S.M. Carrière . com
Connect:
  • Home
  • About
  • Titles
    • Daughters Of Britain
    • Dear Father
    • Ethan Cadfael: The Battle Prince
    • Human
    • Skylark
    • The Dying God & Other Stories
    • The Seraphimè Saga >
      • The Summer Bird (v.1)
      • The Winter Wolf (v.2)
    • Your Very Own Adventures >
      • Skara Braens
      • Sky Road Walker
    • WIP Updates
  • Art
  • Other Projects
    • Editing Services
    • Charity Efforts >
      • Gàrradh nan Leannan
      • Have a Heart Campaign
    • Journal
    • Martial Arts
    • Silver Stag Entertainment
    • The Adventures of Grimglum the Nord
    • SMC Awkwardly Plays
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Art Prints
  • Contact

Non-Human Characters

21/11/2017

4 Comments

 
Good morning, Readers!
Picture
This is Maximus, from Disney's Tangled. Image from The Mary Sue. Click for link.
Let's talk about the non-humanoids in your stories.  When I say non-humaniods, I mean the creatures in your stories that don't have a human appearance, or human thoughts or social structures.  Essentially, I'm not talking about the sentient glowing plants that live in the subterranean caves of planet FR-035-952.  I'm talking about the mount of your knight-paladin Greta.  Or the corvid familiar of the young witch Martin.  Or just the house cat that joins that rag-tag of space salvagers as they fly through the universe.

That's what I'm talking about.

Disney does something in the extreme something that a lot of writers simply don't.  It's a small thing, and in the narrative of the broader story, probably worth dropping.  But it's inclusion adds an indescribable element in stories that is, quite genuinely, a delight.

That is, of course, highlighting a non-human character's personality.  Anyone who spends any time around animals know that each animal has its own personality.  Even solitary animals will vary significantly from one another.  Taking note of these small quirks of personality in your non-human characters can elevate your story significantly.  It can be an opportunity for levity in an otherwise bleak tale.  Or the source of heartache for a character.  It might even be the whole inciting incident à la Jon Wick.

No word of a lie, the animals are often my favourite part of a Disney film.  They also happen to be some of my favourite memories from books.  I still remember, more than many of the actual characters from the books, Sparhawk's grumpy roan warhorse Faran.  Mentions of the horse's personality were one or two lines here and there, but they provided some much needed smiles, and a long-lasting impression.

Also, I dare you to tell me that Maximus wasn't the best part of Tangled.

Personalities of non-human characters and how they interact with the world and the rest of the cast can also impart important information about the people in your story.  That cat on the space salvager's ship?  It's ornery as fuck, hisses and spits at the crew, despises being touched and will scratch anyone who tries.  But the mechanic, well, he loves that scraggly arsehole anyway, and tolerates her temper with affectionate good humour.  That tells you a lot about who the mechanic is.

It's a small thing, writers, but including a non-human character in your cast can really help flesh out your characters and the world in which they live.  And, like Faran did for me, they can paint a smile on a reader's face.

Ignoring this will not break a story and make it bad.  Not in the least.  It's really just a small thing.  But this little, tiny, non-essential thing has the potential to elevate a story immensely.

Do you notice the non-human characters in the books you read?  What is your favourite, and why?  Let me know below.  I'm interested.

Ciao!
4 Comments
Lina
21/11/2017 11:33:28 am

Gratch, from The Sword of Truth series was one of my favourites. I mean, yeah, he was a fictional creature, but he was also non-human.
(It could also be argued either way whether or not Zeddicus would qualify as a creature in some instances).

Reply
S.M. Carrière link
21/11/2017 12:09:33 pm

I have yet to read The Sword of Truth. Definitely going to add that to my list.

Reply
Jerry
21/11/2017 05:15:39 pm

I have to go Ein from Cowboy Bebop the anime series. He's quite the special dog, just his reaction to different situation is a good comic relief and adorable.

Reply
S.M. Carrière link
21/11/2017 06:24:52 pm

I have not watched that.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    S.M. Carrière, a Celtic Studies enthusiast, writes fiction.  And this blog.

    Archives

    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    Categories

    All
    Book Reviews
    Events
    Gaming
    Human
    Life
    Rants
    Reading
    Seraphimè Saga
    Seraphimè Saga
    Skylark
    Television
    Training
    Travels
    Writing
    YouTube

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly