Fantasy and SciFi novels often involve many imaginary creatures that help to give a sense of depth to the world. Fantasy often invokes mythology through dragons, unicorns, elves and goblins. Meanwhile, SciFi often likes to delve into things that are from outerspace like aliens. Whichever type of story you’re writing, creatures are a great way to give so much more life to the world. That’s why today’s guide will be about how you can create imaginary creatures for either a fantasy or SciFi world. This can honestly apply to more than books, as you can use this guide for video games or personal projects!
1. Consider the Role of Your Creatures
Before you actually start creating a creature, think about what their role will be in your story. Are these creatures going to be dangerous beasts that a protagonist must defeat? For example, the Nazgul from LOTR–their role is to be aides of Sauron and to hinder Frodo’s journey to Mordor.
Are these creatures friendly and helpful to your hero? Another LOTR example, but the Ents helped fight against Isengard for the sake of their home, which in turn helped the main characters.
Another example to give more of a sense of this in SciFi as well would be from my own books, The Fallen Age Saga. The Varkavans, otherwise known as the Ones Above, are a hostile alien species that like to wage war everywhere they go. Their role is to create conflict, and one of the main characters is of that species, which means that they play a pivotal role in the story.
Once you understand the role your creature will play in the story, you can design them in a way that supports your narrative.
2. Research Existing Mythology, Folklore, and More
Research is one of the most pivotal parts of world building. Without research, it’s going to be very tough to actually capture what you’re trying to write about. Additionally, research helps to give some inspiration for your creatures.
Researching mythology and folklore is especially helpful for fantasy novels, as fantasy very often involves these sorts of things. When you look into these sources, you can get inspiration for your creatures and you can develop your own twists so that it’s unique.
Religion is also a pretty good way to get inspiration for creatures. We very often involve religious creatures like angels in our stories, so there’s another source of inspiration and research!
3. Consider Your Environment
When you’re designing your creatures, remember to take your environment into consideration. The environment can play a large role in how your creatures might look. For instance, if your creatures live in a cold, snowy climate, they may have thick fur and sharp claws. Creatures in a dark, underground cave might have large eyes and be sensitive in hearing so that they can navigate.
The environment is a big indicator of how your creatures might look, so don’t neglect it!
4. Give Your Fantasy/SciFi Creatures Some Personality!
One of the most common mistakes authors make in fantasy and SciFi is designing what I like to call mindless drones. Basically, these are creatures that just exist for the sake of the fact that they exist. They don’t really have any depth to them. You’re already designing the characters, so putting in that extra effort really rounds off your story for you.
Creatures in your world should have personalities and quirks that make them unique compared to other creatures. You should consider things like what motivates your creatures as well as things like: Are they loyal? Are they creative? Are they sneaky? These types of questions can really help to make your creatures more relatable and interesting to readers.
5. Use Descriptive Language
When you’re designing your fantasy creatures, it’s really important to use language that helps your readers visualize them. Basically, don’t just describe a creature as “big” or “small.” These are empty words that don’t really add any depth to the creature and doesn’t really help anyone visualize anything.
For instance, here’s a passage from book 2 of my series, Soldat:
“…the Mutant pounced… taking its helmet off and revealing its pale face, spotted with green and black. It opened its mouth, a snake-like forked tongue exiting, revealing its fangs”
Soldat, Page 159
As you can see, I didn’t just tell you that the Mutant is “scary.” I actually gave you a reason why this Mutant creature is terrifying. It doesn’t look human and it has a bizarre tongue and massive fangs. Obviously, those sorts of descriptions tap into people’s imagination in that they can relate these sorts of things to creatures in the real world that scare us.
Some FAQs!
- How many imaginary creatures should I include in my fantasy novel?
There’s no set number of imaginary creatures that you need to include in your novel. It depends on the scope of your story and the role that the creatures play in it. Some fantasy novels have only a few key creatures, while others have a vast array of creatures that populate the world. This is really entirely up to you, so don’t sweat this part too much. Sometimes, you come up with things as you go! That’s part of the writing process.
- Can I base my creatures on existing creatures?
Yes, definitely. However, it’s important to put your own spin on them and create something unique. This could mean giving them a different appearance, behavior, or habitat. For example, there are creatures in Soldat called Orcanas, which are directly inspired by orcs that we see in things like LOTR and World of Warcraft. However, I have my own spin on them! When you’re designing creatures for a fantasy or SciFi world, it’s important to make sure it actually relates and makes sense in the context of your world!
- How can I make my creatures more memorable?
Giving your creatures distinct personalities and quirks can make them more memorable to readers. You can also use descriptive language to create vivid images in readers’ minds and make the creatures feel more real. Finally, make sure that your creatures have a clear role in the story and contribute to the narrative in a meaningful way. Having memorable creatures all relates to how well you can use language to your advantage!