Making Aliens Alien: How to Make Alien Characters Seem Truly Alien to Your Readers

Jeff Somers

There are any number of ways for writers to present alien cultures in science fiction and fantasy stories, but Jeffrey Somers shares five key considerations when writing aliens that feel truly different than humans. For instance, writers should consider the biology of aliens, how the aliens perceive time, and always keep in mind "The Inverse Principle"—that is, the fact that aliens would not consider themselves to be aliens. In addition to helpful tips for each consideration, Somers also provides a valuable reading list for each point.

About the Instructor: 

Jeff Somers (www.jeffreysomers.com) began writing by court order as an attempt to steer his creative impulses away from engineering genetic grotesqueries. His feeble memory makes every day a joyous adventure of discovery and adventure even as it destroys personal relationships, and his weakness for adorable furry creatures leaves him with many cats. He has published nine novels, including the Avery Cates series of noir-science fiction novels from Orbit Books (www.avery-cates.com), the darkly hilarious crime novel Chum from Tyrus Books, and most recently tales of blood magic and short cons in the Ustari Cycle, including the novel We Are Not Good People and the novellas Fixer, The Stringer, Last Best Day, and The Boom Bands from Pocket Gallery (www.wearenotgoodpeople.com). He has published over 30 short stories, including “Ringing the Changes,” which was selected for inclusion in Best American Mystery Stories 2006, “Sift, Almost Invisible, Through,” which appeared in the anthology Crimes by Moonlight, edited by Charlaine Harris, and “Three Cups of Tea,” which appeared in the anthology Hanzai Japan. He also writes about books for Barnes and Noble and About.com and about the craft of writing for Writer’s Digest, which also published his book on the craft of writing Writing Without Rules in 2018. He lives in Hoboken with his wife, The Duchess, and their cats. He considers pants to always be optional.