#141. How To Create Believable Monsters With Randy Ellefson

Fiction Writing Made Easy

Savannah Gilbo

Education, Fiction, Writing Tips, Arts, Bestseller, Writing, How To, Author, Writing Community, Books, Novel, How To Write Fiction, Writing Fiction, Writer, How To Write A Book

4.9 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2024

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“The object itself didn't cause the conflict. The person who made the choice with the object caused the conflict.” - Randy Ellefson

In today’s episode, we’re going to cover something really fun—how to create believable monsters. And I have a special guest joining me today—someone that knows way more about creating monsters than I do. His name is Randy Ellefson, and he is the author of The Art of World Building. Here’s a preview of what’s included:

[03:48] Randy gives us his definition of a monster, what physical or physiological deformities they may have, and whether they are sentient beings.

[16:05] Randy breaks down the three types of monsters: accidental monsters, monsters by design, and monsters by evolution.

[28:42] Is it more effective to compel readers to keep reading despite knowing the outcome, or to cultivate curiosity that propels the audience to move forward?

[29:15] Randy shares common monster motivations, including a popular one that may lack credibility.

[50:47] The idea of exploring diverse topics and genres can expose writers to new ideas and provide fresh perspectives, even for writers not typically inclined towards fantasy, sci-fi, or historical fiction.

Links mentioned in this episode:

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Before we dive into the episode, I wanted to let you know I have a free on-demand masterclass called
0:05.2	Five Steps to writing a novel without letting perfectionism or procrastination get in the way.
0:10.0	In this free training, I cover things like where perfectionism comes from, how it's directly linked to procrastination,
0:16.1	and what you can do right now to start making real progress with your writing.
0:19.8	I also talk about the problem with popular plotting methods and how they can do more harm than good,
0:24.8	especially if you're brand new to writing.
0:27.0	And last but certainly not least, I share some of the most common mistakes I see writers make
0:31.5	so you can avoid them and make this the year you finish your novel.
0:34.8	If this sounds like something you're interested in you can sign up for free at savanna
0:38.7	gilbo.com forward slash training one more time that's savanna gilbo.com, forward slash training to get your hands on this free
0:45.9	master class.
0:46.9	The monsters don't necessarily have to have physical deformities, but they usually do, mostly because we
0:52.2	want something where we immediately see and go,
0:54.3	oh my God, it's a monster, you know.
0:56.6	But it can also be like a psychological deformity.
0:59.2	We don't normally think of psychological stuff as a deformity.
1:01.8	We just say, oh, that's messed up or something or this
1:04.4	person's a juror or something, but you know, something like vampires. Physically, when they're not in their
1:10.0	vampiric state, you know, they look, they look fine, they look like you and me.
1:13.4	I could be a vampire right now and you would have no idea.
1:15.6	Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast.
1:21.6	My name is Savannah Gilboe and I'm here to help you write a story that works.
	...

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