Tips On How to Write Characters with Wings (For both fanfic writers and original content writers)
So Iāve been reading a lot of fics lately where people are either
A) Putting wings onto canon characters
So I decided that, with the influx of people who are writing winged characters (and therefore the influx of errors that come with writing winged characters), Iād make a little thing to help you slap a pair of wings onto anyone!
This is also a bit personal, too, because the MC in my upcoming novel has wings!
1. Know that there are a lot of types of wings to choose from
Part of being a writer is the desire to take something (whether it be a pre-existing work or an idea in your head) and make it into your own. So, instead of just going with the classic bird wings, why not spice it up a bit? If your character is an angel, you certainly donāt have to stick to the classic depictions of angel wings. Why not give them butterfly wings or dragonfly wings?
Hereās a small list of different types of wings to choose from:
Note that these wings are for animals who can fly. There are also animals who can āflyā that actually glide, such as sugar gliders and flying squirrels.
Yeah, so the options are pretty limited, but feel free to make up your own kinds of wings that arenāt necessarily based on a pre-existing creatureās wings!
2. Be familiar with the anatomy of your characterās wings and their limits
If your wings are completely unique, draw them out. A diagram or picture is key when it comes to things like description. Iām not gonna tell you what everything does and give you Animal Wing Anatomy 101, thatās for you to research. Know that there are different types of wings and that they have different uses, strengths, and weaknesses.
3. Never use the full extent of your research!Ā
āBut wait, Maddy!ā you cry, writing utensil in hand and poised to stab me. āI thought we were supposed to were supposed to show our research!ā
Well, you are. Technically thatās not wrong. But, readers donāt want to know ALL of it. Over-described wings are sometimes worse than under-described wings; what sucks more than not knowing what a characterās wings look like is having to look up wing anatomy in the middle of the chapter!
Only use the most basic of vocabulary when it comes to describing the parts of the wing. Most of the time, you just have to sayĀ ābat wingā or āfeathery wingā and the readers get the basic idea. (Like seriously, do you think the readers know what a dactylopatagium brevis is????? Itās a part of skin on a batās wing btw)
4. Donāt bring your characterās wings up only when theyāre needed!!!!
Unless your characterās wings can fade away when theyāre not needed, wings are a 100% real, 24/7 thing! Itās bothersome when writers mention the wings in one chapter and then only bring them up when thereās a daring escape that needs to be performed! Most of the time, I forget that the characters even have wings at all!
There is also the fact that wings arenāt all pros and no cons. If theyāre functional, theyāre probably big, and if theyāre muscular, theyāre probably bulky. If your character is clumsy, theyāll probably knock things over constantly, and if theyāre not clumsy, theyāll still knock things over constantly.
Your wings are two (or four, or five, or six quintillion) extra appendages; theyāre a part of your character! You donāt have to spend every second reminding the readers that theyāre there, but donāt go long stretches of time without even mentioning them.
5. Your characterās wings can be a good way to indicate their mood or to provide for that little bit of description that you think you make be lacking
Why wouldnāt you want to describe the wings? I mean, you donāt want to describe every minute detail over and over again, but itāll boost your word count a lot more than you think. They can also be used to convey your characterās feelings without explicitly telling the reader! Itās like a new set of facial expressions!
See? You can tell heās wary and ready to fight from the movement of his wings! Also heās crouching next to a dead body but thatās not relevant right now
Hereās a list of wing language (?) that you can incorporate into your story that will not only increase your word count, but will also add to the sustenance of your story!
Kick someoneās legs out from under them
Snap someones neck (only for muscular wings like bat and bird wings)
Problems that may come with having wings
Poke out from under blankets and let all of the cold air in
Get pins and needles from being folded for too long
Squashed on chairs/ in beds/ in crowded hallways
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