If, like me, you love to create new creatures for your fantasy land there are a few tips that I have picked up that have really helped me with the creative process.
Now don’t get me wrong, I still love the original and well-known fantasy creatures like the dragon, gryphon, and unicorns, but sometimes I want to add an original flair to my fantasy novels.
1) Use existing creatures for inspiration.
When I think about creating new creatures, I will many times look at animals that exist today. It is fascinating how many unique animals are around right now. For instance, take the common hummingbird. The hummingbirds brilliant throat color is not caused by feather pigmentation. Instead, it is caused by iridescence arranged in the feathers. Light level, moisture, and angle of viewing influence just how bright and colorful the throat may appear. And, although the average hummingbird weighs only 3 grams, (less than a nickel) their maximum forward speed is 30 miles per hour (60 MPH) in a dive. And most amazing of all, a hummingbird’s wings beat between 50 to 200 flaps per second. Now, I’m not writing this post just to talk about hummingbirds. NO, I’m just giving you an idea of different attributes of a creature that you can use for your own unique creations. Think about it, let’s say you want a unique flying creature. Well, using the hummingbird as inspiration, you could have your winged creature have iridescent feathers.
2) Visualize the creature that you are describing. Try to sketch it.
Sometimes when creating new creatures, we can get a bit carried away. We can give our creatures ridiculous characteristics that sound fine when we are writing, but look very humorous and odd once properly visualized.
One way to avoid this is by sketching the creature. And don’t worry if it’s not perfect. Nobody will see it but you. Sketching the creature just gives you an idea of what you want your creature to look like.
3) Decide what type of creature that you want to create.
Is your creature social or solitary? Are they able to be domesticated? What is the creature’s temperament? Does it have special abilities? If so, what are they? Did they always have those abilities or did they come after some event? Where does it live? What kind of fur does it have? Is your creature a herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore? How big is it?
4) Decide on the color of your creature.
When doing this, take the function of your creature into consideration. Is it an ambush hunter? If so, you should probably consider giving your creature a color that would blend into its environment. Consider the lion. They live on the savannas and like to ambush their prey. Their tan color gives them the ability to hide in the grass without being spotted by the prey.
Is your creature poisonous? A poisonous creature can stand out. In fact, a lot of poisonous animals today (like the Poison Dart Frog) are vibrant in color. It warns other animals and humans to stay away.
So these are just some of the tips and tricks that I use when creating my fantasy creatures. I plan to be doing a Part Two later. Till next time.
~Nightsong
CreativeMinds101 