 Fantasy: September 26, 2018 Issue [#9140] |
This week: Pets Edited by: Robert Waltz  
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Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tail.
-Kinky Friedman
Time spent with cats is never wasted.
-Sigmund Freud |
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Companions are a common feature of fantasy writing. Without them, the protagonist is stuck doing internal monologue, which gets boring. So you need a second (or third or fourth) voice to serve as the main character's sounding board, conscience, foil, motivation, or whatever.
Sometimes these characters are humanoid, but often, a nonhuman companion works quite well - better, in fact, if you need an alternative point of view. A canine companion, for example, may be more interested in its next meal than the actual plot.
For science fiction, such a companion could be a robot or alien, both of which has been done (or one can switch it around like in Doctor Who where the main character is alien and his/her companions are usually human and TARDIS).
But there's a special bond between humans and pets (and, possibly, humanoids and pets). As in the real world, an animal companion is usually a lifelong contract - other humans might decide to go their own way at some point, but pets are for life.
The advantage of fantasy writing is that we're not limited to four-legged furry critters like dogs, cats and bunnies. For variety and to avoid cliché, consider other species: reptiles, amphibians, arthropods, or something with tentacles that drips ooze everywhere.
Or your protagonist is another species and the human is the pet. I mean, cats probably think this is the case anyway.
We share our real world with species that we barely understand - not just exotic creatures like giant squid, but consider this: scientists still don't fully understand why or how cats purr, and cats have been our companions for at least 6000 years.
My theory? They're telling us we're good pets and should keep feeding them. |
Some fantasy. Some animals.
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Last time, in "Death and Dying" , I discussed death.
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  : There's a saying - "Every man dies, but not every man truly lives."
Or, there's the version from the Undead faction in the Warcraft series - "Every man lives, but not every man truly dies!"
Ah, the wisdom of games.
Quick-Quill  : For instance, if you know for a fact that the dead could rise again as skeletons or zombies, why wouldn't your culture practice cremation exclusively? This got me to thinking. It would make a great story, in the same vein at Shirley Jackson's The Lottery What if a sect of people chose a particular form of death or burial so the "undead" could not rise again. But some one didn't do it? Someone hid the fact they didn't believe the ritual and subjected the town to the reincarnation? hmmm?
Getting you (and others) thinking was the whole point so - score!
Elfin Dragon-finally published  : Brom21 - with regards to opening up with a battle scene: I think it depends upon the story you're going to tell. If it's relevant to your story, I think it's fine.
Now for the newsletter of death -  As writers, I absolutely think we should think about death. Especially if we're horror or fantasy writers. The way a person dies could be relevant to the story. Even what happens afterward. Point in case, "Under the Dome". One character kills another and keeps returning to her body even as it decays. (character psyche and reasons are given in story) Anyway, even the smallest details of how a cow dies in this book are interesting.
Sounds interesting.
Cupadraig~The Remote Country  : Most excellent advice! A good article as well. Death and culture get glossed over a lot and a little more focus can easily help create a better layered world. Got me thinking!
And again - score!
So that's it for me for September - see you next month! Until then,
DREAM ON!!! |
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