Is this elf necessary?
Jul. 13th, 2008 10:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marycatelliA good question for writers. I distilled it myself when I was too much under the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien, and rapidly found that it turned my fantasy stories into human-only affairs.
I wish some fantasy writers asked it more often. I read one too many book in which there are inexplicable human beings with pointy ears roaming about. And not even humans from a very distinct culture. Very little reading about in primary source material would turn up human beings who would look exotic next to the elf -- or the humans he associates with. Try distinguishing people by some cultural differences.
It applies to other imaginary races, too. I still remember the story I critiqued where the main character was a centaur. I found this out two pages in. Every now and again, the story would say, "She's a centaur" -- and never would it have the least effect on anyone's reactions, or on anything she did.
I wish some fantasy writers asked it more often. I read one too many book in which there are inexplicable human beings with pointy ears roaming about. And not even humans from a very distinct culture. Very little reading about in primary source material would turn up human beings who would look exotic next to the elf -- or the humans he associates with. Try distinguishing people by some cultural differences.
It applies to other imaginary races, too. I still remember the story I critiqued where the main character was a centaur. I found this out two pages in. Every now and again, the story would say, "She's a centaur" -- and never would it have the least effect on anyone's reactions, or on anything she did.
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Date: 2013-02-10 04:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-10 01:14 pm (UTC)