Writing Excuses 8.33: Making Non-Human Characters Relatable

How do you help your readers relate to the non-human characters in your fiction? The first question to answer is why you're putting non-human characters in the piece to begin with. What are your goals for that race, culture, or whatever? Once you know that, you can begin addressing the challenge of helping the reader relate. We talk about our strategies, and we cover examples from Iain Banks' Look to Windward, Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep, and of course from our own work, including Kiss Me Twice, I Am Not a Serial Killer, and The Body Politic. Immediately Discarded Negative Example, Because the Rathole is Just Too Deep: The 1977 Star Wars Christmas Special