How to Write Your Dragon

My brain is a little frazzled at the moment and unable to come up with logical thoughts. In the meantime, here is an old post from my previous blog that you may find interesting.

---

I shamelessly took and altered this post title from a popular film that I happen to love. How to Train your Dragon is a brilliant movie (even if it is very, very different from the book it’s based on), and I’ve seen it more times than I can count. One of the things that keeps me coming back is the main character, who is so endearing it’s near impossible not to love him. The other thing that keeps me coming back is the dragons.

I love dragons. I think that was one of the highlights for me when I first started reading fantasy fiction, and then writing it. There are so many different ways to write a dragon. They can be ferocious and conniving, cute and cuddly, strong and loyal, etc. I love reading a novel where a dragon is used as a character, given a personality, a name (if needed), and so on.

I don’t love the books that throw a dragon in as nothing more than an obstacle. Want to get through this passage? Oh, you need to get around this evil, vicious, mindless dragon first. Want to get to the next level? Tough, got a fire breathing dragon in the way, and it wants nothing more than to roast you alive for no particular reason. These kind of dragons drive me crazy.

When you have something as fantastic as a dragon (or any other kind of mythical creature, for that matter) in your story, the least you can do is give it a personality. Give it a reason for wanting to cook your main character to a crisp. Give it some motivation beyond the typical “you look tasty”. I’m not saying every creature in your story needs their own backstory – the last thing I need to know is why that squirrel on that tree is on that tree at exactly that time – but for the special ones, make them feel special, rather than just a convenient story block.