I’m a Giants fan, so this is understandable
I’ll still get to watch the game, but the party won’t be possible due to:
Wicked on Broadway
I’m not a major Broadway fan, but it’s an autism-friendly showing. That means, my son can go without being overstimulated. He enjoys these events when the shows are aimed at his interests. This one has been on our list for years. It’s worth skipping the party.
I need to revaluate my writing ability and speed. My goal was to write chapters 6 and 7 of Darwin & the Demon Game. I missed the mark by one section, which is rather frustrating. To be fair, I lost most of Saturday to a plumbing emergency in the morning and then a doctor appointment that went into the early afternoon. By the time I finished lunch, it was nearly 3 PM. So, I could only get one section chapter 6 done. Managed to get 3 done on Sunday and was home sick on Tuesday to get another under my belt. Pushed myself too far and that was it for me. Maybe I’ll finish chapter 7 on Monday night and then I’ll be ready for next weekend . . . Won’t hold my breath.
The problem I keep running into is that I wear down mentally and physically fairly quickly. I thought it was because of the sleeping issues, but I’m starting to wonder if something else is going on. I mean, doing a full day of writing never used to phase me, but now it leaves me dragging the next day. The weather might be a factor too. Yet, none of this was going on prior to me catching Covid in the summer. It’s possible that my brain is still foggy, which is combining with the anxiety-induced insomnia. I mean, I can’t recall ideas as well as I used to. Really need my notes these days. It scares me that I simply can’t be an author any more. Not like I’ve felt like one in years since nothing sells and nobody seems genuinely interested in my books.
Updating people on the anxiety and insomnia issues, I’ve gotten to the point where I can get 6-6.5 hours of sleep during a weeknight. Keep in mind that I wake up at 5:30 AM on these days. I also wake up around 3/4 AM, but now I’m getting the panic attacks under control within 5-10 minutes and then I’m out again. Last Saturday, I went to a doctor to talk about it, but the answer I was given was medication. Haven’t started it yet and I’m unsure if I should bother since I’m getting better. Always been iffy on any medication that messes with my mind in any way. Still on the fence about the whole thing and I might ask if it’s really necessary next time. That would be next Saturday along with a separate eye exam, which is why I’m not holding my breath for writing time.
On the plus side of things, I got all of the April posts done and will start working on the May ones whenever I don’t have any time to write books. I really need to touch the ‘Phi Beta Files’ notebook again too. Kind of forgotten some of that information, so I need to study it again. Not this Monday, but the following one will be something that has me stuck in a room for 4 hours. I won’t be alone, but maybe I can do some notebook work. Guess we’ll see since it depends a lot on the company I’ll be stuck with.
Another highlight to the week was a field trip to an aquarium. Remember that I work with special needs students, so this was a big event. Can’t go into details here, but all of them did amazing. Everyone had fun. Everyone behaved on the bus ride there and back. Not a single thing went wrong and everyone left smiling. It was definitely the best day of the week for me. Just love seeing our kids showing how far they’ve come with all of their skills and behaviors.
What else went on? My son had a bunch of tests, so we had to do a lot of studying. I’m really glad that was this week because we’re going to see ‘Wicked’ on Broadway tomorrow. I would hate for us to have to cram in a bunch of studying on a weekend where we have a special event. Been planning this for a while since tickets to this autism-friendly showing don’t come up often. Think it’s the first time we’ve seen them for ‘Wicked’ too. Nice way to relax before a busy week leading into Winter Break. Not sure what the weather is going to be like when we have off, so we need to enjoy events as they come.
A lot is going on this week, so I won’t get my hopes up for much to happen beyond work and parenting. Tuesday and Thursday have appointments. Monday and Wednesday might give me some writing opportunities. The next two sections are talking ones, so that might make them more doable. I still need to make sure I get enough sleep and give myself about an hour of quiet time before bed. The ashwagandha gummies are starting to make a visible impact on my anxiety, which is good. I still shouldn’t push myself until I get more under control.
So, what are the goals of the week?
Make Penne with Vodka Sauce tonight.
‘Wicked’ tomorrow.
Help son with schoolwork or just have fun if he doesn’t have much.
Write more Darwin & the Demon Game.
Start reading ‘Naruto’ again. A student started the series and wants me to read it too.
Continue working on Lego Bowser.
Continue improving sleeping habits.
Tinker with ‘Phi Beta Files’ if possible.
Gather pictures for the May posts. Maybe set up Teasers and Poems.
That’s something else I need to figure out. What should I do about the teaser posts? They don’t seem to garner any attention beyond people who have already read the books. Is there anything else I could do on Tuesdays? Maybe repost the character posts from many years back?
Narrator 1– This is the bad guy. You can tell because he’s leading an army of soldiers in black armor.
Narrator 2– Don’ t be ridiculous. Armor color doesn’t mean evil. Besides, he’s leading a charge against the descendants of those who murdered his family. The man simply wants to reclaim his homeland.
Narrator 1– It’s been a few hundred years. Stop living in the past. The current rulers shouldn’t be punished for their ancestors actions.
Narrator 2– They are benefitting from it.
Narrator 1– That doesn’t mean you lead an army to kill them and destroy everything in your path.
Narrator 2– Those villages have sworn allegiance to the false rulers. They refused to dissolve their oath of loyalty and join him. Do you think it’s a smart idea to leave enemies at your rear?
Narrator 1– Why would they agree to join that guy? The legends say that his family had ruled the land through fear and torture. They wouldn’t want that type of system to return even if they did believe the guy. He has no proof that he’s a descendant of the first set of rulers.
Narrator 2– He has more proof than your destined hero. Nobody was around when that talking cow told the kid that he was going to save the kingdom. Let the audience know that the kid was sneaking cups of alcohol before that encounter.
Narrator 1– What are you talking about? That never happened.
Narrator 2– It is now because I’m adding it in.
Narrator 1– You can’t just add history like that to my characters. Stay in your lane and handle this like a mature author.
Narrator 2– The female lead is going to fall in love with the ‘bad guy’ and realize that she has been lied to. She’s going to betray the hero for the sake of the kingdom.
Narrator 1– They were childhood friends and have a telepathic link. How is that going to work without him turning to?
Narrator 2– Then they’ll both join the villain.
Narrator 1– I think you’ve effectively ruined the story. This is why you can’t have two narrators working at the same time.
Narrator 2– The current king eats babies.
Narrator 1– That’s it! *sound of a laptop bouncing off a human skull* It’s worth the repair bill.
Legends of Windemere 