Creating your own alien universeIt sounds so easy. You're free to invent your own universe or galaxy. You can do whatever you want. You make the rules.
In reality, though, it's a tough call. Sure, it's not too hard to dream up a solar system, complete with planets not unlike our own. An "alternative" Earth. How much of it consists of oceans and seas, dry land, mountains, rivers and valleys?
What are the flora and fauna like? Are there trees as we know them? Are the plants green?
The animals. Are there fishes in the sea, birds in the air, beasts on land? Insects, parasites?
You can give them any shapes and sizes you like. Is your planet as "peaceful" as ours or is it a far more dangerous place to live?
This is your biggest challenge. To create the dominant species on your planet. They could resemble us in many ways. They could have two eyes, one mouth, one nose, two ears. But those ears could be pointed as was the case with the movie Avatar.
The skin could be blue, again like Avatar. Or any other colour you wish. The super-race could be bigger than humans, or smaller. Making them smaller means of course that they're more vulnerable, a prey to predators.
But all this is window-dressing. Your real objective is to make your aliens likeable. Your reader has to identify with them. This is your real challenge.
Your characters. As we saw before, they are the most important elements of your story.
The universe that you create is vast, perhaps vaster than our own. Your galaxy is slightly less vast but huge nevertheless. A spacecraft would need many generations to fly from one extremity of your galaxy to another.
Your planet is big too. Maybe bigger than Earth. You've given it a name, perhaps called it after a Roman or Greek god. Plenty of names to choose from here on this page.
But nothing plays a bigger role in your story than your main characters. They drive it. Your readers must feel their pain, share in their joy, support them in their every endeavour and adventure.
In the same way as you made your human characters as lifelike as possible, so too much your aliens appear real. They must have emotions. They love, they hate, they feel compassion, loss—all human emotions in fact.
No matter how weird you make them in appearance. No matter if they live in trees and have tails, are covered in ginger hair from head to toe, have teeth as long as knives, they are an extension of you.
Give them problems to solve. Is their planet threatened by another race of aliens? If their sun dying? Are they at war with one another?
Of course the best stories are those that involve romance. Romeo and Juliet, the star-crossed lovers, are universal.
In reality, though, it's a tough call. Sure, it's not too hard to dream up a solar system, complete with planets not unlike our own. An "alternative" Earth. How much of it consists of oceans and seas, dry land, mountains, rivers and valleys?
What are the flora and fauna like? Are there trees as we know them? Are the plants green?
The animals. Are there fishes in the sea, birds in the air, beasts on land? Insects, parasites?
You can give them any shapes and sizes you like. Is your planet as "peaceful" as ours or is it a far more dangerous place to live?
Your alien super-race
This is your biggest challenge. To create the dominant species on your planet. They could resemble us in many ways. They could have two eyes, one mouth, one nose, two ears. But those ears could be pointed as was the case with the movie Avatar.
The skin could be blue, again like Avatar. Or any other colour you wish. The super-race could be bigger than humans, or smaller. Making them smaller means of course that they're more vulnerable, a prey to predators.
But all this is window-dressing. Your real objective is to make your aliens likeable. Your reader has to identify with them. This is your real challenge.
It's Romeo and Juliet, but not as we know them, Jim.
Your characters. As we saw before, they are the most important elements of your story.
The universe that you create is vast, perhaps vaster than our own. Your galaxy is slightly less vast but huge nevertheless. A spacecraft would need many generations to fly from one extremity of your galaxy to another.
Your planet is big too. Maybe bigger than Earth. You've given it a name, perhaps called it after a Roman or Greek god. Plenty of names to choose from here on this page.
But nothing plays a bigger role in your story than your main characters. They drive it. Your readers must feel their pain, share in their joy, support them in their every endeavour and adventure.
In the same way as you made your human characters as lifelike as possible, so too much your aliens appear real. They must have emotions. They love, they hate, they feel compassion, loss—all human emotions in fact.
No matter how weird you make them in appearance. No matter if they live in trees and have tails, are covered in ginger hair from head to toe, have teeth as long as knives, they are an extension of you.
Give them problems to solve. Is their planet threatened by another race of aliens? If their sun dying? Are they at war with one another?
Of course the best stories are those that involve romance. Romeo and Juliet, the star-crossed lovers, are universal.
Even if their skin is blue and their ears are pointy.
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