Write Aliens, Deities, Fey, Machines and Other Bizarre Minds
It’s the classic problem:
Maybe you’re a game master running a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
Maybe you’re writing a sci-fi book or script.
You have a creature… and maybe more than one. It’s a strange being. Nonhuman, in every sense of the word.
How do you convey that?
Why, that’s easy - change its shape! Make it a writhing ball of tentacles. Heck, make it a wobbling ball of light!
To that, I say…
Boring!
We’ve seen aliens, ghosts, fey and gods on our screens and in our books before. We’ve seen the shiny-plated, chittering insects. Robots are old-hat.
Looking strange isn’t enough to make something seem alien.
Now, acting strange…?
That’s a whole other question.
But… how? How do you design minds that aren’t human but still make sense?
It’s the classic problem:
Maybe you’re a game master running a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
Maybe you’re writing a sci-fi book or script.
You have a creature… and maybe more than one. It’s a strange being. Nonhuman, in every sense of the word.
How do you convey that?
Why, that’s easy - change its shape! Make it a writhing ball of tentacles. Heck, make it a wobbling ball of light!
To that, I say…
Boring!
We’ve seen aliens, ghosts, fey and gods on our screens and in our books before. We’ve seen the shiny-plated, chittering insects. Robots are old-hat.
Looking strange isn’t enough to make something seem alien.
Now, acting strange…?
That’s a whole other question.
But… how? How do you design minds that aren’t human but still make sense?
It’s the classic problem:
Maybe you’re a game master running a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
Maybe you’re writing a sci-fi book or script.
You have a creature… and maybe more than one. It’s a strange being. Nonhuman, in every sense of the word.
How do you convey that?
Why, that’s easy - change its shape! Make it a writhing ball of tentacles. Heck, make it a wobbling ball of light!
To that, I say…
Boring!
We’ve seen aliens, ghosts, fey and gods on our screens and in our books before. We’ve seen the shiny-plated, chittering insects. Robots are old-hat.
Looking strange isn’t enough to make something seem alien.
Now, acting strange…?
That’s a whole other question.
But… how? How do you design minds that aren’t human but still make sense?