Fantasy adventure book. dragons talking or not?

[archangel2326]

ok so I'm trying to write a fantasy adventure book, I have had a lot of inspiration from lord of the rings, a song of ice and fire, harry potter, the sanctuary series among many others books, films, and tv shows, and in some dragons can speak and in other although they seem to have some intelligence they cant talk. so I'm unsure whether to have them speak or not so before I get to far into my books I thought id get some other opinions on the subjects.
is it a good thing or a bad thing for dragons to talk with humans/elves/dwarves etc...?
yes they should speak.
no they shouldn't speak.
maybe, they can talk through telepathy to anyone.
only talk to mage's
any opinions welcome.

 

[hitmouse]

Write whatever you want or need. There are speaking and non-speaking dragons of many types throughout literature, which sort of suggests that it is the quality of the story and the author that is the main thing here. If you need a psychic dragon that only talks to donkeys, on a Sunday, then just write it.

 

[Toby Frost]

Depends totally on the book. Broadly speaking, it feels "lighter" and more whimsical for dragons to speak but I don't see why there shouldn't be serious talking dragons too. I would just do whatever appeals to you the most.

 

[BAYLOR]

If Aa Dragon in a story is intelligent and Sspeaks , I haven no problem with it.

 

[Biskit]

What is the role of the dragons in your story? If that role needs them to speak, then they speak, otherwise not. Even then, they might still communicate. I've yet to hear a word of English off any of our sheep, but they make it very plain if they are happy, unhappy, would like whatever is in the bucket I'm carrying, or think that the latest bale of hay tastes like a cat peed on it.

How you write your dragons is your choice, and a part of the story.

 

[JS Wiig]

…or think that the latest bale of hay tastes like a cat peed on it.

That’s pretty specific!

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

Tolkien: Hey Clive, I'm worried about the walking talking trees in my story. Do you think its a bit over the top?
Lewis: Nah mate! I've got a lamppost in the middle of nowhere in mine!

The point being; do what you like with your dragons!

 

[CupofJoe]

I have a liking for talking dragons but I started with Bilbo and Smaug.

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

Sparrowhawk speaks to dragons and dragons speak to Sparrowhawk. In the Earthsea saga.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Whether dragons speak or not is immaterial; in some stories/legends/cultures they do, in some they don't. It's what they say that counts.

In some stories such as GoT they are effectively used as mega-weapons, in others such as The Hobbit they are highly intelligent, sly creatures that solve riddles and try to catch out would-be burglars.

From a personal point of view, I would say that if you have talking dragons, have them talk for a reason, and not just as a matter of course. Generally when a dragon speaks, people listen.

Also from a personal point of view, I would prefer it if they actually spoke , and not just telepathically. Not only can it make your story harder to write, it can make it more difficult to read and understand. And if telepathy is possible, then presumably other mental skills (and possibly magic) are possible too. So my recommendation is that if they speak, they speak so everyone can hear them.

 

[Biskit]

That’s pretty specific!

Tom cats will pee on anything to tell the rest of the cat world that it belongs to them. In fact, they pee on everything to sign their names.

In this case the name is Genghis Cat, a roving feral tom who terrorises the official feline residents here if they're the wrong side of the cat-flap when he comes past.

The sheep have very firm opinions about hay bales signed Genghis.

 

[Abernovo]

The question you have to ask is, do dragons speak in real life? I don't know, having never met one.

You may think I'm being facetious, but I'm honestly not. Like Biskit, I've worked with sheep (and dogs, and other creatures), and know they are very good at communicating in their own way, so you have an option to give your dragon non-human communication skills. But, at the end of the day, you're telling the reader about what your dragons do in the world you've created.

So long as you tell it well, and Keep It Consistent, I think most readers will go with the flow. Personally, I have no firm opinion, so I didn't vote. Just tell me a cracking story.

 

[Guttersnipe]

If they do speak without telepathy, and it's not meant to be humorous, make them sound scary--gutteral or hissing.

 

[Stuart Suffel]

Whether dragons speak or not is immaterial; in some stories/legends/cultures they do, in some they don't. It's what they say that counts.

>snip<

From a personal point of view, I would say that if you have talking dragons, have them talk for a reason, and not just as a matter of course. Generally when a dragon speaks, people listen.

Also from a personal point of view, I would prefer it if they actually spoke , and not just telepathically. Not only can it make your story harder to write, it can make it more difficult to read and understand. And if telepathy is possible, then presumably other mental skills (and possibly magic) are possible too. So my recommendation is that if they speak, they speak so everyone can hear them.

True dat. Also, summarises the conundrum.

 

[Stuart Suffel]

Tom cats will pee on anything to tell the rest of the cat world that it belongs to them. In fact, they pee on everything to sign their names.

In this case the name is Genghis Cat, a roving feral tom who terrorises the official feline residents here if they're the wrong side of the cat-flap when he comes past.

The sheep have very firm opinions about hay bales signed Genghis.

And there's my next children's novel plot. Thanks Biskit.

I'm thinking Yellow Rain of Terror...

 

[Biskit]

And there's my next children's novel plot. Thanks Biskit.

I'm thinking Yellow Rain of Terror...

To add to your inspiration, I used the dry weather yesterday to move some more hay and noted that some of those bales were signed by Ratty Rodent. I've yet to see how the sheep react.

 

[The Big Peat]

I have few firm opinions on this matter save that the exact nature of the fantastical will rarely sink an author's work, and that it is a subject on which each individual creative should appoint themselves as king and god. Getting dragged into others' opinions of what is better is labour lost and in any case, frequently futile as 90% of all sensible respondents to such enquiries will go "dunno mate, it's your book innit".

Of course, sometimes you'll lie all roads equally and look for help as you feel like you can't follow all roads, but I personally find it helps to bat around specific ideas and see what you get enthusiastic talking about. What would you do with a dragon that talked to everyone? No one? What would happen in your world if only dragons and mages talked?

 

[Wayne Mack]

If the dragons speak, the writer has promoted them from creatures to a race. Speaking dragons will need to have individual characteristics and traits while non-speaking dragons can get by with general traits applying to the entire species. The question comes to whether the the writer wants to cast dragons as unique characters within the story.

 

[Biskit]

A further few questions occur to me - not whether or not dragons can speak, but if they can:
Whom do they chose to chat with?
Will they only talk to those who speak dragon?
Is their speech, regardless of language, in the same frequency range as humans/dwarves/elves/bats?

Fantasy (as well as real life) if full of variations on a theme of whom we are prepared to talk to, whom we are allowed to talk to, and the social/legal rituals tied up in that.

 

[stevejk]

If they speak, have them do so in a way that no one has done yet. A thousand-year-old talking dragon will know many languages, folklores, customs and spells from human and non-human alike. With all this in mind, do something with them that no-one else has done. If they speak or not bring that to thought.