slitheringink:

New creatures in stories tend to share a common characteristic:

• Some aspect of them resembles an animal, or multiple animals, from real life. They are often a combination of existing elements drawn from nature.

Designing them this way can give creatures both a familiar and foreign feel. It also makes the reader able to visualize them because they have a point of reference for their design.

As an example, look at the Kaiju from Pacific Rim and see what characteristics they share with real-world creatures:

• Knifehead - He has skin that resembles that of a rhinoceros, limbs that are styled after those of an insect, and a head that is reminiscent of a shark.
• Leatherback - His body is clearly modeled after a gorilla, but his features are reptilian.
• Otachi - She’s a dragon-like Kaiju with wings and basic body anatomy resembling a bat. She even has a bat nose!

Now, obviously writing requires a bit more work than film when introducing new creatures, but it’s still doable.

If the creature belongs in the world, have your characters treat it as such. If I were to reference a giraffe, I would expect everyone to know what that is. If your character were to see or reference a creature that he/she knows, but the reader doesn’t know, make it seems familiar to the character and then provide the reader with a visual description of the creature to make it not only stick in their minds, but also seem normal. Feel free to relate your description back to real life animals with comparisons (simile or metaphor).

If the creature isn’t a normal part of your character’s world, you can describe them in the same manner, but make sure your character doesn’t react to them as we would a pigeon on the sidewalk. They should be surprised, bothered, worried, or fearful of this new creature in their path.

I personally tend to draw out my creature ideas before I try to describe them. If you have that skill, I recommend doing so. if you can’t draw and you know someone who wouldn’t mind drawing for you, then use that to your advantage. There are also a ton of wonderful artists who would love creature commissions if you have the cash.

-Morgan