MIND MELD: The Most Difficult Part of Being A Writer Is…

Karen Miller recently took part in a Mind Meld of authors answering the question ‘What’s the most difficult part of being a writer?’

You can find her answer (along with many others) here. It sounds like a rather fun thing to take part in so writers by all means post your answer below!

And don’t forget to visit the Feb Aust Spec Fic blog carnival (part one), hosted this month by Ticonderoga. And part two is now up (17/2).

Animal, Vegetable or Mineral? Part II Tips for Writing Non-human Sentience

Sentient non-humans are like people dressed up in fur or circuitry, right? Not quite. They are in non-human bodies for a reason and the non-humanness will have its impact. JARROD in The Spell of Rosette is a quantum computer that attracts consciousness. He has human traits—programmed as an Aries, he’s fiery, assertive, inventive and brave. He’s also virtually enlightened, considering the speed at which his cognition is running, so there are some differences between him and the boy next door. For one, it’s hard to surprise him. He doesn’t get lonely and his perspective is vast – think galaxies and millenniums. Still, he has the human touch.

Rakka, Kim's Torresian Crow, as a bird, he has a unique view and angle on life

Writing a sentient being that can relate to people means giving it one or more of the five senses—sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. Remember C-3PO and his relationship to oil? If the character is a dog, think about where dogs have the edge on humans—like their acute sense of smell. Birds have uncanny navigational and migratory skills and there is also that ‘bird’s eye view.’ Taking these attributes into consideration when writing non-human intelligence means building authentic characters.

Kim's granddaughter Kayla communing with the plants

The same goes for sentient plants. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy gets a slap when she tries to pick fruit from a talking tree. In Tolkien’s LOTR we encounter Old Man Willow, who uses what he has (roots, soil, crevasses) to ensnare the Hobbits. The trick in writing non-human sentience is observation. Think about what is important to their survival. What motivates them? What frightens them? What makes them unique? A computer may be less aware of the environment than a horse but it probably talks faster than a carrot. A snake would make reference to surface textures and vibrations in the ground; a crow might talk about the prevailing wind or the nearest eatable carrion.

Using a technique borrowed from Psych-K, 4 questions 3 answers, can help writers get into the non-human mind. If writing a sentient horse I might ask:

1. What would I see?

a. Auras
b. Body language
c. Far into the distance

2. What would I hear?

a. Meaning in birdcalls
b. Other horses’ thoughts
c. Beyond human frequencies

3. What would I say?

a. Ideas my human companion hasn’t thought of
b. Premonitions, prophecy
c. The scent of water

4. What would I feel?

a. The earth as I roll in the sand
b. Whole apples crushed to juice in my jaws
c. Endurance, power, speed

Each sentient being has a unique perspective that can move the story forward, add insights and also connect the readers to life in a new way. What are some of your favorite SF/F non-humans? What makes them appealing? How do they think in ways that are different to people? Comments welcome.

Read Animal, Vegetable or Mineral? Part I

Read more posts by Kim Falconer

Kim Falconer is the author of The Spell of Rosette (Quantum Enchantment Book 1), which was published in January by HarperVoyager. Kim lives in Byron Bay and runs the website Falcon’s Astrology as well as a website dedicated to the Quantum Enchantment series.

Read the Australian Bookseller & Publisher review of The Spell of Rosette.