I’ve read werewolf stories and other shapeshifters who transformed in all kinds of different ways, so when it came time to write my own stories I felt I could take the liberties I wanted without worrying it would come across as too implausible. After all, I’ve read books where the human to creature transformation was done by magic, and while it wasn’t what I wanted for my own characters, the stories still worked.
My first shapeshifters were the Guardians in my trilogy for Loose Id; they are humans who protect human kind from rogue vampires. The Guardians can bring forth wings of flesh that make them able to fly, just like their vampire counterparts. They wear clothing with specially tailored slits in the shoulders to allow for the physical transformation.
When I set about writing my first werewolf story, Comes the Wolf, I chose to make it a genetic, entirely physical transformation. No magic involved. I.E. clothes do not magically appear and disappear with the human state. Additionally it’s not a gruesome transformation. No tearing of flesh, no breaking of bones, no screaming, blood or gore.
I’d like to hear what others think. Do you prefer the smooth, clean transformations, such as Crystal Norris, the werepanther on True Blood, or the hideously painful transformation of Josh the werewolf on Being Human?Crystal Kauffman’s Comes the Wolf releases today at Loose Id. Two personal copies will be given away today, drawn from blog comments! Leave a comment here, and stop by Crystal’s blog and leave a comment for a second chance to win a personal copy.
5 comments:
I think I like something between the two. Some pain but not too much, otherwise I think it would incapacitate the werewolf when he needed to be strong. But no pain, and a quick transformation - mmm - feels as though an opportunity is lost to understand how amazing the shift is. I thinks somewhere between the two also allows an author to make the shifts different for each wolf, quick, long, lots of pain or very little pain - depending on age perhaps.
Barbara, interesting theory! Definitely food for thought for the future. BTW I had to enlarge your icon...I was like, what is that? So cute!!!
Personally it doesn't matter if the the transformation is smooth or grizzly as long as there is one. Nothing worse than to have a werewolf/shapeshiter romance and the characters never get to display their traits. If that's the case then it should have just been a contemporary.
I honestly don't really mind whether the shift is one way or another... The smooth, clean types of transformations are great in that it solves the tearing of clothes and then being naked problem, but at the same time, the more physical and a little uncomfortable (if not painful) transformations would seem a bit more realistic. But then again, we don't always need it to be realistic since readers of the paranormal genre would suspend disbelief as long as it works and makes sense to the story and the world it's set in. So I guess all the above was just a long way (lol!) of saying that I don't really have a preference as long as it is believable to me and makes sense in the realm of the story. :)
Winnie
chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com
Oh that's funny - my icon is Winnie - but not you,Winnie!! A long haired miniature dachshund that lies in very awkward positions!! Except he's just moved somewhere hot and been shaved - so he looks like a nailbrush now!
Post a Comment