Alien Pitfalls

Over the years I've read quite a few alien stories. Heck, I've even written a couple myself. As I see it, the easiest alien story is one where all the characters and the location are alien. In other words, everything is "not us". In that case, you don't have to decide what the characters know--or don't know (or understand). They'll all be familiar with the same references. Kama Sutra Lovers is this type of story. The book's setting is Elyria and all the characters--at least all the major characters--are natives of Elyria.

In the second type alien story, one of the characters is not native to an alien setting. In this story, the author creates the setting and then observes it through the eyes of the outsider. The Mystic Valley books are stories of this type. Everything is not only unfamiliar to the hero/heroine, but the reader. In many ways, this is the most difficult type alien story to write because the author must convey a strange world, customs, culture while maintaining the personality of the hero/heroine. What will they know/understand and how do they find out about the new world? Some authors may even be tempted to dump information rather than let their character discover that world on their own.

In the third scenario, the alien is on Earth. This presents the problem of determining what the alien knows about Earth and how quickly he/she assimilates. The world is familiar to the reader so the author doesn't have to explain the setting for the reader's sake. However, the author must still be careful when viewing the surroundings through the outsider's eyes.

In the second and third scenarios I also include time travel novels. In Linda Howard's Killing Time, she beautifully addresses this issue when her FBI agent from the future (though well prepared) is continually snagged by idiomatic language differences.

On one hand, it's too simplistic to assume the alien character will understand everything immediately. On the other hand, the story will screech to a halt if the author stops to explain every itty bitty little thing as they go along. I like to assume reasonable intelligence in my aliens and stop occasionally to show them figuring out/asking about a particularly puzzling issue.

The picture at the top of the post is a perfect example of the type of pitfall I think would be interesting, even amusing to have in a story. Perhaps the alien in this case has numerous little horns to hide. What to do? A normal hat wouldn't fit over his head... Or perhaps he's a dragon and must hide his crest. Hmmmm.

What's your favorite alien story?

anny

This and That AND the Saga

I'm trying to convince the house hunk that he could be a spectacular admin-assistant. He's good on the phone. I could teach him to file. He already schedules all the doctor appointments. What else is there?

I need a secretary to file papers and update my notes. I think I must have four weeks worth of odds and ends to file, update, or throw away. Am I the only one with mounds of stickies? And receipts! I have piles of receipts and it's almost tax time.

I was going through my receipts and only now discovered that Borders doesn't list the book titles on your receipt. How am I going to claim that Kama Sutra book and deck of cards? Gee, sir, I, uh... Snort!

Today I am going to the hospital with my friend. While she visits with her house-mate, I will take a briefcase full of stuff and work on sorting it all out. I'll also take a couple pads of sticky notes to make notations on each item so my time is not completely wasted when I can't remember why something was in a particular pile. When I finish it, I'll feel virtuous for oh, six minutes and then I'll begin to fret over when I'm going to get to it once I'm back home. Sometimes it's easier to just leave it in a jumbled mess. By the time I've relocated it, I didn't need it anyway.

Speaking of Kama Sutra--I did use those cards in my writing. My editor just offered me a contract for my latest submission Kama Sutra Lovers.

I also used the Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures for my books Daffodil and Honeysuckle. I wonder if the IRS considers that a business expense? What if they have to read the books to check if I really used them. Hmmm. This could be a good thing. Readers are where you find them.

My cat is sitting on the desk with the front of her body plus paws holding down my left arm. It tends to make typing tough. I believe the message is, "Time for bed." So on that note...


Yesterday on the Saga, Amarinda left us here:


Emmeline looked at Zoltan. They wanted a male. “Oh yes, Zoltan by all mean let’s help them.” She watched as he was dragged to his feet.

“Emmeline, those diamonds belong to both of us.”

“Sorry what? I can’t hear you over the drums.”



And this is my offering:

The drums beat louder, then fell silent. The village women formed a circle around Emmeline and began to close in on her. Rapid realization dawned on Emmeline that Zoltan was not he only one in danger. She edged her peeler from the holster and pointed it first at one, then another of the women, spinning around to prevent them from jumping her from the rear.

Inexorably, they silently advanced. Just as they fell on her as a group, the drums began a wild rhythm and the men began to howl and dance.

A thundering boom shook the village huts as the gathering hut exploded into flames. The women broke away from Emmeline, pelting through the village into the rain forest. Emmeline sat up and stared at the chaos around her. The gathering hut, located in a huge clearing in the center of the village, miraculously burned to the ground without sparking any other fires.

Through the smoke, two men accompanied by a woman, strode up to Emmeline. The men grinned down at her while the woman glanced casually around to see if she could spot Zoltan.

“Well, warrior woman?” Rafe prodded with a laugh. “What happened to you?”

“I thought you could beat all comers,” jibed Shade. “You and the peeler were invincible.”

Emmeline smacked her forehead with her fist. “What on earth are you doing here?” she demanded coldly.

“We're just here for the diamonds,” Rinalda said, putting in her two cents. “So hand ‘em over.”

Anny

Don't forget to drop by Amarinda's blog for her take on Aussie life at http://www.amarindajones.blogspot.com/ and then hop over to see what Kelly's up to at http://www.kkirch.blogspot.com/ And then of course, Blessings on your day!