"RipuAncestor;14925875" wrote:
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So I'm a bit late for this. Or not. But later than others. Of course I am because time-zones. :tongue: ...
Okay, so I haven't exactly planned everything about any of my stories either, though I do use some outlines and I have a lot of disjointed ideas in store that I then try to get into some kind of working order and into a coherent story. Anyway, my advice regarding your questions is to first listen to the great advice others have given here already. And then I'd say that I personally start by creating my characters first and only then trying to think how they work together. How their personalities and worldviews compliment each other, match, or collide. So basically like with all human characters too. With a non-human there is of course the possibility of trying to make something more alien and more difficult to connect to. Though on the other hand they provide a great outsider's perspective to the human world. Of course I do have some relationships in mind when I create my characters. Like from the very beginning in Tango I was planning on Amelia the mortal landlady to be this friendly, sometimes kind of motherly and often emotional figure, while Tad was supposed to be the calm, often confusing but also confused being. The idea here is for both to guide each other, which was the starting point for their actual friendship. They are both ignorant of and confused by things the other takes for granted.
There are of course different types of relationships, and not all of them are equal or friendly.
So basically my advice is to create a human-non-human relationship like any other relationship, but keeping in mind how the non-human's more alien properties affect it. I guess. Also the gaps @MedleyMisty mentioned are also important and more pronounced in these relationships.
@RipuAncestor No worries about being later to comment. I understand the time gap completely. :)
I love what you wrote. I really don't have anything super constructive to say in my response other than this was genuinely helpful, especially the idea of having a general idea to guide the character development, which seems intuitive, but it's great to see it written out by you so it's not just floating around abstractly in my head, if that makes any sense whatsoever.
@rednenemon I agree with you on the positive side. I think it'll be easier to start with a positive connection between a human and non-human, although I think negative connections, drawing to the differences and complications is inevitable and more common in fiction or shows. I think I need to find a balance.
@JLBDreamer I love what you wrote about cultural structures because this is primarily what I love doing in both of my novels - one a historical fantasy and the other science fiction. I love creating cultures and worldbuilding, including within the Sims. I'm feeling like I'm doing that slowly through Kass's story and gradually pushing past the boundaries of EA-created culture just because it's fun, but also to stretch myself as a writer. Defining a culture for a supernatural being is going to be helpful, if for nothing else, keeping things consistent and helping to flesh out characters, I think, for my future introduction of supernatural characters into my stories, particularly Kass's. I have a tendency in general to like to push boundaries and do things differently just because.
@MedleyMisty I think you're absolutely right with regards to tension in relationships in the beginning (especially between the darkness and narrator in Surreal Darkness). I think when two characters, human or non-human, stick around each other for long enough and become co-dependent, liking each other may not be inevitable, but tolerating and respecting one another naturally happens. This is actually something I'm planning for the Secret Identity of Jessica Rossum. You inevitably learn about one another and learning bridges the barriers at times or at least makes it easier to travel/be together. I think the learning process also helps you to better understand one another with time.
I also agree that creating a different alienesque character is more than just slapping on different physical features or giving someone superpowers. It's about trying to think about things from a different perspective or concept of reality, which is incredibly difficult at times. I'm excited to try though.
And the gaps bit by @CathyTea absolutely applies here too. One of my "Gaps" in writing I feel is description (and it's easy with the Sims because the pictures help define the space and the scene), and this is something I'm working on in my prose. I feel like it's okay to still define the scene even if the pictures are there and this is one of the ways I'm learning. The more I practice, the better I get. I think about the gaps in my perceptions of reality, which is tricky, or maybe think about things opposite of me (and this is what I'm doing with my protagonist in my historical fantasy novel who is equally fascinating and frustrating because she's so opposite of me). That helps me think about things from a different perspective. I think this is the start of sympathy and understanding in some ways.
Goodness! I am wordy today! :)
This is all great advice everyone! Thank you!
