"Alien' is a C film elevated to an A film, honestly, by it being well done and a great monster. If it hadn't had that great monster, even with a wonderful cast, it wouldn't have been as good."
-Ridley Scott
In stories, there exists a type of protagonist that is neither malicious nor misguided; we call these forces of destruction "monsters." but they are simply forces of destruction. Unlike a villain, a monster has no shred of humanity in it, even if it once was a human such as Freddy Kreuger. And unlike a bestial force of nature like a shark, a monster is not part of the healthy ecosystem of your world. It is not part of the “circle of life” (even the more predatory parts). It simply exists to consume and destroy, making it a threat to the world and characters around it. Today, we're going to look at what makes an interesting monster and how to best use them in our stories.
Tip 1: A monster's power should be adjusted in contrast to the world it is in.
As with all things, whether a destructive creature is a monster is entirely relative to its environment. A dinosaur in the Jurassic period is simply an animal that is a healthy part of its own environment. But if you take that dinosaur and put them in a daycare, you very quickly get a monster. It's simply too powerful and hungry for that environment to sustain it. Additionally, we would typically view the story through the perspective of a human who stands little chance against it. Similarly, the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise are effective monsters only when they face off against humans. As soon as you introduce a more powerful creature, such as the Predators, the xenomorphs become a more balanced force in the world they are in. And this is not a qualifier to get the label of "monster" but rather a sliding scale for you to create the type of story you want. The shark from Jaws, for example, just barely fits into the monster genre because of the oddity that it has an unnatural appetite for humans. Yet the story is fantastic none-the-less. So make a creature more or less suited to its environment depending on how monstrous you want to make it.
Tip 2: Slowly reveal your monster if you wish to increase fear.
The ultimate factor that creates fear in most monster stories is the unknown. We don't know what is hunting the protagonist. We don't know why the monster would want to hunt the protagonist. We often don't even know what the creature looks like. We usually just see a dead body left by the monster, and our imagination is left to fill in the blanks with the things we deem most terrifying. But the moment that your reader and protagonist learn something about the monster, they can both begin to strategize and predict what will happen next. To solve this problem, preserve the mystery for as long as possible if you want the monster to be scary. Show us the results of what the monster does, giving us the smallest of clues while you draw out the big reveal.
Tip 3: The fewer the monsters, the more frightening they become.
If your monster needs companions in order to be effective (like the Gremlins), it means that they are not effective enough on their own to pose a genuine threat. This is fantastic if you want to add a comedic or fun action feeling to a story. After all, the more monsters there are to destroy, the more fun you can have with them. But this is a two-sided sword. If your desired effect is to create monsters that are as scary by themselves as in a group, you'll need to cut down on their number. If you remember back to Jurassic Park, a single dilophosaurus was far more terrifying than the more effective and deadly compsognathus that attacked in large numbers. If given the choice between them and told that the compies were more deadly, I would still take my chances with them rather than tangle with a dinosaur that is able to take someone on their own. So, adjust the number of monsters to represent the power you wish to give them.
Tip 4: Note your monster's intelligence.
Just because a monster is a force of unbalanced destruction, this does not mean that they have to be stupid. Your monster can be as intelligent or more intelligent than humans. As an added effect, the more intelligent your monster becomes, the more sadistic and frightening it will become in your reader's mind. With high intelligence comes the knowledge that the monster chooses, at a certain level, to be what it is. It may even consciously enjoys death and pain, as opposed to merely acting on instinct. This is another tool you can use to bring your story about monsters deeper or further away from the horror genre.
Tip 5: Remember your monster's motivation.
Just like characters, monsters do things for a reason. Most monsters act on a hunger, either for flesh or fear, or souls. This might produce a story where the audience feels some empathy towards the creature, or where the story becomes more reminiscent of man vs nature. Others might act out of a singular drive for revenge. This kind of story may cause the audience to see similarities between themselves and the monster or perhaps satisfaction if the victims seemingly deserve their fate. And some act with nothing but a sadistic love for pain, death, and suffering. These monsters can be some of the most horrifying or hilarious ones that you could possibly create. Note and adjust your monster's motivations, how this affects its behavior in every scene, and what level of fear its motivations create within your story.
Tip 6: Remember the tradition of monsters as symbols but do not forget the plot.
Throughout the tradition of storytelling, monsters have represented certain evils. Godzilla represented the senseless destruction of the atom bomb in Japan. The ancient dragons represented greed and savage power. Vampires represented unbridled lust. Mr. Hyde represented the hidden darkness is every man's heart. Of course, this will not always be the case as many monsters have no symbolic meaning whatsoever. And that is certainly alright and desirable in most cases. But be aware of the tradition that you represent when creating a monster while abstaining from getting lost in your symbolism. It would be better for your monster to be nothing but a good plot element in a story than that they become a preachy message.
Write-a-Novel Exercise 5.3.3
If you are creating a monster, write in a few sentences how (or if) you plan to use each tip in regards to designing your character.
Click here to submit your exercise to the Greenbat Tutorials Gallery.
-O-
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Recently, I wrote an article about creating a story villain/antagonist, and focused a lot on how this was different from creating a “monster.” Today, I'm going to talk about monsters, how to create them, and how to use them efficiently. Please note that I am not talking about monsters as a designation of species (like Monsters Inc), but as a literary device.
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Just found your tutorial and i feel itll be a big help in makin my monster.
Essentially a story for a fandom people just keep as the lhrase goes "beating a dead horse", its there to just get rid of that universe so a new one can take its place.
I figure that since design isnt my strong suit for an ameteur writer, that id purposefully leave a censor bar over the monster itself but let the characters IN the story be able to see it.
