Mixing Science and Magic: A Recipe for Disaster? By Paula Fleming A friend emailed to lament the difficulty she was having with a novel in progress.
A shaman-in-training from a hunter/gatherer culture gets sent by magic to 21st-century Earth. While studying to be a shaman, she learned to hear the "earthbeat," the ecological rhythm of the world. How to Create a World for a Fantasy Novel. Fantasy Fiction Factor - Aliens and Faeries: Non-Human Characters Acting Badly. Aliens and Faeries: Non-Human Characters Acting Badly by Lee Masterson Most writers of speculative fiction have a tendency to include a non-human character or two in their novels these days.
Hard science fiction writers like to throw in a random bug-eyed, slime-dripping menace with which to threaten their heroes.