Mary-Sue: Who is She?

The Eye of the Tiger

Just as there are different species of humans, from Caucasian to Japanese, Native Americans, Nigerians, and so on, there would be different species of animals.  With those differences, you would have to think of the different locations, climate, plant-life, other animals—from prey to predators—their societies, and other necessities to survival.  One species of finches uses tools to get insects while another finch doesn’t need a tool to eat seeds.  Just like you would have to research the culture if you were writing in a different setting, research the animals and learn how they survive.    

Maybe a crow from Japan speaks a different mode of language than the crows in the US, or maybe instead of a different language altogether, there is a heavy accent.  We don’t really know because there haven’t been any thorough experimentations or observation on language barriers.  Whether you want all animals of the same species speaking one language (whatever language you happen to be writing the story), then take note of the sounds, like the howl of a coyote, or yips and chirps of another animal.  Just remind the audience that your character, while an animal who could easily translate the noise, is still a sound that humans don’t know.  If you translated absolutely everything without describing what’s being translated (a bark, howl, yip, etc.) it’s much harder to picture the story whether it be the setting or another animal character.  

Another way to create the illusion that the main character is an animal, without even having to tell the audience what kind of animal it is, is to describe the story from the animal’s point of view (even if the story is written in third person).  Just as if a human is blind, you wouldn’t describe what color the apple was, you would describe the smooth crisp skin, and whether the apple smelled or tasted sweet or sour, and describe the juice dribbling down the arm.  Wolves have great noses and ears, but have a very poor sense of taste (that’s why some people treat their own dogs like garbage disposals), so focus on smells and sounds.  In addition, wolves and dogs aren’t completely colorblind, so research to see what their world would really look like than it just being black and white.  

If your character is a bat, you would describe sounds, and how it bounces off of surfaces.  If your character is an animal that is naturally deaf, you would describe the vibrations from the ground more than sight even if the eyes are as strong as touch because deaf humans’ sense of touch is stronger than their eyes, even if there’s nothing wrong with them.  Yes, research the animal, but it’s OK to use humans as examples—if anything, it’ll help you gain a wide variety of audiences.  If the animal isn’t completely without sight, hearing, taste, touch, or smell, you still have a chance to describe the settings from the weaker senses, but use vague terms, like it was bright, or there was a dull thud.

Also think of how their family works.  Not all mothers love their children endearingly, and it doesn’t make them have a dangerous mental disorder for having that quality.  Guppies like eating their children.  Many birds, like the cuckoo and the cowbird, dump their eggs in another bird’s nest expecting the new host to take care of their young; cowbirds are one of a kind because if the new parents reject their egg, they’ll come back and destroy the parent’s eggs.  Nurse sharks eat their own siblings while they’re still in the womb.  While it’s odd to have only one wolf by him or herself, and it makes survival hard (make sure to describe that), it isn’t unheard of, and there could be various reasons for the wolf to be on their own.  Then there’s the queen and colonies of bees and ants family situation where one ant is just a number instead of having a name, but you understand.  There are various definitions of family in the animal kingdom.

Maybe you want to create your own animal or creature.  Good for you.  It’s a lot of work, but rewarding when you finish.  What kind of animal do you want to create?  Will it be an insect, mammal, reptile, amphibian, a bird, fish, an aquatic mammal, ad infinitum?  Think of the habitat: what kind of weather it has, the seasonal changes, what kinds of plants there are, any reoccurring natural disasters, tides, etc.  After all, you wouldn’t put a reptilian animal in an area like Antarctica, would you?  Then think about it’s temperament along with it’s modes of defense or attack.  While some snakes are rather docile and would prefer to slither away, there are a few that would chase you if you threatened it.  If the animal flies or glides, how?  Birds have strong muscles along with light-weight bones, but there are animals, like flying squirrels, or frogs or snakes, that stretches itself out and the skin, or webbed toes, or flattened bodies, act like parachutes.  Is the animal more active in its travels, or is it like a jellyfish that goes where ever the current takes them?  Does the animal have a migration or hibernation pattern?